A FORMER social worker who has helped to lead improvement journeys to “Outstanding” Ofsted ratings has been appointed as the permanent Director of Children’s Services at Tameside Council.
Jill Colbert OBE, who is expected to join Tameside early in the new year, brings extensive and valuable experience to the role – having led Sunderland Children’s Services from Inadequate to Outstanding.
Children’s services have twice been rated inadequate by Oftsed since 2016, leading to a review by government-appointed commissioner Andy Couldrick which found significant weaknesses” in leadership, the stability of the workforce, areas of practice and partnerships with other agencies.
Staff had complained a “constantly changing” direction left them “bewildered”, and the level of “churn and turnover” in recruitment made improvements “virtually impossible”,
The report would indirectly lead to the resignation of the Council’s leader Jed Cooney and its Chief Executive Sandra Stewart
Jill started her career as a Youth Justice Social Worker in Birmingham City Council where she had studied as an undergraduate. She went on to work in targeted community health services with sexually exploited young people, which led her into a national children’s charity. Returning at a later point in her career to work in local government in Merseyside and Greater Manchester, initially in children’s commissioning, Jill was the Director of Adult and Children’s Services in Trafford Council, as well as leading integrated health and care services for children and adults.
Jill is returning to the Greater Manchester area from Sunderland, where she ran children’s services for six years. She was awarded an OBE for services to children in the Queens Platinum Jubilee honours list. She has enjoyed a brief period as the Corporate Director in Nottingham City Council, where she will join Tameside from.
Executive Leader Cllr Eleanor Wills said: “Jill shone out among the many outstanding candidates we interviewed and I’m delighted to welcome her to our team. Children in Tameside are our absolute priority and Jill will bring further stability, expertise and commitment to our team to help drive improvements and provide our children and families with the service they deserve.”
Tameside’s Interim Director of Children’s Services Dr Catherine Driscoll will continue in her role and leading on the improvement action plan until Jill starts in her new position.
The appointment will be formerly announced at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 3 December
