Executive director of children's services appointed
Birmingham City Council is pleased to announce that it has appointed Bernadette McNally as Executive Director of Children's Services.
The core purpose of this role is to drive through the improvement agenda, ensuring proper oversight of a substantial change programme as agreed by the city's children's commissioner Lord Warner.
Bernadette McNally is currently executive director of social services at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. In this positon Bernadette has had responsibility for social work, women’s and children’s services, managing the entire range of child care services including child protection, community prevention services, fostering and adoption and children’s residential provision.
In recent years in Belfast, Bernadette had also taken over responsibility for adult social care, including mental health services and services to older people. The Belfast Trust is the largest provider of health and social care services in the UK.
Bernadette said: “I am very honoured to have been offered such a responsible position in Birmingham, I’m delighted to be moving to such a new and exciting city, where I know I will feel welcome and where I look forward to working with everyone associated with improving the lives of children in Birmingham.”
Birmingham City Council Chief Executive Mark Rogers said: “Bernadette is an excellent appointment for the city's children and young people and I am very pleased to be welcoming her to Birmingham at this critical stage in our improvement journey. She has been at the forefront of successful change in Belfast and is an experienced strategic planner and innovative thinker. Bernadette has demonstrated a clear child focus in all the roles she has occupied and it is notable that it was for her services to children and social work that she was recognised with the award of an OBE in 2011. These characteristics make her ideally suited to the job she will be doing here in the city.”
Bernadette is a qualified psychologist and social worker and began her career working with young offenders in Lisnevin Juvenile Justice Centre. She became a social worker for family and child care at Down Lisburn Community Trust and then moved up to become team leader and principal social worker, and eventually assistant director of children's services.
Bernadette is expected to take up her role in Birmingham in November.
A high-resolution photograph of Bernadette can be downloaded by visiting Birminghamnewsroom’s Flickr feed here.
