Council director lands senior job at Ofsted

THE woman drafted in by Warrington Borough Council to turn around its failing children’s services department four and-a-half years ago is to leave the authority.
Kath O’Dwyer, now director of families and wellbeing, is to take up a top job with education watchdog Ofsted.
She will leave the council in around three months’ time to become national director of improvement in social care at Ofsted.
Ms O’Dwyer came to Warrington with a previous track record of turning around failing children’s departments at a time when the council’s own childrens’ service had been judged to be poor.
She has had 30 years’ experience in the delivery of local government social care services, including 15 years’ experience as a senior leader, and four and a half years as an executive director of Warrington Borough Council.
The council’s chief executive, Prof Steven Broomhead said: “When Kath O’Dwyer came to Warrington Borough Council four and a half years ago, she hit the ground running.
“She led a complete shake-up of Warrington’s children’s services, from frontline practitioners through all tiers of management. She brought in a ‘back to basics’ training programme for all social work staff, as well as new training for front line managers. She improved performance in a way that gave colleagues real confidence in the quality of the services they were providing.
“The result was simply better council services for young people in Warrington, whether those services were adoption or fostering, youth work or turning round the lives of young offenders.
“Kath took over Warrington’s children’s services at a time when they were judged to be poor, and she’ll be leaving them in a state we can be proud of.
“In the meantime Kath has taken over the wider remit of families and wellbeing, and she has applied the same kind of rigorous thinking to delivering social services that are high quality and value for money.
“Kath O’Dwyer’s appointment to such a senior position at Ofsted reflects very well on Warrington Borough Council.”
Ms O’Dwyer said: “It has been a privilege to hold the role of executive director here in Warrington for the past four and a half years – initially with responsibility for children and young people’s services and more recently with the expanded families and wellbeing role – both challenging and rewarding jobs through which I have learned much and have been supported by an amazing group of staff, managers, partners, schools, my senior team, the other directors, elected members and chief executives.
“It will be with considerable regret that I will leave Warrington. I have become very attached to the town and the people here. I’m sure that the services within Warrington will continue to be ambitious for our residents and will maintain a priority and focus on protecting the most vulnerable.”