THE man brought in to lead a board tasked with helping sort out Doncaster’s children’s services is to quit his post.
The news follows a damning report into the service by Ofsted.
Peter Kemp, who has been chairman of Doncaster Children’s Board, will step down from the post after fresh concerns were raised over safeguarding children in the borough.
Doncaster Children’s Board was set up between Doncaster Council, NHS Doncaster, South Yorkshire Police and schools to provide advice and recommendations on turning around the service after failings were found two years ago.
Doncaster Council’s chief executive, Jo Miller, said: “Given the two recent reports, we fully expect that the existing form of Government Intervention through the work of the Children’s Board probably won’t continue in its current form. Peter Kemp, the chair of that board, has advised he will not continue with his chairmanship post December this year.
“As soon as a new intervention framework is known an immediate report will go to cabinet setting out all the necessary measures for accelerated progress in Children’s Services.
“We have a long way to go with our improvement journey and we’re absolutely determined to use this time as a ‘rocket boost’ for transformation to get us there.”
The board was set up after concerns were raised over a string of deaths of children who were known to Doncaster children’s services.
Further concerns were raised when two boys were convicted of torturing two other youngsters in the village of Edlington.
It later emerged both the boys who carried out the attacks were in the care of Doncaster Council.
A report by Ofsted last month highlighted fresh concerns over the failure to turn children’s services around. It followed an inspection which found risks were not being managed for some children as they should have been.
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