Plans to merge Denbighshire’s Children’s Services with Conwy County Borough Council were given the go ahead in Denbighshire yesterday.
At the meeting of Denbighshire’s Cabinet, Members agreed to pursue the merger between the two departments to provide a single integrated service. Conwy’s Cabinet will be considering the matter at a Cabinet meeting in June.
The merger is expected to enable both authorities to provide a more resilient and robust service, especially in light of the current pressures on public spending and increased inspection and regulation requirements due to high profile cases like that of Baby Peter.
It will also offer more opportunities to deliver a bilingual service as well as other benefits such as enabling the service to relate more easily and be more influential with key partners such as health and police.
Provided Conwy’s Cabinet is in agreement, a special project team will be set up to oversee the transition to an integrated service, and the recruitment of a Joint Head of Service will begin. It is hoped the successful applicant could be in post by November.
