Seven of the eight children's services departments judged inadequate by Ofsted have been led by people with no child protection experience. Research by The MJ reveals four directors are from an educational background. One has previously led a transport portfolio and one from environment. At Doncaster MBC, which currently has a government intervention team working with its children's services department, the person overseeing child protection until two successive interim directors were brought in had no public sector experience. Mark Hodson, who was appointed in 2004 and left in 2007, was previously managing director of a frozen foods business. Since April, Doncaster has been headed by Dr Paul Gray, a former director of education at Surrey CC. West Sussex CC is headed by John Dixon who has a social care background in adult services, and started as a probation officer working with young offenders. The revelation comes after education secretary, Ed Balls, announced a new training programme following the case of Baby P in Haringey LBC. The authority's former children's services director Sharon Shoesmith came from an education rather than social services background. Reading Council's and Wokingham Council's children's services departments are also led by directors with backgrounds in education. Essex CC has a children's services director from another background. The creation of children's services departments within councils, following the murder victim Victoria Climbie case, brought together responsibilities for education and social care for children under one umbrella, and appointments to the lead role reflect this. Surrey CC's department, also on Ofsted's list, has been led by Andy Roberts since August last year. He stepped in from running the transport portfolio. Britain's biggest council, Birmingham City, was also deemed to have ‘inadequate' child protection services after a series of child deaths. The council's director of children's services, Tony Howell, originally a teacher and the council's former deputy chief education officer, said: ‘Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board remains committed to safeguarding the children of Birmingham and will learn lessons from these cases.' Child protection services north of the border have also come under close scrutiny after a Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) report, Improving Scottish education 2005-08, found the quality of services in Scotland were, at best, variable.
