Board of Directors

Last Updated: Tuesday, 02-Apr-24 13:59

President

Mr Andy Smith
Strategic Director of People Services
Derby City Council

Andy works in Derby as the Strategic Director for People Services which encompasses the role of Director of Children’s Services (DCS) and Director of Adult Social Services (DASS), a role he’s held since 2016, although he was the DCS from 2015. Andy is a qualified social worker and prior to moving to Derby in 2014 as the Director for Early Help and Children’s Safeguarding, worked in Leicester in a variety of roles for nearly 20 years. Between 2010-2017 Andy also worked as a local authority associate inspector with Ofsted which provided him with learning and experience on the previous SLAC and SIF frameworks.

As a former child in care who was adopted by his foster carers when aged 10, Andy always knew that he wanted to be a social worker from an early age, and has always tried to use his previous lived and positive experiences of the care system and of social workers throughout his career.

Andy was previously chair of the ADCS Standards, Performance and Inspection Committee for two years prior to becoming Vice President of the association in April 2023.

Andy became ADCS President on 1 April 2024

Vice President

Ms Rachael Wardell
Executive Director of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning
Surrey County Council

Rachael has been the Executive Director for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (DCS) for Surrey County Council, since December 2020 and before that held DCS roles in two other Councils, twin-hatting as a DASS between 2013 and 2018. Rachael has been actively involved in ADCS since joining the Workforce Policy Committee (WPC) as an Assistant Director in 2009. Before becoming Vice President in 2024 she chaired the WPC for eight years and was a member of the ADCS Council of Reference.Over this period she has also been at various times a Board Member / Trustee of The Staff College, Skills for Care and Become (the charity for children in care and young care leavers). She is currently a member of an Integrated Care Board.

Rachael’s background in children’s services began in Early Years inspection and regulation and one of her happy places will always be a daycare setting or a reception classroom.

Honorary Secretary

Ms Jane Moore
Director, Children and Family Services
Leicestershire County Council

Elected Director

Ms Alison Noble
Assistant Director
Derbyshire County Council

Elected Director

Ms Sukriti Sen
Director of Local Delivery
Essex County Council

Immediate Past President

Mr John Pearce
Corporate Director Children and Young People
Durham County Council

John has been the Corporate Director Children and Young People (DCS) for Durham County Council, since September 2019 and prior to that held DCS/DASS roles in two other Councils. He has been involved in ADCS for many years, prior to becoming Vice President in 2022 he held the role of North East Regional Chair and a member of the ADCS Council of Reference. John was ADCS President 2023/24.

John has a strong track record of improvement in Children’s services and has developed and led high quality services in different areas. He is a great believer in Sector-Led Improvement leading the establishment of the Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance in the North East. He has previously worked with DfE as a ‘Partner in Practice’ supporting system wide improvement and has also supported a local authority in intervention as the Independent Chair of an Improvement Board.