ADCS

Welcome to the Greater London Regional Page

Yvette Stanley, Greater London Regional Chair

Update from the 2010/11 Annual Report

The Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS) continued to meet twice a term in 2010-11. Andrew Christie, DCS Hammersmith & Fulham, took over as Chair in January 2010 and agreed to continue as Chair in 2011. Michael O’Connor (Westminster) and Yvette Stanley (Merton) also continued as Vice Chairs.

Meeting attendance has remained high – typically 25 of London’s 33 Directors – as London local authorities have got to grips with the new Government’s agenda. We organised a regional ADCS event in June, with a keynote presentation from Marion Davis, to help prioritise our work. We have well-established lead Directors for London across the spectrum of children’s services, who lead our work on strands including child poverty, mobility, youth crime, workforce development and information sharing. Many of our areas of work have associated boards, committees and other pan-London bodies involved, and ALDCS continues to receive a steady stream of requests for DCS involvement which London Directors try to fit in where possible.

Safeguarding continues to be a major theme in London. We have an active Assistant Director (AD) Social Care group, supported by a convenor, to take forward policy development. They have contributed to the Munro Review, and worked on issues including housing 16 and 17 year olds and safeguarding thresholds in different boroughs. In collaboration with London Councils (London’s representative body for borough members) and supported by Capital Ambition (London RIEP), we now have three London Regional Safeguarding Advisers in post. They are working across a range of regional issues affecting vulnerable young people. Another strand of work involves working with the UK Border Agency on issues affecting young asylum seekers.

With the ending of the London/City Challenge programme and National Strategies in April, we have also supported the reconvening of the London AD School Improvement network. A former Director was commissioned to produce a report on existing and proposed borough arrangements for school improvement, including proposals for outsourcing, sharing services and commissioning services from schools and other providers in different areas of London. Many of these discussions are at an early stage, but London authorities are keen to make a reality of schools supporting each other to improve, with accountability and monitoring arrangements agreed and clearly understood by all (including converting academies and free schools).

Working with London Councils, we convene a number of working groups, looking at issues including the severe pressure faced in many boroughs’ reception classes, commissioning arrangements for low incidence SEN and children in care, child health and the London client caseload information system. London Councils also hosts and chairs the London 16-19 Regional Planning Group (RPG), which now has staff in post who transferred from the Learning and Skills Council in April last year. With the change in local authorities’ responsibilities for 16-19 education and training signalled by the incoming coalition government, RPG staff have been redefining their role in support of borough commissioning activities and pan-London provision.

We are looking at strengthening our relationships with colleagues working in the health sector at a time of great upheaval for them. We now have (amongst a large number of collaborative structures) a health transition board as well as a board focusing on integrated commissioning. Ann Baxter, Camden leads on this work, which we hope will lead to greater efficiencies and improved outcomes for London’s young people.

The London Youth Crime Prevention Board has now been succeeded by the London Crime Reduction Board, housed by the Greater London Authority (GLA). One strand of their work has been developing consistent approaches across agencies in London (including police, health, probation and local government) for referrals for vulnerable children and families, including a workshop event which is expected to lead to the development of shared standards and protocols. The GLA is also working closely with us on increasing the supply of foster carers, with a major campaign to be launched in the spring.

All of this work takes place against the backdrop of the local government settlement and discussions about the options for structural changes, both within and between boroughs. A range of innovative models is being explored, and we are working with the National College on the Leaders for London succession planning programme, to ensure we continue to procure and deliver the best possible outcomes for all London’s children.

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ALDCS - Association of London Directors of Children's Services

ALDCS which represents Directors of Children's Services in the Greater London area has it's own dedicated website which can be found at www.lgfl.net/lgfl/sections/aldcs/.