DCSs need backing to weather perfect storm

As welcome as this news might be, it won't be enough to quell the general uncertainty swirling around local government about the future of the DCS role. The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) will continue to push for the statutory requirement for the role to be removed, while councils are likely to come under increasing pressure to partner it with other portfolios in an effort to trim top-tier management costs. In truth, the ultimate driver of this – the unhealthy outlook for local government finances – is outside of DCS, chief executive and local authority control.

Despite this, what is more concerning is the direction of the prevailing winds of policy, both from government and its agencies. With roughly a sixth of all local authority children's services now having been assessed under the new Ofsted inspection framework, it seems the number of departments judged to be in the bottom two categories is on the rise. Whereas previously the improvement spotlight tended to fall on the handful of departments judged "inadequate", there is evidence emerging that those receiving the new "requires improvement" rating are deemed by council leaders as being in need of remedial action. By next year, it should be clearer as to whether a simple name change from "adequate" to "requires improvement" has resulted in councils deciding in ever greater numbers that the only way to move forward is to change the person at the top of children's services.