DfE appoints Alan Wood as commissioner at Solihull Council

Malthouse said he is “dissatisfied” with improvement at the council and “the ability of Solihull to deliver a safe service to children in need of help and protection”.

Malthouse had indicated he was “minded” to issue a statutory direction and appoint a commissioner at Solihull children’s services, in a letter earlier this month to House of Commons education committee chair Robert Halfon.

Today @CommonsEd has published the response received from Education Secretary @kitmalthouse. 👇👇👇 I welcome the escalation of Govt intervention for Solihull Council where the DfE are minded to now issue a Statutory direction as sufficient improvement has not happened. pic.twitter.com/TLGxAHNCdE

— Robert Halfon MP ➡️Working Hard for Harlow⬅️ (@halfon4harlowMP) October 19, 2022

Even though the direction has not yet been formally issued by the DfE, Solihull council has been told that former Association of Directors of Children’s Services president Wood has been appointed as commissioner.

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Wood has also led children’s services at Hackney and has been previously appointed by the DfE to carry out reviews, including improving children’s services in Doncaster, and the role and functions of local safeguarding children boards nationally.

“I understand the DfE’s reasons behind this decision and I can assure the Secretary of State that everyone in Solihull will give the commissioner their full support,” said Solihull council leader Ian Courts.

“We now have a new senior management team in children’s cervices, and I know they will welcome any extra support or advice to make the necessary transformation within the council and across our partner organisations.”

He added that the council is “committed to improving the safeguarding of children, young people and families within Solihull”.

Last month Halfon questioned whether the current management of Solihull Council was “best placed” to oversee children’s services following the murder of Arthur by his father’s partner Emma Tustin in June 2020.

Arthur’s father Thomas Hughes was convicted of manslaughter and has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, while Tustin received a life sentence after being convicted of murder, with a minimum term of 29 years.

Halfon had also raised concerns to the DfE around improvement at Bradford Council, after the murder of 16-month-old Star Hobson in the West Yorkshire city in September 2020 by Savannah Brockhill, the partner of the toddler’s mother.

Brockhill has been jailed for a minimum of 25 years, while Star’s mother received an eight-year jail term last year for allowing her death.

Bradford Council’s children’s services will be taken over by a trust from April 2023, Malthouse has confirmed.

“I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement that he will escalate the government’s intervention at Solihull Council, following recommendations this committee made,” said Halfon.

“The fact that Bradford council is effectively being relieved of its management of children’s services in the city is also deeply regrettable in the first place, though I don’t doubt its necessity.”

A national review into the deaths of Arthur and Star found that family members’ concerns in both cases had been “disregarded and not taken seriously enough” by the councils’ children’s services.