A new Director of Children’s Services has been appointed to take over the improvement journey in Sefton Children’s Services and continue to make a difference to children, young people and families.

After a thorough recruitment process, the Council has appointed Dr Risthardh Hare, who has been serving as interim Director of Children’s Services. Risthardh will now continue the rapid and necessary work already ongoing in the department to make Children’s Services the service our children and families need.

Real understanding

Cllr. Mhairi Doyle, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care said: “Risthardh has been with us for around a year now, first as Assistant Director for Help and Protection, then serving as interim Director of Children’s Services and now as our permanent Director of Children’s Services.

“He has a real understanding of how Sefton works and understands where we want to get to with our service.

“We are facing unprecedented levels of demand and intense scrutiny as we navigate our improvement journey and were looking for a candidate who was highly competent and confident in transformative change and who could embed a new culture of high quality, restorative practice into our service.

“Risthardh has shown he is the person to lead us through these challenges and make a positive impact on the lives of the children, young people and families who need us.”

Additional resources

Sefton Council has committed significant additional resource to Children’s Services to drive forward improvements at pace and is working closely with the Department for Education and the Commissioner to ensure that changes having the impact that they need to for the Borough’s families.

Leader

Cllr Diane Roscoe, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education said: “Education services in Sefton need a leader who will appreciate the range of practitioners who are involved with children and families, all of whom can all make a difference to the outcomes for that child.

“Risthardh is an exciting appointment for us here in Sefton. He will continue to advocate a true wraparound support model and sees the true value of partnership working, which is having real benefits for our children and young people.”

Passion, drive and enthusiasm

Dr Hare said: “I am delighted and proud to have been appointed to the position of Director of Children’s Services. My time so far in Sefton has assured me of the passion, drive and enthusiasm among colleagues across Sefton and our partners.

“We still have a lot of work to do in Sefton to bring our services up to the level our children, young people and families expect but I am confident that with the level determination and passion for improvement that I see around me, we can make the progress required.

“With additional investment, a new Corporate plan and a clear vision for children and families, I believe we have all the right ingredients to support children and families and I am looking forward to continuing the fantastic work already taking place across our service and demonstrating the impact that work is having to the Commissioner.

“Ultimately, our role is to keep children safe and ensure that we are aspirational for our children, young people and families. I am confident that the work already underway and the work I will lead in the next few months will make a real impact on those who need us.”

You can use this link to find out more about Children's Services in Sefton.