ADCS DCS Update: Annual Report 2022/23

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role. This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

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Leadership Development Programmes

A range of leadership development programmes are available across the sector, some funded, others available for a fee. The following list is designed to be a useful resource to assist our members seeking leadership development opportunities; it is not an exhaustive list, nor a formal endorsement of any of the courses/programmes on offer.

ADCS

• Mentoring scheme for newly appointed DCSs - Mentoring
• ADCS Policy Committees - Committees homepage

Frontline

• Practice leadership development programme - Pathways programme

Institure of Public Care - Oxford Brookes

• Bespoke leadership development programme for children’s services - IPC

Research in Practice

• A range of thematic learning and development opportunities - Events & training
• Leadership & management resources - L&M resources

SOLACE

• Leadership Programmes - Leadership & Management Programmes

London Innovation and Improvement Alliance

• Leadership in Colour - programme

The Staff College

• Upon - aspirant and new director of children’s services - Upon leaders
• BALI - Black and Asian Leadership Initiative - Programme
• Range of other programmes - Programmes

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Gender findings in DCS update 2022

Commenting on the findings on gender in the DCS update 2022, Steve Crocker, ADCS President said:

“The latest DCS update 2022 shows that we currently have the highest number of female directors of children’s services in post since ADCS started collecting this information in 2007. The DCS community is now much more diverse in terms of gender compared to other domains of diversity and reflects the good succession planning that has been put in place by many councils. However, we are clear that there are not yet enough Black and ethnic minority directors across the county which is why improving ethnic diversity continues to be a focus for us as an Association as it is for all local authorities. We want all our staff, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity or any disability, to know they can progress to senior and leadership roles if they want to. Diversity matters, in all its forms; we want the children we work with to see themselves reflected in our workforce, and to know they too can aspire to a future career in children’s services.”

ENDS

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ADCS DCS Update 2021/22

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role. This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

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ADCS DCS update 2022

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, Tuesday 19 April, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2022 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role since the Association was established in 2007. We also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and director of adult social services, referred to as ‘twin hat’ arrangements. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons, several of which date back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Steve Crocker, ADCS President, said:

“Stability and continuity in leadership is important in any organisation, and this is also true for the delivery of services to children and their families locally. During 2021/22 there were a total of 47 changes in DCS post-holder which is exactly in line with the average number of total changes we would expect to see per-year. The data shows that over three quarters of local authorities (76%) did not experience a change in their DCS across the reporting period, alongside more permanent DCS appointments being made across the 12-month period compared to the one before.

“Succession planning is increasingly important in the complex world of children’s services, and all children’s services departments are looking at how they can develop and nurture the talent of future senior leaders. It is positive to see experience and expertise remaining within the sector and the data shows nearly all (17) of those being appointed as a permanent DCS in 2021/2022 were stepping up from assistant director/second tier level. Due to the statutory nature of the role, there must be a single and ultimate line of accountability for outcomes for children and young people in a locality at any given time and the use of short term interim arrangements being made prior to a permanent appointment is commonplace.

“There has been a continued downward trend of local authorities moving away from ‘twin hat’ arrangements. Our membership data shows as of 31 March 2022, there were 22 ‘twin hat’ directors, the lowest number since 2010. Local authorities continue to combine and disaggregate services to meet local needs and since ADCS started recording DCS changes over two thirds (108 of 152) of local authorities have had a ‘twin hat’ director at some point. It is likely this picture will change as local authorities consider which arrangements are best for them. What remains important is that there is always a DCS in place who remains accountable for the outcomes for children’s outcomes locally.

“As in previous years, ADCS has collected gender and ethnicity data from DCSs to better understand the characteristics and to provide greater visibility to diversity in the DCS community. However, there is more that we can understand about our members and ADCS is currently undertaking an exercise gathering wider diversity data from across the entire membership. There remains not enough directors from Black and other ethnic backgrounds across the country, however, we know that leadership programmes within the sector are directly addressing this issue. It is vitally important that our workforce reflects our communities, a person’s ethnicity, gender or disability is irrelevant to their capability to do the job.”

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Comment on “Leading in Colour: the fierce urgency of now”

Commenting on the Staff College’s report “Leading in Colour”, ADCS President Charlotte Ramsden said:

“This report highlights a lot of valuable and important learning into what we, as leaders, can do better to create and sustain a culture of inclusivity and to challenge ourselves and those around us. It highlights clearly the urgency and importance of acting now. Diversity in leadership matters but to improve this we need to attract, and crucially retain, more staff from ethnically diverse backgrounds. It is also important for children and young people to see that they too can aspire to a career in children’s services by seeing themselves reflected in the professionals who have such an important impact on their lives. We must therefore do all we can to not only encourage diversity within our workforce but also to create a culture that allows everyone to reach their full potential.

