One of my reflections, given the number of cards I have received with owls on them, is that it is possible to go from bright young thing to wise old bird in what feels now like no time at all.
Focusing on my over thirteen consecutive years as a Director of Children’s Services (DCS), the importance of the ‘A’ in ADCS looms large. I joined the ADCS on its inception when I was assistant director in Camden 2004-2009 and on moving to Milton Keynes as DCS when it was one of the four local authorities in the country then judged ‘inadequate’, it was the only external meeting I hung onto for the first 18 months given the support the South East regional group provided. On moving to Brent, which was also then in a precarious situation, I stepped back for a while from chairing a regional group but again regularly attended regional Association of London DCS (ALDCS) meetings. The DCS role is of itself hugely rewarding but continuously challenging and it is from experienced colleagues and the outstanding staff at ADCS that much support comes.
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