Stuart Ashley
Director of Children’s Services

I am a qualified and registered children’s social worker and proud of it. In the 25 plus years that I have been working for Hampshire County Council, I have had the privilege of having a unique opportunity to shape a high performing Children’s Services Directorate and helped guide it from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ across the board (Ofsted, June 2024).

Much of the transformation work that I have driven in Children’s Services has been focused on changing our culture. I believe it is essential that we value inclusivity and challenge social injustice. I encourage creative thinking in all that we do, how we do it and the way we do it. If we value those around us and trust them to do great things, they will do them.

When it comes to safeguarding children, it is the quality of our frontline staff that makes a crucial difference and helps makes our services, and the support we provide, so strong. It is why I am determined that we recruit social workers and other qualified workers of the highest quality – practitioners who are committed and have a strong track record in improving outcomes for children. Hampshire’s social workers – and you could be one of them – and our transformational practice and fresh approaches, are amongst the key factors which contributed to us being rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. But I can assure you we have not rested on our laurels, we have continued to innovate, pushing the boundaries in all that we do, to improve the lives of our most vulnerable children and their families.

Join me, and our team, in taking the opportunity to be at the forefront of genuine innovation in the delivery of Children’s Services. It’s an exciting time for us – we are constantly looking for ways to improve and develop, as well as to share best practice with neighbouring authorities and peers.