Celebrating 10 years of NAVSH
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I was delighted to see that the National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH) is celebrating...
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Devo, devo, devo…what’s in it for our families?
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As Spring elections approach, in the North East region we prepare for the birth of our next combined...
Childhood really does matter in the year ahead
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It only feels like a few weeks ago when I was writing my first blog as ADCS vice president, and here...
A wonderful rollercoaster of a year
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As my year as ADCS president draws to a close, I’ve spent some time reflecting on what has been the...
Child exploitation: After awareness, what next?
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On Monday, 18 March, it was Child Exploitation Awareness Day. Across social media the hashtags...
A piece of cake
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Ofsted has just launched its Big Listen as it seeks views from the sector, parents, carers and...
Creating positive change
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I recently had the privilege of being part of a panel of speakers at the Youth Justice Leaders...
Equality, diversity, and inclusion – equity for all
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I was asked recently, as a senior leader, to contribute to our International Women’s Day event in...
Doing the best job of your life
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I do love a quote. It is incredible that human beings throughout history have created so much...
Hands up for Care Day
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I write this blog with a heavy heart as it will be my last as an elected director of the Association...
Listening to our children about mental health
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Across the country we [have been] focussing on Children’s Mental Health week. It is such a great...
Begin with the end in mind
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As I write my final ADCS blog as immediate past president and prepare to hand over my final ADCS...
Rainbow worrier
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If I was going to choose a word for 2024 (which I’m not, as that would be quite strange) I think it...
‘Go placidly amid the noise and haste’ in 2024…
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Ok, well if not placidly then go into the new year with pride and confidence.
Kinship care: an opportunity not to be missed
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It’s the day after Boxing Day as I write this blog and I have spent this morning reading Championing...
Closer to home
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Having spent an enjoyable and thoughtful few days at the NCASC conference in Bournemouth last week,...
NCASC 2023 highlights
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Last week colleagues from across both children’s and adult services came together in Bournemouth for...
Supporting our workforce
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The government recently responded to its consultation on the use of agency social workers.
Building a workforce for the future
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I was recruited as one of 16 international social workers arriving from Southern Africa in 2003....
The same, but different
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November can be an odd month. We are not yet at the end of the year but are planning for it.
Children need change
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In 2017 ADCS published the policy position paper, A country that works for all children.
The strength of our relationships
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In the eastern region we pride ourselves on a long and successful history of collaboration,...
Celebrating diversity and making positive change
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October marks Black History Month, where countries across the world stop and take the time to...
Education: Everything, everywhere, all at once
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The education sector is no stranger to change.
Family Help: a new concept or an old ideal?
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I didn’t plan to be researching section 17 of the Children Act 1989 for a masters degree at the...
It’s all about care
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It’s a huge privilege to become an elected director for the ADCS Board of Directors and to be...
The role of sector led improvement in delivering improved services
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In a rapidly changing world, the concept of improvement has taken centre stage.
Attendance is everyone's business
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Students up and down the country have been returning to school, or beginning at their new school...
Talking must now lead to plan of action
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I’m writing this blog before I’m due to go on holiday and hoping the fiasco with the air traffic...
Reflections from the North West
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I write this having recently been talking with my team about a very difficult placement sufficiency...
Every summer has its own story
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As I write this blog in a local café, the radio announces that 15 asylum-seekers have boarded the...
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
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The privilege of being a member of ADCS, a member of our Council of Reference and the chair of the...
Cogs in the machine
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As August arrives, holiday season and allegedly some warmer weather, our colleagues at Ofsted tend...
Please mind the (mental health) gap
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Cast your mind back to January 2021, the country is in its third and most miserable lockdown,...
Lessons in life
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At the end of this month, I will be moving from my familiar surroundings of the West Midlands to the...
Feeling energised after the ADCS annual conference
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I’m writing this blog just a few days after returning from the ADCS annual conference in Manchester.
It’s a privilege
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There has been a lot of chatter in our ADCS groups about retirement in the last few months and I...
How do we achieve an inclusive education system?
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As we come to the end of another academic year, I thought it was timely to focus on one of my...
The simple things that matter most…
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The varying number of national and regional initiatives, pathfinders and pilots emerging out of the...
Amplifying voices
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I write this travelling home from London, having spent the day at the National Panel Reimagining...
'Data are just summaries of thousands of stories...'
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“Data is like garbage. You’d better know what you are going to do with it before you collect it.”...
The importance of permanency and belonging
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As we near the end of Foster Care Fortnight I have been reflecting on both the importance of foster...
Please don’t normalise delay
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Earlier this month, three of the consultations associated with the Independent Review of Children’s...
National, regional, local
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I am an advocate of collaborative working in general and a strong supporter of regional working in...
ADCS president: Time to tackle child poverty
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One of my main priorities as ADCS president is to put a larger spotlight on the dangerous levels of...
ADCS vice president sets out priorities for the year
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This is my first blog since becoming Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) vice...
Don't forget our partners
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Like many of us I have been thinking over the last few weeks about our collective and individual...
Opportunity knocks
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As we move into spring it’s a time of change and I have the privilege of taking up the ADCS...
The year that was
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Well, that was the year that was, to paraphrase a famous satirical TV programme.
Valuing social workers and social work
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March is here. We’re on the cusp of spring. I can drive to work (and sometimes back home again) in...