Loughton criticises 'quiet' chief children's social worker

Former children’s minister Tim Loughton said he has been “frustrated” by Trowler’s “below the radar” approach to the role since being appointed by the Department for Education three years ago under the coalition government.

In a candid interview with CYP Now, Loughton said that in the “rare” interviews given by Trowler she had indicated that her role was as a “quiet adviser behind the scenes”.

“That is absolutely not the role,” Loughton said. “It’s a really important conduit between policymakers and professionals on the ground. To do that [the chief social worker] needs to be high profile, a critical friend and critical of government policy, and a trusted and authoritative face for the public to engage with.

“We have an incredibly talented chief social worker – I was very enthused when she was chosen as she had a good track record for what she did at Hackney Council – and it’s been a bit disappointing not to see her profile much higher.”

Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, added that the New Zealand chief social worker – on which the DfE role is based – had a weekly newspaper column, “so social work practice could come out of the shadows”.

He said: “The role was to be like the chief medical officer, so that when there are big issues there is a public face the public can relate to – someone they can trust, is arm's length from government and who will speak with authority.

“It needs to be high profile if it is to be effective in the eyes of the public and she [Trowler] needs to be all over the news. If you went into the street and asked anyone if they could name the chief social worker I fear 90 per cent couldn’t, and that’s hugely disappointing.”

Trowler was assistant director of children’s social care at Hackney Council between 2006 and 2011 where she was hailed for her work redesigning frontline practice as part of the Reclaiming Social Work model.

She was appointed as chief children’s social worker in May 2013, with the remit to advise the DfE on its ongoing social work reform programme and work with the profession to improve performance, lead frontline reforms and spread good practice.

Trowler has been invited to give evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children inquiry on children’s social care, which is co-chaired by Loughton. The group is holding six evidence sessions over the course of the inquiry and will produce a report.

To read the full interview with Tim Loughton click here or see the latest issue of CYP Now magazine.