Somerset sacks £320k DCS over 'too little, too slow' progress

The authority said Peter Lewis was sacked from the role following what it called “disappointing” reports into children’s homes and children’s centres.

The council, which is understood to have been paying £318,500 a year in salary and recruitment agency fees for Lewis, said he had left immediately, adding that, as he is not an employee of the council, there will be no pay-off.

Speaking to CYP Now from abroad, Lewis said he was "puzzled" by the announcement, having just a few weeks ago signalled his intention to leave the authority, only to be persuaded to stay on until December to help in the search for a successor.

"I was very sorry to hear today, whilst in the United States on family business, that Somerset County Council say they have terminated my contract for the reasons they state," he said.

"This is puzzling, since I terminated the contract over three weeks before that, finishing on 24 October 2014.

"I was subsequently persuaded to stay on until 12 December 2014 to support the council in its recruitment of a permanent DCS."

Lewis, who took up the DCS post in Somerset in April 2013 and had previously been interim DCS in Haringey in the wake of the Baby P tragedy, was tasked with turning around the service after an Ofsted report found child protection there was inadequate.

Children's minister Edward Timpson served the authority with a 12-month improvement notice in November last year.

A formal assessment of progress after six months, carried out by government inspectors and published in July, showed some progress, but found there was "still much to do".

Chief executive at Somerset County Council, Pat Flaherty, said: “I came into my post six months ago, and I gave Peter and his team time to prove themselves to me.

"It is hugely disappointing that results have not matched expectations,” he added.

“We have put in extra budgets and extra staff including more children’s social workers. This has brought improvements which the government has recognised, but sadly not at the level or speeds anticipated and the current situation with our children’s homes and children’s centres is just not good enough.”

Lewis’s departure comes just weeks after the council announced it was closing down two of its children’s homes due to failings in the standards of care provided, poor management and safeguarding issues.

The council said preliminary findings of a recent Ofsted inspection of children’s centres in Taunton are also likely to result in a further “inadequate” rating.

“When you make this much investment into children’s services, you expect results to match,” Flaherty said.

“Although we have seen improvement in some areas, it is too little and too slow.

"With the recent findings around children’s homes and children’s centres, I believe now is the time to be decisive, move forward and give fresh impetus to improvements to the support we give to vulnerable children.”

The DCS role will be held on a temporary basis by Flaherty while recruitment of a replacement takes place.

Recruitment firm Penna, who Hay was employed through, declined to comment.