Michael Leadbetter has spoken out against the British Association of Social Workers' response to the government consultation on the role of directors, which said those from an education background should not be responsible for child social care.
But Leadbetter believes that professionals such as lawyers and accountants could make successful DCSs. "The spectrum of knowledge for this role is immense and if we restricted who could take up these positions we would lose a tremendous amount of skilled people."
During his time in social services, Leadbetter said lawyers and accountants were often ideal for the job. "They have a superb ability to analyse complex information, and those who come from a finance background can be incredibly competent because if you can't manage budgets you lose credit."
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