Cheshire East Council has appointed a new executive director of children’s services.
Dawn Godfrey, who was previously strategic director children and families at Rutland County Council, will take up the role as permanent executive director of children’s services.
She has worked in local government service in children’s social care for 26 years.
She has worked on regional initiatives in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Family Help, and workforce development across the East Midlands.
Dawn said: “I am thrilled to be joining Cheshire East as their permanent executive director children’s services.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of the new corporate leadership team and I am determined to deliver excellent outcomes for children and families across Cheshire East.”
It’s the latest high level appointment by the cash-strapped authority.
CEC recently appointed Ashley Hughes as Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, Chris Allman as Director of Planning and Environment, Karen Grave as Director of People, and Dami Awobajo as Assistant Chief Executive.
Theresa Leavy who has been the interim executive director of children’s services since September 2024, will leave the council in May, to take on the role of national director at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
Rob Polkinghorne, chief executive of Cheshire East Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dawn to our team.
“Her proven track record and extensive experience makes her the right person to lead our children’s services.
“We are confident that under her leadership, we will continue to make significant strides in our improvement journey.”
All any of us want is value for money and full transparency of the cost versus results, no more waste and poor decisions that have been the trend over recent years
Dear Chris Moorhouse.
Well said, lets live in hope, that Cheshire East Council will be transparent and deliver value for money with Council Tax Payers Money. They also need to get a grip on financial waste.
Let us hope these 5 new appointments improve the service delivery to the tax payers. Hopefully, they will engage with the community and not hide away.