The government has today (5 December) published its response to a consultation on the implementation of the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS) for child and family social workers.

The plans outlined today address feedback from the sector to ensure the new system is implemented effectively through an initial voluntary phased roll-out from 2018

The NAAS will raise the professional status of child and family social workers, providing a clear career path as well as ensuring they have the knowledge and skills they need to practice effectively.

The system forms a key part of the government’s reforms to children’s social work to ensure every child receives expert support and protection.

Children and Families Minister Robert Goodwill said:

Vulnerable children and families deserve the highest-quality care and support and that’s why we are driving forward reforms in children’s social work.

The National Assessment and Accreditation System is a key part of this work to strengthen the skills and >professional status of child and family social workers so they can provide this vital support to children who need it.

We welcome the constructive feedback we have received and will work closely with the sector and local councils to support them as they start to introduce the new system in 2018.

Steve Walker, Leeds City Council Director for Children’s Services, said:

The National Assessment and Accreditation System has brought a welcome focus on the arrangements that local authorities have in place to set the conditions in which best practice can flourish.

Leeds’ involvement in the accreditation system will provide us with an opportunity to review and strengthen our career development opportunities for social workers and enable us to recruit and retain great social workers, which is what children and young people need and deserve.

Carla Pawsey, Leeds City Council Social Work Team Manager, said:

The National Assessment and Accreditation System is an opportunity to professionalise our profession and to be seen as accountable and evidence-based in our practice wisdom.

The initial roll out of the NAAS will consist of Phase One involving five local authorities and Phase Two, involving up to 20 authorities, and will promote a stronger focus on learning and development within the children’s social work sector profession.

Social workers in the authorities involved in Phase One and Two of NAAS will be assessed against specific criteria setting out what constitutes effective social work practice, known as the Knowledge and Skills Statements.

Recruitment also began today for a Chair and CEO of Social Work England, the new regulator for all social workers in England which will be based in Sheffield.

The Department for Education, jointly with the Department of Health, will establish Social Work England to ensure public protection and drive improvements in social work practice, from initial education and training to continued professional development.

The Prime Minister met with Prime Minister Rajoy of Spain this afternoon. Theresa May began by restating the UK’s support for the Spanish Government on the issue of Catalonia – stating the rule of law must be upheld and the Spanish constitution respected.

The Prime Minister gave an update on the Brexit negotiations, confirming that she would be reconvening talks with the European Commission before the end of the week. She said both sides were positive about the progress that could be made ahead of December European Council. Prime Minister Rajoy said he shared the desire to move talks on to the next stage of negotiations as quickly as possible and that Spain would remain a constructive partner.

Prime Minister Rajoy spoke about the deep and strong relationship between Spain and the UK, referring to the significant investment that Spanish companies have made in the UK and the fruitful trading relationship. The Prime Minister welcomed views on how we could continue a good trading relationship between the two countries after Brexit and ensure this was as frictionless as possible.

The two leaders spoke about foreign policy and the threat of Russia, agreeing that it was important to maintain a collective and rigorous approach to sanctions and to counter disinformation.

They also spoke about increasing co-operation to counter the growing threat of terrorism. The Prime Minister outlined that the nature of terrorism was changing and how the internet and social media was providing terrorists with an extra tool to accelerate and amplify the terror they seek to spread.

Lastly, Prime Minister Rajoy raised the issue of the abhorrent treatment of Libyan people being smuggled into Europe and the ongoing efforts to help repatriate them. The Prime Minister said that this was an important challenge and she wanted to work closely with her European colleagues now and in the future to see what more could be done by, for example, improving conditions in the country of origin.

Dame Judith Macgregor was British High Commissioner to South Africa from September 2013 until March 2017, when she retired from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after a career of some 40 years in the Diplomatic Service.

After graduating from Oxford (LMH) with a first class degree in Modern History, and a year in Romania as a British Council scholar, Dame Judith entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1976 serving first in the former Yugoslavia, and later as First Secretary in Prague and Paris. In her early years in the FCO, she held various posts dealing with Poland, Western Europe, and as the Secretary of State’s speechwriter.

After accompanying her husband as Director General for Trade Promotion in Germany and Ambassador to Poland, she resumed her own career as FCO Director for Security Policy in 2000, and then as Ambassador to Slovakia (2004-6). She was appointed FCO Director for Migration in 2007, and Ambassador to Mexico in 2009, for which she was awarded the CMG. In 2013, she became British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. She was awarded the DCMG for her services to Diplomacy in January 2016.

Dame Judith was President of the FCO Women’s Association from 2006 to 2016 overseeing a significant increase in the number of FCO women in the senior grades. In Mexico and South Africa she led government efforts to increase bilateral trade and investment as well as to boost tourism to the UK, working closely alongside Visitbritain. Dame Judith also spearheaded projects to increase bilateral programmes in R&D and represented UK Embassies overseas on the Whitehall Ministerial Committees Governing ODA Funding for International Research and Innovation.

