The Improvement and Development Agency (Idea) launched "Think Family, Think Community" this week at the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) conference in Liverpool.
Researchers quizzed directors from 10 local authorities, which have combined the role of director of adult social services and director of children's services into one post, on what difference the changes made.
The authorities reported that the majority of directors spend more time working on children's issues than adult concerns. Alison Waller, director of children, family and adult services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said she spent 70 per cent of her time on children's services.
"I think that's quite common," she said. "That's where the balance sits."
Researchers also found that the success of a local authority depended on the director having a strong team of service heads.
