Children's services: Service directors feel harassed by government field workers

The Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services is drafting the document as a result of increasing unhappiness among children's services directors, who feel harassed by government field workers monitoring progress on standards-driven programmes such as Healthy Schools.

Examples of government field services include the Training and Development Agency for Schools, which has taken over the work of the National Remodelling Team, the organisation co-ordinating the pilots of multi-agency youth support teams, which also worked on extended schools.

Other field services operate in areas including special needs and attendance.

David Hawker, association chair, said: "Different regions have come to similar conclusions. What is irritating is when they think they're more important than we are. Our first accountability is to elected members.