Since leaving the FCO, Dame Judith has become an Independent Non Executive Member of the Board of the UK/Mexican mining company, Fresnillo plc and a Lay Member of the Governing Council of Southampton University, while remaining on the Advisory Board of the School of Slavonic Studies of UCL. Dame Judith was elected an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple and Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in July 2017.

Dame Judith’s husband John, concluded his diplomatic career as Ambassador to Austria and UK Governor of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to become Dean of the University of Kent at Brussels. During his wife’s appointment to Mexico he was Visiting Professor of International Relations at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, and now teaches and mentors at his old Institute in Brussels and at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna.

Dame Judith and Mr Macgregor have a daughter and three sons.

The role is remunerated at £320 a day for two days a month. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Dame Judith has declared no such political activity.

The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP has appointed the following General Council Members to Arts Council England:

• Michael Eakin (for a term of 4 years, commencing on 1 April 2018)
• Catherine Mallyon (for a term of 4 years, commencing on 26 April 2018)
• Andrew Miller, George Mpanga
• Elisabeth Murdoch (for terms of 4 years, commencing on 1 December 2017)
• Paul Roberts OBE and Tessa Ross (for terms of 3 years, commencing on 1 December 2017)

The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP has also appointed the following Area Chairs to Arts Council England (for terms of 4 years, commencing on 1 December 2017):

• Sukhy Johal MBE as Midlands Area Chair
• Kate Willard as North Area Chair
• Professor Roni Brown as South East Area Chair.

David Joseph CBE has been reappointed for a term of 3 years commencing on 1 November 2017.

Rosemary Squire has been appointed as South West Area Chair by exception for a term of 1 year commencing on 5 December 2017.

MICHAEL EAKIN

Michael Eakin has been Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic since 2008. The organisation includes the award-winning Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and associated ensembles and choirs, a substantial music learning and education programme, and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Michael joined Liverpool Philharmonic from Arts Council England, with whom he had been Executive Director North West since 2001. Previously, he was Director of Arts and Leisure for Reading Borough Council, with a portfolio including the arts and theatre, libraries, museums and archives, sport and leisure, and tourism.

His initial career was in theatre and concert hall management, including several years as Director of the presenting theatre and concert hall, The Hexagon, Reading. Here he programmed across several artforms including orchestral and popular music, theatre, opera, and dance. He also led the establishment in Reading of the UK’s major annual world music festival, the WOMAD Festival, in partnership with the WOMAD organisation; and the renovation and re-opening of the 19th Century Reading Concert Hall.

He is a former Chair of the Association of British Orchestras and a former Vice President of the Theatrical Management Association (now UK Theatre).

CATHERINE MALLYON

Catherine Mallyon has been Executive Director, a Governor and a Board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2012. Catherine sits on the Board of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and is Chair of their Culture and Tourism Business Group. She is on the Board of the Society of London Theatre and is a Council Member of the Creative Industries Federation and of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Catherine was previously Deputy Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, leading all Southbank Centre operational activity, including the reopening Royal Festival Hall after refurbishment in 2007 and the renewal of Hayward Gallery in 2010.

In her earlier career in arts management, Catherine was General Manager of Arts and Theatres at Reading Borough Council. There she managed all theatre and arts operations, programmed drama and classical music for the Hexagon and Concert Hall and co-produced the WOMAD festival. Prior to that, she was General Manager at the Oxford Playhouse.

Having spent five years working in the City of London as a trader and analyst, Catherine trained in general arts administration on Arts Council England’s bursary programme. She plays violin with the Oxford Sinfonia.

ANDREW MILLER

Andrew Miller is an arts producer, programmer & strategist. He began his career in broadcasting in the 1980s as the first disabled presenter of mainstream British television and went on to become a producer and director of arts & music documentaries. Andrew then joined Arts Council England in Birmingham as Music Officer and Head of Performing Arts. He went on to become the first Head of Creative Programming at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where he established a new and highly successful city centre arts complex in Cardiff promoting classical & contemporary music, opera and theatre.

Andrew is a Council Member of the Arts Council of Wales and serves on the board of UK digital arts agency, The Space and has written extensively on disability in the arts. He is currently Executive Associate at Royal & Derngate Theatres Northampton and The Core at Corby Cube, a role created for him as one of Arts Council England’s first cohort of Changemakers. Andrew is also the Executive Producer of The Russia’17 Season in Wales, a cultural festival marking the Centenary of the Russian Revolution featuring the national arts companies of Wales.

