On 13 August 2025, the LGA brought together senior leaders to explore the strategic challenges and opportunities in children’s and adult services during local government reorganisation (LGR). The focus was on enabling strong service foundations, navigating risks, and leveraging opportunities.
Watch the webinar recording (YouTube)
Keynote presentation: Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire Council
Rachael has led two major unitarisation programmes (Durham and Buckinghamshire). She highlighted the unprecedented scale of current reforms, affecting 23 million residents, and homed in on several themes that colleagues need to consider.
Strategic partnerships
Why it matters:
Children’s and adult services rely heavily on multi-agency collaboration. Statutory partnerships—such as safeguarding boards, health and wellbeing committees, and community safety groups—are foundational to service delivery. LGR disrupts existing structures, so understanding and reshaping these partnerships is vital to maintain continuity and accountability.
Key considerations:
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Are statutory duties being met across new structures?
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How do Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) affect local health partnerships?
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What scrutiny mechanisms are in place to ensure effectiveness?
Workforce planning
Why it matters:
Staffing is the backbone of social care and children's services. High turnover, reliance on agency staff, and recruitment challenges can destabilise services, especially during transition. LGR can heighten uncertainty, making workforce planning a strategic priority.
Key considerations:
- What is the current reliance on interim staff and why?
- Are there retention strategies like ‘golden hellos’ or ‘golden handcuffs’?
- Is there a pipeline for future managers and practitioners?
Casework quality
Why it matters:
The quality of casework directly impacts outcomes for vulnerable individuals. During LGR, maintaining high standards in assessment, intervention, and oversight is essential to avoid service failures and reputational risk.
Key considerations:
- What practice models are used (e.g., family group conferencing, three-conversation model)?
- How is supervision structured and escalations managed?
- Are service users’ voices embedded in decision-making?
Market oversight and commissioning
Why it matters:
Adult and children’s services often rely on external providers. LGR affects commissioning arrangements, market stability, and sufficiency of provision. Councils must reassess their “make or buy” decisions and prepare for provider failure risks.
Key considerations:
- Is there enough diversity and capacity in the care market?
- Are sufficiency statements up to date and informing strategy?
- Can assets be repurposed to support in-house provision?
Service development and reform
Why it matters:
LGR should not stall progress on national reforms. From SEND changes to NHS integration, councils must continue to innovate and adapt. Pausing development risks falling behind on statutory responsibilities and public expectations.
Key considerations:
- How are reforms being implemented across tiers?
- Are district and county colleagues collaborating effectively?
- Is there capacity to deliver change alongside reorganisation?
Communication and engagement
Why it matters:
Reorganisation creates uncertainty for staff, partners, and residents. Clear, consistent engagement helps manage anxiety, build trust, and ensure continuity of service. It also supports co-production and local accountability.
Key considerations:
- What engagement forums already exist across services?
- How are town and parish councils being involved?
- Are regulators, providers, and communities reassured about the transition?
Financial and technical enablers
Why it matters:
Without sound financial planning and IT infrastructure, LGR can falter. Children’s and adult services represent a significant portion of council budgets, and technical systems underpin safe service delivery. These enablers must be aligned and resilient.
Key considerations:
- Are overspends and savings plans being actively managed?
- What is the approach to high needs block and Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding?
- Is demographic modelling informing future service design?
- Are IT systems interoperable and future-proof?
Panel discussion remarks
Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire Council
Challenges faced
Balancing inclusion and protection: In Buckinghamshire, children’s services were under intervention during LGR. A deliberate decision was made to ring-fence them from the broader transition programme to protect their improvement journey. While this safeguarded progress, it also risked isolating the service from wider organisational integration.
Silo risks: Children’s and adults' services can sometimes operate in silos due to their intense operational focus. Rachael highlighted the importance of breaking these silos to foster a shared organisational identity.
What worked well
Cross-cutting leadership: Post-LGR, Buckinghamshire implemented cross-departmental leadership roles. For example, the highways director co-chaired a group considering support for care leavers, helping embed a whole-council approach to service delivery.
Embedding place-based thinking: Staff were encouraged to see themselves as part of a unified place-based organisation, not just their service area.
Lessons learned
Early integration is key: Even when services are under pressure, finding ways to include them in transition planning helps avoid fragmentation.
Leadership visibility: Senior leaders must actively model collaboration and shared purpose to unify the organisation.
Jonathan Price, Executive Director, Dorset Council:
Challenges faced
Lift-and-shift complexity: Dorset’s LGR involved transferring services from the county council to the new unitary. Ensuring a safe and seamless transition was a major logistical challenge.
Pandemic disruption: COVID-19 hit shortly after LGR, testing the resilience of newly formed structures. Fortunately, Dorset retained a cross-council public health function, which proved invaluable.
What worked well
Cultural foundations: Dorset used LGR as an opportunity to define new organisational values and ways of working. These were embedded post-pandemic and continue to guide transformation.
Leadership continuity: Retaining the senior management team through the first term helped maintain stability and trust.
Strategic structuring: Housing was placed within people services, unlocking synergies in accommodation and care planning.
Lessons learned
Don’t pause change: Transformation must continue beyond go-live. Stopping creates uncertainty and undermines momentum.
Invest in frontline services: Dorset prioritised investment in children’s and adults' services, resulting in strong performance and market stability.
Governance evolution: LGR is just the beginning—ongoing refinement of governance and decision-making is essential.
Milorad Vasic, Director of Children’s Services, Westmorland and Furness Council
Challenges faced
Governance clarity: Establishing clear decision-making processes was critical. Staff and partners needed transparency and confidence in how and when decisions would be made.
Staff anxiety and identity: District staff feared being overshadowed by county services. Managing perceptions and fostering inclusion were key leadership tasks.
IT fragmentation: Legacy systems from multiple districts created complexity. Unravelling hosted arrangements post-LGR proved more difficult than anticipated.
What worked well
Staff engagement: Regular roadshows and Q&A sessions helped maintain morale and build trust. Middle managers were given tailored development support to strengthen leadership capacity.
Culture building: The council focused on defining a clear, unified culture—not just a set of values, but a lived experience. Staff reported feeling more connected and empowered post-LGR.
Service Improvement: Children’s services moved from “Requires Improvement” to “Good,” with further progress underway. This was attributed to strong leadership and cultural alignment.
Lessons learned
Don’t delay the hard stuff: Issues deferred during transition (especially IT and infrastructure) can become major obstacles later.
Visibility matters: Leaders must be present and engaged to shape culture and reassure staff.
Respect district expertise: Districts bring deep community knowledge—this must be valued and integrated, not overridden.
Resources and next steps
- Visit the LGR and devolution hub for FAQs, slides, and recordings.
- Sign up for the LGR bulletin to stay updated.
- Contact [email protected] to contribute to future sessions or share your experience.