SCIE media releases 2007

Julie Jones appointed new chief executive of Social Care Institute for Excellence

13 March 2007

The Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Julie Jones to the post of Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), as successor to Bill Kilgallon who retires at the end of March. Julie is currently Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Children's Services at Westminster City Council, and a former President of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS).

"Bill Kilgallon was always going to be a hard act to follow", said Allan Bowman, Chair of SCIE, "but in Julie we have an outstanding successor, who brings a wealth of experience, combined with the energy and vision that SCIE demands.

David Behan, Director General of Social Care at the Department for Health, welcomed the appointment: "This is excellent news - Julie will bring the qualities that she has demonstrated at Westminster City Council and ADSS to SCIE. She is an effective leader and I am confident that she will build on the firm foundations established by her predecessor Bill Kilgallon."

New recruit, Julie, responded to her appointment saying: "It really is a great honour to join SCIE - I've been impressed by the organisation's work in recent years. In particular, I want to continue Bill Kilgallon 's passionate commitment to ensuring people who use services and their carers are at the heart of social care. It makes sense and it works.

"But I'm not underestimating the scale of the task. I recognise the day to day pressures faced by care workers and managers, and the increasing complexity of the sector. But I really believe that SCIE is in an excellent position to provide hard-pressed workers and managers with digestible, practical tools that they can trust. They've got a strong record to date so I am looking forward to working with the Board and staff on the next stage of their development."

The Board would like to thank David Fielding and Rockpools for their assistance in making this appointment.

About Julie Jones OBE

After her education in Tunbridge Wells , Kent and Cardiff , Wales , Julie Jones began her career in social services in Camden in the early 1970s as a research and planning officer. Following the birth of her first daughter in 1976, she left Camden and over the next 6 years she completed a masters in public and social administration at Brunel, gave birth to a second daughter, undertook a variety of research projects, and taught part time at the then Middlesex Polytechnic.

In 1982 she joined Westminster City Council as their Principal Research and Planning Officer and after a series of promotions became Westminster 's Deputy Director of Social Services in 1992 responsible for implementing community care. She was appointed Director of Social Services in 1996. In 2000 she became Deputy Chief Executive and has held the two statutory posts of Director of Adult Social Services and Director of Children's Services. She has had responsibility for Housing Services in Westminster since 2000.

She has chaired and contributed to a variety of pan-London and national social care initiatives over a wide range of issues and was Chair of Greater London Association of Directors of Social Services before being elected Vice President of ADSS. She was President of ADSS in 2005/06. In 2003 she was awarded an OBE for services to social care in London . She lives with her husband, Alan, in north London and enjoys travelling, opera, theatre and rugby.

For more information about SCIE's board and management visit www.scie.org.uk.

Media contact

Annie Goss | Communications Officer | T: 020 7089 7117 | M: 07739 458 192 | Email: annie.goss@scie.org.uk