GEORGE MPANGA

George (the Poet) Mpanga George is a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage. He has a background in Political Science, having studied Politics, Psychology and Sociology at King’s College, Cambridge (2010-2013). Since graduating in 2013 his career has spanned entertainment, literature, advocacy, communications and corporate engagement.

George won a social enterprise competition organised by Barclays and Channel 4 called The Stake, which asked entrants how they would spend £100,000. He used his £16,000 prize to fund The Jubilee Line, a series of secondary school poetry workshops for underprivileged children in London. He has performed at the Commonwealth Service (2017) and Rugby World Cup (2015). In 2014 he was shortlisted for the Critics’ Choice category at the 2015 BRIT Awards.

ELISABETH MURDOCH

Elisabeth is the Founder and Chair of Freelands Group, comprising Freelands Ventures, a media and technology investment fund and Freelands Foundation, which supports visual arts and cultural programmes. Elisabeth is also the Founder and Chair of both Locksmith Animation Ltd and Vertical Networks.

Elisabeth was the founder and former Chair of Shine Group, which grew to become one of the leading content production companies internationally over her 14 year tenure. Prior to founding Shine, Elisabeth was the Managing Director of Sky Networks, the programming and marketing division of BSkyB plc. Elisabeth began her career in television at the Nine Network in Australia, later joining Fox Television in Los Angeles as Programme and Promotion Manager for seven stations and then went to the FX Cable Network as Director of Acquisitions.

In 1995, Elisabeth started her own company, EP Communications, managing two dominant NBC affiliate stations which won one national and five Californian Emmy Awards as well as the 1995 Peabody Award for Broadcast Excellence.

Elisabeth was a Tate Trustee between 2008 to 2016, and Chairman of the Tate Modern Advisory Council from 2009 to 2016.

PAUL ROBERTS OBE

After a career involving Director of Education posts in Nottingham and London and the post of Managing Director of the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government, Paul is now Chair of the Board of directors for the Innovation Unit, vice-Chair at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and at Nottingham Contemporary. He is a member of the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education as well as of the ABRSM Music Commission. Paul produced the government report “Nurturing Creativity in Young People” in 2008 and his recent writing includes joint authorship of “The Virtuous Circle – why creativity and cultural education count.”

Other work has included being Chair of the Nottingham Music Education Hub, a range of committee work with NESTA, a member of the Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural Value and of the Ministerial Cultural Education Board. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to Education and the Creative Industries and appointed to the National Council of Arts Council England in December 2017.

TESSA ROSS

Tessa Ross is CEO of House Productions, the film and television production company that she recently launched with her business partner Juliette Howell.

She was previously Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4, during which time Film4 worked with the most innovative talent in the UK and built a reputation for developing and financing some of the most acclaimed British films of recent years. These include Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland, Chris Morris’ Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years A Slave, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank and Room, Todd Haynes’ Carol, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina.

Her work in television includes commissioning programmes such as Shameless, Sex Traffic, The Devil’s Whore, Longford, White Teeth, Clocking Off.

Tessa has been a governor at the NFTS, a governor of the BFI and a member of the ICA Council. She was on the Board of the National Theatre and appointed as its first CEO. Tessa was one of eight film industry representatives on the panel of the 2012 Film Policy Review, chaired by Chris Smith. She was appointed CBE in the New Year 2010 Honours List and was awarded a BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Film in 2013.

SUKHY JOHAL MBE

Sukhy has over 25 years of experience across the Midlands region in a range of senior roles, with a strong affinity and understanding of the cultural ecology and the wider regional development agenda. He has breadth of knowledge across the cultural sector, affording him a grounded, holistic and strategic understanding of today’s dynamic and challenging environment.

He has a depth of experience in local government across the full spectrum of cultural services and economic development, having developed both cultural and economic strategies and plans. He is adept at applying his skills forging strategic relationships across different sectors, and with his enterprising mind-set enables him to effect real change as well reframe ambition he has extensive experience with founding partnerships, organisations, policy and generating substantive funds from investors.

As CEO, of Culture East Midlands, the regions Cultural Consortium, Sukhy supported the development of the sector and established large scale transformative projects like ‘Igniting Ambition’ the Regions Cultural Olympiad programme and devising Regional Policy.

He is currently the Director of The Centre for Culture and Creativity, at the University of Lincoln, and therefore recognizes the growing importance of culture across the Higher Education sector; in terms of research and innovation, as well as their increasingly visible civic leadership role coupled with their primary function in developing the next generation of cultural and creative talent.

Sukhy started his career as a volunteer with Apna Arts at the age of 16, and steered the organisations transformation in becoming the New Art Exchange. He continues to advocate and champion the social and catalytic power of culture, with a particular interest in supporting culturally diversity and social enterprise.

