In the space of four years, there has been a sustained decline in the number of councils in England that have a single director overseeing both children's services and another area of responsibility, such as adult social care.
According to the Association of Directors of Children's Services' (ADCS) recent annual update, the number of so-called "twin-hat" directors dropped by a third between 2014/15 and 2018/19. In the year to 31 March 2019, 10 councils opted to disaggregate the two roles (see below).
When considering the reasons for this trend, some speculate that it reflects growing recognition that placing so much responsibility in the hands of one person is asking too much. After all, children and adult services spending accounts for more than half of all council spending nationally.
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