Sat on a bench in a bustling community centre, the director of children's services (DCS) for Newham is excited about becoming president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services.
"A role like this puts you right in the heart of opportunity and challenge. We're at a time when the ability to influence and represent directors and the whole sector is really exciting. There are so many policy issues around at the moment such as Laming, safeguarding and 21st-century schools," he says.
But it's a double-edged sword. The exciting bits of the job are also the most challenging. He says: "Any one of those things could absorb all of your time. It's about making sure that we are able to get involved and influence."
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