A clear and present danger

Government-appointed troubleshooter Lucy de Groot's first report on Cornwall's children's social services is now in the public domain. As I have reported previously, applications for anyone wanting the job as the new director of that troubled department closed (initially) in January. This is what Lucy says:

"Some of the immediate risks relate to the leadership of children's services, with the transition from the current interim Director who leaves at the end of May to what now seems likely to be another interim Director. This poses a significant and the most immediate risk. Securing a permanent DCS appointment remains an absolute priority for the council. The job has been advertised since January and there is a very active search programme going on to find a suitable candidate. Clearly this is not ideal and the uncertainties for both CS staff and key external partners in the Children's Trust cannot be under estimated."

On balance, Lucy's report is a story of a glass half-full:

"The quick action taken by the council following the OFSTED inspection to bring in new credible leadership to children's services has been widely welcomed inside and outside the council. The interim Director Richard Hubbard and the Interim Head of Improvement and Safeguarding, Kevin Peers have made a tremendous contribution to stabilising the services and are now starting to drive some of the essential fundamental changes in leadership, culture, performance and management. It is also worth putting on record that the new political administration elected for the new unitary council in May 2009 has, under Alec Robertson's leadership provided a clear focus on the need to urgently improve services to the most disadvantaged children in Cornwall. There is a major improvement agenda across Cornwall council, with a corporate improvement board chaired by the Chief Executive, involving senior members and staff as well as key external stakeholders on it (health, police, GOSW and the Audit Commission)."

The report is all about targets, deadlines and (inevitably) outside consultants. But this is a department urgently in need of a permanent boss. And the clock is ticking.