By Charlotte Webster
A commissioner has been appointed to oversee improvements in an ‘inadequate’ children’s services.
Trevor Doughty has been placed by the government to improve things at Surrey children’s services, rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted earlier this year.
The 62 year old strategic director of children , schools and families in Cornwall County Council will direct the improvement of children’s services in Surrey , and review whether the council should be stripped of its children’s services.
Trevor Doughty is credited with radically transforming Cornwall County Council , after being moved from Northumberland, where he delivered an outstanding level of services. He converted a council riddled with low morale into a highly performing one. A commissioner in Worcestershire children’s services last year, he is believed to hold the keys to high level improvements in children services. Surrey Council have been failing woefully in achieving the required improvement in their children’s services.
A damning report into Surrey’s children’s services earlier in the year concluded that children were suffering domestic abuse because of failings in the system. Ofsted inspectors concluded that although the council is making progress, senior leaders and councilors were “far too slow” to react to their previous findings in a 2014 report, and have rated the services “inadequate”.
The report referred to continuous experience of neglect by children often exposed to domestic abuse, who were left vulnerable to short and long-term risks to their health and development.
Dave Hill, a former president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, was appointed as executive director for children, families and learning in Surrey just before a damning Ofsted report was published in May. Previously he helped turn around children’s services in Essex from ‘inadequate’ in 2010 to ‘good’ by 2014.
The Ofsted report found “serious shortcomings in frontline management” and that social workers were ending involvement with children “too soon”. Hill was said to be one of the most respected in this field, but he failed to implement the necessary changes to turn things around. Trevor Doughty will be expected to show his excellent skills by turning things around in Surrey children’s services