TAMESIDE Council’s under-fire children’s services department has a new political leader after Cllr Bill Fairfoull was replaced.
Now Cllr Teresa Smith is in charge.
Government commissioner Andy Couldrick has just completed a report into that branch of the authority after being brought in following an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating.
Inspectors said they believe ‘the quality of social work practice has deteriorated’ and ‘some children experience ongoing harm and live in neglectful situations for too long.’
They also claimed some children can be left at risk of further harm.
The authority was rated inadequate after an inspection in 2016 but graduated to ‘requires improvement to be good’ in 2019, only to drop down again earlier this year.
Now Cllr Fairfoull has stepped down, with Cllr Smith immediately replacing him as Tameside Council leader, Cllr Gerald Cooney, admitted a change was needed.
However, he insisted the decision was mutual.
He said: “Cllr Smith will be taking over the post now, but Bill will walk away after then next full council meeting.
“However, Teresa is the lead member now.
“It’s our decision. I need Bill as we’ve a lot of work, major work, going on in the towns and I said prior to the last AGMthere would be changes, it was just waiting for the time.
“Now Teresa has become permanently available, she’s the right person. That’s the area she’s worked in, so she’s ideal and I’m really pleased she’s taken that role on.
“She can give 100 per cent commitment to this job and I’m sure she will.”
As well as the inadequate Ofsted rating, a joint report with the Care Quality Commission blasted its delivery of education services to people with Special Educational Need and/or Disabilities (SEND).
Inspectors even believed failure to implement changes quickly enough means people ‘have continued to be let down.’
Their verdict said: “The area’s failure to implement reforms earlier means that children and young people and their families have continued to be let down by services.”
Mr Couldrick may yet order that Tameside Council’s children’s services department be taken under the control of a centrally-run trust.
However, Cllr Cooney believes this change, plus several others, can drive improvement.
He added: “The recent ratings didn’t really have an effect, but it needs a change.
“What I hope now is changes we’re making and people that have come in make it work, to take children’s services to where it should be in Tameside – vastly improved and excellent.
“And the change is needed. We start anew.”