“Local authorities are working hard to recruit a workforce that represents the communities we work with and to support all staff, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity or any disability, to progress to senior and leadership roles if they wish to. However, clearly there is more that we can do, and this remains a priority for the Association.”

ENDS

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ADCS DCS Update 2021

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’).

This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

• View report

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ADCS DCS Update 2021 Press Release

ADCS annual DCS update 2021

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, Thursday 29 April, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2021 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory director of children’s services (DCS) role since the Association was established in 2007. We also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and director of adult social services (DASS), referred to as ‘twin hat’ arrangements. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons, several of which date back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Charlotte Ramsden, ADCS President, said:

“Consistent and stable leadership is important for any organisation and this is especially true in our world of children’s services. The data in this report is very encouraging as the total number of DCS changes over the past year is significantly lower compared to previous years. During 2020/21, there were a total of 39 changes in DCS post holders across 34 LAs, meaning that 77% of LAs did not experience a change in their DCS across the 12-month period. Due to the statutory nature of the role, there must always be a serving DCS in post meaning that many of these changes took place due to interim arrangements pending a permanent appointment.

“What is also encouraging is the high level of experience amongst our senior leadership teams. The average tenure of a DCS in the same local authority is 30 months, an increase from last year. Further, the average length of time served as a DCS when factoring in the overall time spent in multiple local authorities is now beyond 4 years. It is certainly welcome to see that all of the changes across the reporting period were filled by experienced local government leaders, including DCSs moving from one local authority to another, returning to the DCS role, or fulfilling an interim appointment and succession from assistant director level. This shows how highly experience is valued and that expertise is not being lost from the sector.

“It is vital that we are able to bring through new leaders for the future and succession planning is central to this. Over the past year there were 12 DCS new permanent appointments, all of whom were from assistant director/second tier level from either the same LA or from another LA. Encouraging new leaders to come forward and supporting their development is key and I am delighted to see succession planning in action working so well.

“Over recent years we have seen a continuing trend of fewer LAs combining their children and adult services directorate and this has been reflected in our membership data. As at 31 March, there were 26 ‘twin hat’ directors, the lowest number since 2010. Little can be deduced from this and it is up to councils to decide how they design local systems for the benefit of communities. As local needs change as will roles, however, there must be a clear and ultimate line of accountability for children’s outcomes in a local area.

“ADCS continues to collect and report on ethnicity data so that we can bring greater visibility to diversity and representation in the DCS community. There are unfortunately not enough black and minority ethnic directors across the country. The DCS role is one of the best in local government and although ethnicity, gender or disability is irrelevant to a person’s capability to do the job, it is important that our workforce reflect our local communities.”

ENDS

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) Ltd is the professional leadership association for Directors of Children’s Services and their senior management teams in England.

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ADCS DCS Update 2020

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’).

This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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New ADCS DCS Update 2020 Press Release

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, Thursday 30 April, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2020 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory director of children’s services (DCS) role since the Association was established in 2007. We also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and director of adult social services (DASS), referred to as ‘twin hat’ arrangements. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons, several of which date back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Jenny Coles, ADCS President, said:

“Stability of leadership is important in any organisation; in our world of children’s services it is a key part of delivering a coherent system of services for children. During 2019/20, there were a total of 57 changes in DCS postholders, across 48 local authorities. Although there has been more change this year compared to the year before, the majority of councils (103) experienced no change in DCS during the 12 month period. Due to the statutory nature of the role, there must always be a serving DCS in post – many of these changes took place due to interim arrangements pending a permanent appointment.

“By looking at the data in more detail, it is clear that there is a high level of experience and expertise within children’s services leadership, all of the changes across the reporting period were filled by experienced local government leaders, including DCSs moving from one local authority to another, returning to the DCS role, or fulfilling an interim appointment and succession from assistant director level. In addition, the average tenure of a DCS in the same local authority remains similar to last year at 29 months as does the average length of time served as a DCS when factoring in cumulative time spent in multiple local authorities, at almost 4 years.

“In recent years our membership data has shown fewer local authorities are combining their children and adult services directorate, coupled with more councils disaggregating services. As at 31 March, there were 31 ‘twin hat’ directors, the lowest number since 2010. Little can be deduced from this; it is up to councils how they design local systems for the benefit local communities. I imagine we will continue to see roles flex to meet changing local needs.

“For the first time this year we started to collect and report on ethnicity data in a bid to bring greater visibility to the issue of diversity and representation in the DCS community. Put simply there are not enough black and minority ethnic directors across the country. The DCS role is one of the best in local government and although ethnicity is irrelevant to a person’s capability to do the job, as is their age, gender or any disability, supporting anyone working in children’s services to progress to senior and leadership roles, if they wish to, continues to be a focus for local authorities and the Association. It is so important that our workforce reflects our local communities and that the children we work with can see that they too can aspire to be a future leader of children’s services by seeing themselves in the staff who work with them.”

