English councils' housing departments face a major shake-up under proposals to reorganise children's services.
The reforms, suggested in a green paper published on Monday, include a new post – director of children's services – that would have legal responsibility for coordinating social services, the police and housing.

The change would separate children's and adults' social services.

Several councils who have already divided their social services departments in this way have put social services and housing together in one super-department.

Nigel Druce, strategic adviser for social services at the Improvement and Development Agency, said the green paper's staff retention proposals could help housing directors to take up new, joint, social services and housing posts.

He added that the coordination of children's services could lead to housing officers visiting schools to advise parents.

Brian Reynolds, deputy chief executive of Barnet council, which has brought its housing and social services departments together, said combining the departments had been a success.

The green paper's proposals would "make housing workers more alert to issues of child protection", he said. "It's trying to get them more into partnership working but it won't change the basic job," he added.

The paper also proposes a file each on child, shared between departments.

The green paper was launched in the wake of the inquiry into the death of 8-year-old Victoria Climbie in Haringey three years ago.

Source

Housing Today