10 year challenge

This is particularly relevant given the uncertain times we are living through which I doubt anyone could have foreseen at the beginning of 2010. So, what does the 10 year challenge look like for children’s services? The excellent series of reflections by ADCS past presidents on the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts give a real insight into the changing landscape of children’s services and are really thought provoking.

Reflections on the last decade are bound to highlight frustrations at the unfolding consequences of austerity which have not come as a surprise to anyone in the sector. However, there has also been much to celebrate as we continue to come up with creative solutions to some of the unnecessary challenges put in our way by unhelpful national policy and under resourcing. At a local level we operate as system leaders but nationally the parts of the system we are asked to lead have become fragmented by design. This must change.