Cath McEvoy-Carr, Director for Children, Education and Skills at Newcastle City Council, writes... Although two months have passed since the North East Children’s Homes fortnight, it is still a topic of conversation across many of our homes in the region. As you may be aware, the idea for this campaign came from Ellie, a care experienced young person in our region who wanted to celebrate the …
Be the kind of parent you would want for your own child
This month we’ve handed over our blog to our Regional Children in Care Council, a group of care experienced young people who want to make their voices heard so they can make a difference for all children and young people in care across our region. Here, they reflect on their recent conference and remind us what it means to be a corporate parent. At the end of July, we held our sixth annual …
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Passing the Baton: Caring for Our Greatest Asset in Children’s Services
Hartlepool Borough Council's departing executive director of children's and joint commissioning services, Sally Robinson, kindly agreed to write a final blog post before moving on to her new role. Sally has been a valued and influential member of our North East ADCS network over the years and was recently awarded a CBE in the King's Birthday Honours. June 2025 As I move on from the DCS …
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As close to home as possible…
I am very privileged and proud to lead the Children’s Services team in Northumberland and very fortunate to work alongside amazing colleagues and partners. I was born in Northumberland and now feel I have returned to my home county to work. I joined Northumberland in 2019 just ahead of the pandemic and was appointed Executive Director for Children, Young People and Education (and Director …
The other side of the conversation
As most of my north-east colleagues will know, I moved to the assistant director role in Stockton on Tees in October 2024, following five years as a social care HMI with Ofsted. I have attended several regional ADCS events and meetings since then and have been warmly welcomed and supported by many of you, so thank you, I think I am forgiven! Since my return to local authority, I have reflected …
From reflection to action: priorities for North East ADCS in 2025/26
25 March 2025 Helen Fergusson, Director of Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning at Gateshead Council and Chair of North East ADCS, reflects on our regional improvement work over the last 12 months and shares an update on the priorities for the coming year... As the new chair of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) for the North East region it feels a great privilege to …
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