Professional development

• DCS Leadership Programme
  • Who is the DCS Leadership Programme for?
  • Programme details
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  • Dates and locations
  • Partnership working
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DCS partnership working

The National College is leading the development of the directors of children's services (DCS) provision in partnership with the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS), the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC), the Virtual Staff College and other partners. This work will also be supported by an expert group of critical friends, which will challenge and support our thinking. We are collaborating with the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) to deliver the DCS Peer Support scheme

Guiding coalition

Chair: Catherine Fitt, Strategic Director, National College

Membership: Core partners - the National College, ADCS, and CWDC

Principal strategic partner: Department for Education (DfE)

Strategic partner: Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services (C4EO)

Coalition members	Organisation and role
Catherine Fitt	National College, Strategic Director
Christine Davies	C4EO, Chief Executive
Deirdre Quill	CWDC, Director of Workforce Reforms and the Regions
Eleni Ioannides	ADCS, Vice Chair, Workforce Development Policy Committee
Howard Cooper	ADCS, Chair, Workforce Development Policy Committee
Jane Haywood	CWDC, Chief Executive
Olivia McLeod	DfE

Leadership consortium

The leadership consortium comprises:

• the National College
• Virtual Staff College (on behalf of ADCS)
• CWDC

Currently, the leadership consortium is made up of a small group of National College employees and contracted officers with responsibility for servicing the guiding coalition and the expert group and for ensuring the delivery of the provision.

Members	Organisation and role
Aidan Melling	National College, Operational Director, children's services
Anton Florek	VSC, DCS provision principal adviser
Jane Doughty	National College, Operational Director, programme management
Andy Coleman	National College, Head of children’s services research and development
Matt Varley	National College, Operational Director, evaluation and impact
Hilary Messeter	National College, E-learning Manager
Toby Greany	National College, Operational Director, policy and research