But a report from the National College of School Leadership (NCSL) and the Children's Workforce Development Council suggests senior managers are hardly chomping at the bit to step up and become a DCS. Respondents cite exposure to risk - given the heightened media scrutiny of children's services - and a lack of training and general preparedness as key reasons why they wouldn't want the job.
The annual turnover rate of DCSs at 19 per cent is high, but not alarmingly so. What's clear from the findings is the urgent need to prepare tomorrow's leaders today. Ninety-one per cent of respondents said their council had no formal succession planning in place. The government did in March promise a succession planning strategy for DCSs, to be implemented from 2010/11, as part of a broader programme of training and mentoring for existing DCSs, starting in September. This strategy is clearly needed and the shape it takes will be crucial for aspiring leaders.
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