DCS Leadership Programmes
Information for potential long-term strategic partners
The Virtual Staff College is interested in being considered as a consortium member to support the successful long term strategic partner, in the delivery of professional development programmes for existing and potential Directors of Children’s Services. Obviously at this point we cannot make an exclusive agreement with a particular organisation.
The Virtual Staff College is a well established organisation that designs and delivers professional development opportunities for managers in Local Authorities, Children’s Trusts and the wider Children’s Services, including the Third Sector.
It forms the professional development arm of the national Association of Directors of Children’s Services and is a primary provider of leadership programmes for senior managers.
Following the Children Act 2004 and the development of the new posts of Director of Children’s Services the College has designed and delivered several Leadership Academies for existing and aspiring Directors (see details below).
Over the past two years the Virtual Staff College has contributed to the professional development of over 150 Assistant Directors and Directors of Children’s Services. It has been at the forefront of developing new programmes to support government initiatives such as the launch of the Every Child Matters agenda and regularly horizon scans and anticipates emerging challenges for Children’s Trusts and partners. The College is able to respond to systemic and organisational changes in children’s services and to support and lead on new developments to meet these challenges. It has a history of successful partnership and consortium working with other providers including institutes of higher education.
The College provides direct delivery and facilitation of training and development programmes, workshops and action learning sets supported by web based resources and e learning facilities.
Please see below for additional information.
Project contacts:
Pam Snowball (pam.snowball@virtaulstaffcollege.co.uk)
Pam Snowball joined VSC to become Director of Operations in October 2009. Prior to this appointment Pam worked for Bolton Council as the workforce development manager across the social care sector. Pam has spent her career in local government, working in social care and educational settings. She has worked for several LAs in the North West of England and her professional background is in social work, particularly children’s safeguarding. Pam has contributed to regional groups such as the North West Collaboration for Children and led on numerous projects locally to deliver workforce reform, as part of the Every Child Matters Agenda to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Chris Berry (mscjberry@aol.com)
Chris is the Director of Professional Development for the Virtual Staff College. Previously, as part of her work, she has been seconded to the Government Office for the North West as a Regional Consultant for Children and Young people.
Chris is an experienced senior local government officer having held Chief Education Officer posts in two challenging authorities (Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council). She has also worked as an adviser for the DCSF, DH and Regional Government Office. Her areas of specialist knowledge include various aspects of Children’s Services, Education, Youth Services, Community Cohesion, Equal Opportunities, Leadership and Management Development.
Chris has a excellent reputation as a speaker and as facilitator, her recent engagements include the National Child Abuse Conference for Association of Chief Police Officers, Annual Conference for Association of School and College Leaders, Annual Conference for Aspect, Association for Careers Guidance Officers, DCSF regional conferences, and numerous local authority conferences for Head teachers, Governors, Children’s Services staff and partners. She is also a member of the National Support Team for Teenage Pregnancy.
Ian Smith (ian.smith13@btinternet.com)
Founder and Chief Executive of Iconoclastic Solutions, Ian has held a variety of posts in and initially outside education and children’s services. Before entering education he worked as a salesman, as a bakery worker in Nashville Tennessee and led walking tours across Iceland.
He then entered teaching, working in a variety of inner-city primary schools, before becoming headteacher of a large inner city primary school in East Manchester. The school became a resource school catering for its own mainstream pupils as well as pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, including all primary pupils excluded from other Manchester schools. This was part of Ian's philosophy of inclusive education providing every child with an opportunity to learn.
After 11 years as a headteacher Ian then worked in a variety of roles with Manchester Inspection and Advisory Service, before joining Tameside Council as Head of Standards and Effectiveness in 1999, becoming Chief Education Officer two years later and Director of Children’s Services in April 2005. Ian then left in August 2008 to start his own consultancy company to continue to pass on his valued expertise and experience in education, children’s services and business planning.
Ian has written and contributed to a range of books on education management and the curriculum. He was commissioning editor and principal author of Folens primary topic planners series and wrote the ICT component of the DfES's "Learning FC" programme which comprises the materials for the Government and PFA's Playing for Success initiative.
Ian has also acted as an education consultant in various international settings, including Germany, the Canary Isles and Bahrain. He is currently Aspirations Strategy Manager for the Greater Manchester Challenge. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Twenty first Century Schools, Louisiana and a Professional Associate of the Virtual Staff College. He has addressed major international conferences in Germany as well as in this country and is in demand as a key note speaker on education and local government issues in both the public and private sector.
Associates
The VSC uses a wide range of associates to deliver and facilitate programmes. Here is a selection below. Click on the associate to see their biogrophy.
Leadership Academy materials
Here are materials from previous Leadership Academy events. Please click on the link to view or download the document.
February 2008 - ECM: Integrating early Years Provision
CLICK HERE to access the workbook
March 2008 - Seminar for recently appointed DCSs
CLICK HERE to access the workbook
July 2009 - Children's Trusts and Partnership Working
CLICK HERE to access the workbook
October 2009 - Children's Health
CLICK HERE to access the workbook
Further Leadership Academies will be taking place in January and March 2010 with the themes 'Safeguarding' and 'Commissioning and securing service provision'