ADCS

President

Andrew Webb

Mr Andrew Webb
Corporate Director, Services for People
Stockport Council
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After completing a degree in psychology and sociology, Andrew qualified as a teacher and a social worker. He has been employed in a number of local authority posts since 1976, working predominantly with children and families. He was previously Director of Children’s Services and Director of Social Services in Stockport, and responsible for children and families services with both Knowsley Council and Cheshire County Council prior to that.

Andrew was Deputy Chair of the Government’s Social Work Task Force in 2009/10, a member of The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour established by the Police Foundation, and is currently chair of the Research in Practice partnership board and a member of the newly created Family Justice Board. Andrew’s contribution to national policy has included a secondment as an adviser to the DfES to help develop the change programme supporting Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004 and membership of a number of Government inter-departmental steering groups that produced guidance on safeguarding children, services to children in need and reducing delay in family proceedings. He was a member of the NSPCC working party that published ‘Which of You Did It?’ in 2002 and in 2004 was part of a working group chaired by Baroness Kennedy and sponsored by the Royal Colleges of Paediatrics and Pathology which produced a national protocol for the investigation of Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy.

Vice President

Alan Wood

Mr Alan Wood
Director of Children's Services
London Borough of Hackney
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Alan Wood is Director of Children’s Services in the London Borough of Hackney.

Between 2002 - 2012 he was the Chief Executive of The Learning Trust – a body responsible for transforming the education service in the London Borough of Hackney. Alan has held Directorship in two inner London authorities taking up his first Director post in 2000.

Alan is a teacher by profession, reading history initially but then specialising in the education of children with special educational needs.

Alan was Chair of the Association of London Directors of Children's Services (ALDCS) between 2007- 2010.

Alan was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2011 for his services to education and local government.

Alan became ADCS Vice President in April 2013 and will become ADCS President in April 2014.

Immediate Past President

ADCS President, Debbie Jones

Ms Debbie Jones
Executive Director Children and Young People's Service
Lambeth Council
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Debbie has been Executive Director of Lambeth Council’s Children and Young People’s Service since August 2010 managing the department through extensive changes in the face of severe budget cuts, while still ensuring that children, young people and families get the services they need, delivered to the highest of standards. Debbie is a qualified social worker with an extensive career in children’s services.

With a Masters in Public Sector Management, Debbie has held a variety of senior leadership roles including Corporate Director Children and Learning at Luton Council, Interim Director of Children’s services at Stoke on Trent City Council and Acting Director of Social Care and Health for Durham County Council. Debbie served as the elected Chair of the ADCS Resources and Sustainability Committee for three years prior to becoming ADCS Vice President.

Debbie’s hallmark is her experience in tackling difficult and challenging issues spanning borough, city and county council’s across the country, making improvements to services, facilitating and making partnerships work and taking tough decisions that have improved the services for children, young people and families. Her ambition is to continuously drive up excellence with the needs of children and young people firmly at the centre of services provided and decisions made.

Debbie served as ADCS President between April 2012 and March 2013.

Honorary Secretary

ADCS Honorary Secretary, Edwina Grant

Ms Edwina Grant
Director of Children's Services / Deputy Chief Executive
Central Bedfordshire Council
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Edwina is Director of Children's Services and Deputy Chief Executive for Central Bedfordshire Council. She is an adviser to the Local Government Association and is a Board Member of the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) and The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

Previously Edwina was Director of Children's Services in Nottingham City Council and at the London Borough of Redbridge.

Edwina has spent more than 20 years in local government posts with a number of Council’s. Prior to this she was a teacher and special educational needs specialist.

Honorary Treasurer

ADCS Honorary Treasurer, Sue Imbriano

Ms Sue Imbriano
Strategic Director Children and Young People's Services
Buckinghamshire County Council
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Sue has been Strategic Director of Buckinghamshire’s Children and Young People’s Services since January, 2006.

Having been born, brought up and educated in Buckinghamshire, Sue graduated from the University of Warwick with Honours in Italian and Renaissance Studies. She then qualified as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages and began her career in Northampton, teaching Italian and French.

In 1987, Sue joined Buckinghamshire County Council for the first time and for the next 12 years had a number of different responsibilities including support/challenge activities to schools; policy and planning; early years development; and the review of SEN provision.

In 1999 Sue joined the DfES and worked with local authorities on standards, structures and funding issues.

Sue returned to Buckinghamshire County Council in 2002 to take up the rôle of Strategic Director Schools and Chief Education Officer and restructured services to form the Children and Young People’s Portfolio in January 2006.

Sue is particularly passionate about the importance of the very early years of childhood and the development of our young people’s emotional intelligence and resilience.