Board of Directors

President

Ms Jenny Coles
Director of Children’s Services
Hertfordshire County Council

Jenny qualified as a social worker in 1986 and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. She has worked extensively in children’s safeguarding, looked after children and quality assurance, and has also managed integrated youth and youth justice services and SEND. Jenny moved from Luton Borough Council to take up the post of Director of Children’s Services for Hertfordshire County Council in 2010 and is the chairperson of the Hertfordshire Partnership Children’s Commissioning Executive and the County Domestic Abuse Executive. She is the lead Director for sector-led improvement in the Eastern Region. Before becoming Vice President in April 2019 Jenny chaired the ADCS Families, Communities & Young People Policy Committee for over 5 years. Jenny became ADCS President on 1 April 2020.

Immediate Past President

Ms Rachel Dickinson
Executive Director People
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Rachel joined Barnsley MBC in 2013 as the Director of Children’s Services and took on responsibility for Adult Social Care Services in 2015. Qualifying as a social worker in the 1980’s, Rachel worked in a variety of social work and managerial roles in Derby and Derbyshire across both adults and children’s services. She moved to Derby as Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care in 2000 and went on to establish the integrated children’s trust arrangements in Derby in 2005. Rachel held an integrated children’s services portfolio in Derby from 2006, before moving to Leicester City Council as Director of Children’s Services in 2009. Rachel participated in the ADCS Staff College Director of Children’s Services Leadership Programme and was a member of the fabled ‘Cohort Five’. She has gone on to support learning and development within the sector through her roles as vice-chair of East Midlands ADCS, and then vice chair and subsequently chair of Yorkshire and Humber ADCS. Returning to Yorkshire for family reasons in 2013, Rachel was delighted to find herself working in Barnsley following in her great-grandfather’s footsteps, although in a very different capacity, he was a glassblower by trade.

Honorary Secretary

Mr Clive Jones
Director of Children’s and Adult Services
Telford and Wrekin Council

Elected Director

Ms Kathryn Boulton
Corporate Director for Children and Families
Redcar & Cleveland Council

Biog to follow

Elected Director

Ms Sarah Jones
Assistant Director
Norfolk County Council

Biog to follow

Vice President

Ms Charlotte Ramsden
Strategic Director for People
Salford City Council

Charlotte qualified as a social worker 30 years ago in Manchester and worked in a variety of roles around Greater Manchester. She became the DCS in Salford in 2014 and a year later took on the DASS role to head the People Directorate. She has also been heavily involved in the GM devolution, as coordinator of the children’s programme, working with GM DCSs to create the GM CYP plan. Charlotte became chair of the ADCS Health, Care and Additional Needs Policy Committee in 2016 and assumed the Vice Presidency of the Association on 1 April 2020.

Honorary Treasurer

Mr Stuart Carlton

Corporate Director - Children and Young People’s Service
North Yorkshire County Council

Stuart became ADCS Honorary Treasurer in October 2017, having previously been an Elected Director of the Association since 2014.

Stuart joined North Yorkshire County Council in 2017 as the Corporate Director of Children and Young People. His previous role was as Assistant Director in Lincolnshire County Council.

Elected Director

Ms Bernie Brown
Director of People
Bolton Council

I am a qualified Social Worker with 25 years’ experience across both the UK and New Zealand having previously worked in 7 Local Authorities, 2 voluntary sector agencies and had my own consultancy business for 5 years. I have also had the role of Chair for a Local Children’s Safeguarding Board, and see the management of risk, and the approach to managing the complexity of issues to safeguard children effectively from many perspectives drawing on many experiences.

I am committed to delivering excellent Social Work practice in partnership with families and enjoy the opportunity to be actively involved with the training and development of foster carers, the Children in Care Council and Kinship networks locally and nationally.

Elected Director

Ms Helen Blackman
Assistant Director
Nottingham City Council

Helen qualified as a social worker in 1989, working in a patch based inner city team, in both Emergency and long term services. With experience in court and duty work she worked with children in care and adoption from 1991-1997. She was fortunate to be able to work with a number of young people for the majority of their teenage years, learning the value of relationships and how being there for years was so very important for children who experienced loss and change. A manager from 1997, Helen has been Assistant Director in Nottingham City since 2013 joining the early help and specialist services directorates.