ENDS

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) Ltd is the professional leadership association for Directors of Children’s Services and their senior management teams in England.

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Leadership in times of crisis

Leadership and self-care resources

This page includes a range of resources focused on leadership and mental health support available during times of crisis. The resource will continue to be developed, please contact info@adcs.org.uk with any suggested resources / links.

Leadership

The Kings Fund: Covid-19 – why compassionate leadership matters in a crisis. Find out more

Visible leadership during Covid-19: A presentation for managers to help them support their teams by Essex County Council, view document.

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Self-care resources

NHS: Mental wellbeing while staying at home. find out more

Anna Freud Centre:

• Self-care resources
• Covid-19 resources:

Headspace – https://www.headspace.com/covid-19 - some free resources and free subscription to end of year for NHS workers

Calm app https://www.calm.com/

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Comment: ADCS DCS Update 2019

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, Tuesday 30 April, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2019 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role since the Association was established in 2007. We also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and director of adult social services (DASS), referred to as ‘twin hat’ arrangements. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Rachel Dickinson, ADCS President, said: “Stability in leadership is integral to the delivery of high quality children’s services. Data from our membership year 2018/19 shows there were a total of 51 changes in DCS postholders across 40 local authorities, a significant drop from the year before. It is too soon to tell whether this will form a future trend, but it means that nearly three quarters of councils experienced no change in DCS during the 12 month period. Many of the changes were short-term interim arrangements pending permanent appointments and have been filled by former DCSs or assistant directors/second tier officers. In addition to less overall change in the reporting period, the average tenure of a DCS in the same local authority has increased from 26 months in 2017/18 to 29 months in 2018/19, and for the first time we have calculated the average length of time served as a DCS when factoring in cumulative time spent in multiple local authorities, is approximately 4 years. Moreover, many DCSs have been the DCS in a number of local authorities – further evidence of experience and expertise remaining in the sector.

“Since ADCS was established over 70% of local authorities have at some point had ‘twin hat’ arrangements, but in recent years there has been an increasing trend in local authorities disaggregating services, coupled with low numbers of local authorities combining services. The number of twin hatters is at its lowest level since 2012. Few conclusions can be drawn from this, it is likely this picture will continue to change as local authorities explore arrangements to meet changing local needs. Some directors have overall responsibility for both children’s and adult services, but they hold statutory responsibility for children’s services only. Whatever the structure there must be a clear and ultimate line of accountability for children’s outcomes in a local area.

“In 2018/19, there were 17 new permanent DCS appointments, of which 13 were assistant director/second tier level officers. The DCS role is challenging but it’s the best job in the world. There is always a need to encourage more aspiring leaders to the role. We urge government to move at pace to invest in systems leadership development programmes for future generations of DCSs as well as those currently in the role.

“It is something to be proud of that for nearly a decade we have had a similar number of male and female DCSs, however, there are currently not nearly enough black and minority ethnic directors across the country. ADCS is clear that those who have the ambition and capability to become leaders should have the opportunity to progress and we will be reporting on ethnicity starting from next year in order to bring greater visibility to this area. In addition to continuing to press government for investment in leadership development in general, ADCS will also press for a greater focus on training and support to develop the future black and minority ethnic leaders of tomorrow.”

The full DCS update 2019 can be found here.

ENDS

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ADCS DCS Update 2019

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’).

This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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ADCS DCS Update 2018 Turnover Comment

Commenting on the DCS Update 2018 report Rachael Wardell, Chair of the ADCS Workforce Development Policy Committee, said:

“Although our membership data shows there were a total of 65 changes in DCS post holders in 2017/18, the highest number of annual changes since 2007, little can be deduced from this. Due to the statutory nature of the role, there must always be a serving DCS in post – almost half of these changes took place due to interim arrangements pending a permanent appointment. On closer inspection, the data shows the average tenure of a permanent DCS has steadily increased since 2012/13 and is now 37 months. Taken together with the total number of DCSs, this suggests we can expect roughly 50 changes per year and the year on year variation reflects this, with an average over this period of 47.4 changes.

“By breaking down the data we can see that a great deal of expertise remains within the sector. Many changes are accounted for by DCSs moving from one local authority to another; former DCSs filling interim positions or returning to the role; and multi-local authority arrangements, which involve a DCS holding statutory responsibility in more than one local authority. In 2017/18, we saw the second highest number of new DCS appointments in a reporting year. The overwhelming majority were assistant directors stepping up to the DCS role. A large amount of succession from assistant director level ensures that leadership positions are held by experienced and knowledgeable individuals and their expertise is not being lost from the sector.

