It is an incredible privilege to be a senior leader in children’s services. The opportunity to empower others to make a real difference in the lives of children, young people, families and care-experienced adults is so rewarding. I ask all those I am lucky enough to work alongside to do the best job of your life every single day, and I promise I will too.  However, during all of my years working in children’s services I do not recall a more complex and tumultuous time than where we find ourselves today.  

We are well into the budget setting season, all local authority (LA) colleagues I have spoken to lately across the country say that this is the most challenging negotiation they can recall. Children’s services is now one of the biggest budget pressures, and the vast majority of areas have seen a big increase in the cost of residential places for children and young people in care.

Some places push for ‘staffing cuts’ or ‘freeze vacancies.’  It is important for all LA functions to be as efficient as possible, so this is a fair ask, but it’s not always possible. Plus, going too far with freezes or cuts has a dramatic impact on outcomes for those we serve but this often isn’t seen or felt for a number of years. We have to support each other in such challenging discussions with our corporate colleagues and political leaders. Pick up the phone and reach out, that’s what ADCS is all about. 

Adding to the local complexity the vast majority of places are experiencing, there are a number of national policy changes. There is a lot happening in children’s services, and all around us too, for some our councils are being reorganised, our health partners are radically reshaping themselves and the police are on the starting line of what has been badged as the biggest shake up to policing in over two centuries! 

Back to children’s services, so much good stuff is happening, things we’ve asked for in the past, including changes to the SEND system and a drive towards a genuinely inclusive school system, but the difficulty is it’s all happening at the same time. There are pilots, pathfinders, pots of funding, bids, data reports and the day job to contend with on top of new plans, guidance, white papers and a host of national reviews and inquiries looking at mental health, employment and training, abuse and exploitation, youth custody, social work regulation and more. It can be hard to keep up, but we try our best to because we all want the best of the children and families who call our places home.  We want the best for our workforce too.

Sometimes it feels like climbing a steep mountain and the top feels a long way away. Ultimately, we do what we do to make a difference to children’s lives. It is not always easy, but we get it done as best we can. Sending out heartfelt love to everyone reading this, you make a massive difference. Do the best job of your life every single day, and look after yourself. Because you matter.