Peter Duxbury
Peter Duxbury, strategic director for children’s services at Birmingham City Council, has left his high-profile job after just over 15 months in the hot seat.
The city council said Mr Duxbury’s departure as the official responsible for running schools and children’s social services was by mutual agreement and he will leave immediately.
A statement confirming the strategic director’s departure was finally issued after lengthy negotiations about the wording between lawyers for the council and Mr Duxbury, who has been off work on “urgent and unplanned leave” for three weeks.
The statement said: “Birmingham City Council has reached an agreement with Peter Duxbury, Strategic Director for Children, Young People and Families, that will see his immediate departure from the local authority
“Peter Duxbury has left the employment of Birmingham City Council by mutual agreement the terms of which are confidential but are in line with those offered to other staff leaving the council.
“The council is continuing with the improvement strategy for its services for Children, Young People and Families and has asked Peter Hay CBE, Strategic Director for Adults and Communities, to take over responsibilities in the interim.”
The end of his short tenure raises an obvious question: is there anyone capable of turning around Birmingham’s failing children’s social services, even for £145,000 a year?
Or to put it another way, if there is someone out there with the required skills and stamina to do the job, would they be remotely interested in taking a position where survival rates are shockingly low.
The timing of Mr Duxbury’s departure could hardly be more significant, coming shortly after the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, announced that Doncaster Council is to be relieved of responsibility for running children’s services following a “legacy of failure”.
Cllr Jones should have done more its a responsible position and if she finds it tough she should step down. She struggles in full council, avoids being questioned and has done nothing for children’s services. This is about the right person for the job and that’s Cllr Grundy!!!! Albert needs to listen because that’s the consensus view. As for the City children they have an inexperienced AD who no doubt will just move around how daunting. Some may leave and take their mess to other authorities. Sad loss Peter duxbury was on his way to making significant changes. Those that don’t agree certainly know very little about birmingham children services including Cllr jones
It is easy to criticise but all those that understand the dynamics of the power battles, the enormity of the problem and the complexity of turning around the department, will hold back for a bit longer in unleashing their comments.
It would be a start if the Council officers, social workers, politicians and stakeholders ensured they all move in the same direction.
Councillor Jones can only operate within the parameters of her own knowledge and ability and the information, advice and guidance that she receives from senior officers.
Changing the Cabinet Member so soon will make things worse.
He could always get a job with Eleanor Brazil in Doncaster and transform their failing Children’s services
If you missed it, Brum children’s social services boss Peter Duxbury has quit. @ChamberlainFile broke the story:
Birmingham has a great reputation in children’s social work circles, it’s known worldwide and even here in Australia. If you’ve survived 2 years on your CV, you’ll get a job anywhere because it’s known as being impossibly difficult and the staff are well battle-hardened.
As Jim says, continually impressive people are brought in on a new mandate, they all fail, and after previous experiences bosses are now consulting lawyers because they know that if they don’t politicians will stack the blame on them when they’re forced out. This has been going on for years. Is it the people, or is it just Birmingham that’s rotten?
For all the talk of restructuring, let’s not forget that it’s been a political football for a very long time and even the politicians actions and posturing have had a great hand in prospective candidates not wanting to go anywhere near the place.
Aligned with the general social and economic destruction that’s affected all communities and services including the police, you only have a short career at that intensity and with that exposure so why waste it on a basket case where you’ll be sacrificed within 18 months? In short, if you can get out, get out. If you’re thinking of coming, don’t bother.
when was the last ‘impressive’ person to come to Birmingham? Howell? He could not cope with anything in either education or social care. Brazil? well she allegedly sorted out Haringey but after the disaster of Shoesmith how could anyone be worse? Duxbury? what a sick joke.
@ChamberlainFile Doesn’t surprise me. He couldn’t even be bothered to turn up to important meetings! It must be bad. Prob be taken away next
“@ChamberlainFile: Birmingham children’s services boss Peter Duxbury quits hot seat after 15 months” How many LAs are as bad but hiding it ?
what an utter humiliation for a completely useless Director of Childrens Services. from Day 1 he was out of his depth and never understood the complexities of a city like Birmingham.
once again we have a person who comes in and has to prove himself by radically restructuring things, only months after Brazil did the same. Could we be told how much Duxbury spent on his grand plans and his appointment of advisors – Paul Snook, Christina Banim, Terry Hawkins – as consultants, who all came from his previous team in Lincolnshire (and have gone too).
and its an interesting link with the independent Trust who are taking over Doncaster. and who was the recently appojnted Director there? Eleanor Brazil
how do these people move from one job to another so easily?
How dare the leadership play with hearts and minds of constituents and the children of this city. There egos mean they do not care about any of us. Peter duxbury is a reputable director clearly Albert and Brigid can’t keep up with innovation and change. Bring Cllr Grundy to show Brigid how it’s done
This is a loss to the city children and workforce and the blame lies with the political leadership who clearly cannot deal with competent directors. They lack vision and gusto and Brigid jones should resign as she is not able to do the job. Constituents will protest at her failure and scapegoating of a reputable director. She is out of her depth
I would recommend you for the job everytime Bro Ward. You could even buy the workers chocolates and flowers and take them too them in front of the TV cameras.
@ChamberlainFile bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
I could do that. Sit there like a plum for 15 months then walk off with a huge payout.
Paul,
Amidst the criticism I noted this paragraph: The stark truth, as monthly progress reports show, is that co-operation between the public agencies is little better and there are particular concerns about the failure of police to attend case conferences. Crucially, social workers still cannot access IT systems of GPs, hospitals and the police, making it impossible for professionals to communicate in ‘real time’, which leads to delays in assessing child protection cases.
Why do social workers need to access the IT systems of doctors, hospitals and the police? I doubt that BCC. let alone social workers, would reciprocate. Nor would I want the police to access medical records.
What social workers need is access to the correct person dealing with an individual, their email address and phone number.
Rightly the WMPCC should be asking why the long established network of child / family protection units are not helping social services, let alone being absent from case conferences. Conferences that can be very time-consuming. I expect neither side has moved into the modern telecommunications age – video conferencing comes to mind.
The harder they come the harder they fall!
So, another highly paid and expensive council appointee/employee flees the sinking ship. And the citizens of Birmingham absolutely none the wiser as to why – so much for transparency and honesty! Is this incompetence? Is it a mis-fit – a square peg and a huge round hole? Is it lack of sufficient and meaningful support from the council? Is it, in the final analysis, an impossible task and better left to Genghis Gove anyway?
We, the citizens, not merely deserve better from the council leadership (is that a contradiction in terms?), but we are totally entitled to better.
They never learn: Reappointing yet another muscular Senior Manager to beat up the workforce never works! #birmingham
BREAKING: Brum children’s social services boss Peter Duxbury quits council. Story + background @chamberlainfiles