“On the subject of ‘twin hat’ directors, since 2007, around two thirds of local authorities have at some point had a combined children and adult services directorate. Although in the past year more local authorities have moved away from these combined arrangements than have adopted them, there are still examples of new combined roles being established, so it would be too soon to suggest that these roles have had their day. It is up to local authorities how they design their local systems for the benefit of local communities. We will continue to see roles flex in response to local needs.

“We recognise that stability of leadership in any organisation is important, and in the complex domain of children’s services this is vital. We continue to press for encouragement of and investment in children’s services leadership to ensure there are enough high quality, capable leaders going on to lead systems in these increasingly challenging times.”

ENDS

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ADCS DCS update 2018 Comment

ADCS DCS update 2018

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, 3 May, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2018 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role since the Association was established in 2007. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons, several of which date back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Stuart Gallimore, ADCS President, said: “The importance of strong, effective local leadership in children’s services cannot be understated. The children’s services landscape has changed hugely since we first started collecting this data, the most obvious change being a 50% reduction in funding for local government since 2010, whilst demand has significantly increased. As local systems leaders, budget cuts have meant that local authorities are faced with difficult, sometimes counter-intuitive, decisions to cut the very services we know make a huge difference to children and families and reduce demand for high end statutory services.

“During 2017/18 there were a total of 65 changes in DCS post holders – the highest number of annual changes since 2007. Some churn in the system is to be expected and despite the high level of turbulence this year, a great deal of expertise remains in the sector, the majority of the changes have been accounted for by DCSs moving from one local authority to another, former DCSs filling interim positions or returning to the DCS role, and a large amount of succession from assistant director level ensures that leadership positions are held by experienced and knowledgeable individuals.

“Since 2007, around two thirds of local authorities have at some point had a combined children and adult services directorate led by a ‘twin hat’ director. In the past 12 months, 17 local authorities have disaggregated services, six local authorities have combined services in the same period. There appears to be an increasing trend in local authorities to move away from combined arrangements, however, little can be inferred from this – it is up to local authorities how they design their local systems for the benefit of local communities.”

ENDS

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ADCS DCS Update 2018

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’).

This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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DCS update 2017 comment

DCS update 2017

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) today, 28 April, publishes the directors of children’s services (DCS) update 2017 using data from the Association’s membership year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.

ADCS has gathered and recorded detailed information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role since the Association was established in 2007. We also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and director of adult social services (DASS), referred to as ‘twin hat’ arrangements. The report offers some year-on-year comparisons, several of which date back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

Alison Michalska, ADCS President, said: “This year marks ten years since the creation of ADCS so the latest DCS update is particularly interesting, given that some, but not all, of its data goes back ten years, providing us with some interesting trends and analysis over the past decade. We know that stability and continuity in leadership is important in the delivery of services to children, young people and families at a local level, children and families tell us this themselves, and the report shows that this year we have seen the lowest number of annual changes in DCS post holders since 2011/12, alongside an increase in the average tenure of directors in the same role since 2012/13. The use of short term interim arrangements pending a permanent appointment is commonplace. This is an important part of ensuring that there is a single and ultimate line of accountability for outcomes for children and young people in a locality at any given time, particularly in pressured circumstances. There are currently 16 interim directors in post, nine of which have previously been a DCS in another local authority.

“Whilst there has been an overall downward trend in total change over the past four years there have been peaks and troughs since 2007/08 so few assumptions can be made. Some regions have experienced more change than others in this time but there is no single reason for this, and it might include directors retiring from or leaving their posts and interim arrangements.

“There has been a continuing trend of more local authorities moving away from ‘twin hat’ arrangements compared to those combining services, however the total number of ‘twin hatters’ in recent years has remained relatively constant. This is likely to continue as local authorities continue to seek arrangements that meet local needs. Over the past decade, around two thirds of all local authorities have at some point had ‘twin hat’ arrangements in place, this picture continues to change as local authorities combine and disaggregate their services.”

The full DCS update 2017 can be found on the ADCS website – www.adcs.org.uk

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ADCS DCS Update 2017

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’). This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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ADCS DCS Update 2016

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’). This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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Directors of Children’s Services Roles and Responsibilities

Statutory Guidance on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member for Children’s Services

This statutory guidance is for local authorities in England.

It explains the process for:

• the appointment of the director of children’s services (DCS)
• the designation of the lead member for children’s services (LMCS)

It covers:

• the legislative basis for the 2 appointments
• roles and responsibilities of the post holders
• government expectations about the role of local authorities in education and children & young people’s services

This guidance replaces the previous versions, issued in 2005 and 2009.

View the guidance (external link to DfE website)

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ADCS DCS Update - March 2015

ADCS gathers and records information about changes in post holders of the statutory DCS role; we also record the number of directors who hold both statutory roles of DCS and DASS (we refer to these posts as ‘twin hat’). This analysis focusses on the ADCS membership year 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. It also offers year-on-year comparisons, going back to 2007, in order to highlight trends and patterns of change.

View report

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