Councils appoint new children’s services director

Ian Dodds, managing director of Achieving for Children, has been appointed as the new joint director of children’s services (DCS) for Kingston and Richmond Councils.

Mr Dodds has been the managing director of children’s services company, Achieving for Children, since 2018 and is due to start as the DCS with the two local authorities in January 2020.

His appointment follows the interim arrangements of the last 12 months with individual directors of children’s services for each borough. The Councils agreed to return to the joint DCS model which fits with the Achieving for Children joint services delivery model.

Ian Dodds, said:

‘I’m delighted to be appointed and I look forward to embracing new opportunities as Director of Children’s Services for two boroughs I have been absolutely committed to working for over a number of years.

‘I look forward to continuing my work with colleagues from Achieving for Children, working in partnership with young people, parents, carers and partners to take forward our ambition to provide excellent and innovative services, supporting all children and young people to be safe, happy, healthy and successful.’

Ian Thomas, Chief Executive of Kingston Council, said:

‘We thank both James Thomas and Pauline Maddison for their great contribution over the last 12 months and wish them all the best for their future endeavours.

‘I look forward to working closely with Ian in his new position. He has a wealth of experience and expertise from Achieving for Children which we value highly. I am confident he will continue improving our great services for children and young people across the borough of Kingston.’

Mark Maidment, Deputy Chief Executive of Richmond Council, added:

‘I am delighted to welcome Ian to the new post of joint DCS covering both of our boroughs. Having worked with him in his current role at Achieving for Children, I know he will bring an excellent working knowledge of children’s services delivery and be in a unique position to provide strategic leadership in ensuring the services we provide for children and young people are of the highest quality and meet our needs for the future”.

Both Councils are in the process of re-commissioning their children’s services and as part of that expect to consider governance arrangements for the future.

Photo Credit – Achieving for Children