KATE WILLARD

Kate is Head of Corporate Projects with Stobart Group. With a background in cultural and creativity, Kate has lived and worked in Hungary, France and Belgium working as an independent regeneration expert with the European Commission on major transnational projects in employment, social cohesion and regional development. Whilst living and working in Hungary, Kate also established the first UK Hungarian cultural partnership trust, Brouhaha Magyarország and was also CEO of the UK’s first rural regeneration company, Rural Regeneration Cumbria. Kate Chairs Atlantic Gateway and Opportunity South Essex, is a Trustee of Liverpool Playhouse and Everyman Theatres, a Churchill Fellow and FRSA.

PROFESSOR RONI BROWN

Roni is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) where she is Professor of Visual and Educational Cultures.

Roni’s role at UCA, that has campuses at Farnham, Epsom, Rochester and Canterbury is to lead the Academic Schools, Research, Teaching and Learning and Quality Assurance.

Roni has worked in Higher Education for over 25 years holding senior positions at the University of Chichester, University of the Arts London and UCA. She has a PhD in the History of Architecture and Design and has work published in the fields of design history, pedagogy and quality assurance in art and design. Her recent chapter Teaching Quality in Art, Design and Media: Tacit Knowledge and Experience will be published by Routledge in Spring 2018.

Roni is Chair of the South East Area Council and a member of the National Council of the Arts Council England. She is a Trustee of the Open College of the Arts and Deputy Chair of Artswork, the South East Bridge Organisation of Arts Council England. Roni is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts.

DAVID JOSEPH CBE

David Joseph joined Universal Music in 1998 as general manager of the company’s Polydor label before moving up in 2002 to become managing director and later co-President of Polydor. In March 2008, he was promoted to Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK. Universal Music UK includes the labels Capitol, Decca, Island and Virgin EMI as well as Polydor, alongside the world’s most famous recording studios, Abbey Road.

Universal Music UK is home to successful artists from across the musical spectrum including The Rolling Stones, U2, Take That, Florence + The Machine, Mumford & Sons, Sam Smith, Emeli Sande, Giggs, Elton John, Ellie Goulding and Nicola Benedetti. It also releases the music of global superstars such as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Drake, Eminem and Rihanna as well as repertoire from Decca, the number one classical label in the world. Prior to joining Universal Music in 1998, Joseph was at RCA where he was head of artist development working with artists including Take That, Kylie Minogue and Annie Lennox.

In 2005 Joseph became a member of the BPI Council and for three years was Chairman of the BRITs Committee, which oversees the BRIT Awards. He worked with Doreen Lawrence on Unity, the O2 concert in September 2013 marking the 20th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence’s murder and is executive producer of Amy, the Bafta and Oscar-winning documentary about the late singer Amy Winehouse directed by Asif Kapadia. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to the music industry. He holds no other public appointments.

ROSEMARY SQUIRE OBE

Rosemary Squire OBE is one of the most prominent women in British theatre of the modern era. Co-founding ATG in 1992, it has gone onto become the world’s number one live-theatre company.

Last year, Squire stepped down from her post as CEO to move into a new creative phase. Trafalgar Entertainment Group will own and operate theatre buildings, developing a boutique brand as well as producing diverse, high quality, distinctive live work.

In 2014, she made history as the first woman to be named EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year. She is a National Member of the Arts Council England Board and Joint Chair of The Hall for Cornwall. As Chair of Great Ormond Street’s Theatres for Theatres Appeal she raised over £5m and now Chairs another major appeal for the hospital.

Widely respected in the industry, Rosemary and her husband/business partner, Sir Howard Panter, have topped The Stage 100 for seven consecutive record-breaking years. Rosemary was awarded an OBE for Services to Theatre, has an Honorary Doctorate from Southampton University and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts by both De Montfort University and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in recognition of her achievements as a theatre entrepreneur.

Council Members

Council Members of Arts Council England are not remunerated. Area Chairs of Arts Council England are remunerated at £6,400 per annum.

These 10 appointments and 1 reappointment have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Rosemary Squire’s appointment has been made by exception under the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments to ensure South West Area Council has consistent leadership so it is steered and guided as effectively as its other area counterparts. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Rosemary Squire was initially appointed as a Council Member of Arts Council England for a period of 4 years, from 26 April 2013. This was extended from 26 April 2017 for a period of 12 months, however this will be superseded by her appointment by exception as South West Area Chair.

It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Michael Eakin, Catherine Mallyon, Andrew Miller, George Mpanga, Elisabeth Murdoch, Paul Roberts OBE, Tessa Ross, Sukhy Johal MBE, Roni Brown, David Joseph CBE, and Rosemary Squire OBE have declared that they have not carried out any political activity. Kate Willard has declared that she has canvassed on behalf of the Labour Party in the past.