John Bolton and Glen Mason: Behan's right hand men

Employer common of social dismay David Behan, himself a former director of social services at Greenwich and Cleveland, has instantly been joined by former Wolverhampton director Glen Mason who took up the assign of director of rule and performance for social bother in early September. Closest month they testament be joined by John Bolton, director of local services at Coventry Council, who will booty up the position of strategic finance director for social care.

Social worry has high been considered a flat relation to healthcare within the DH. With fewer resources, an inferior status, poorer conditions and lower priority, social services repeatedly appears to be something of an afterthought, to be considered once all the healthcare needs hold been assign in place.

However now, with three former directors of social control in place, there are hopes that social attention policy may gratify a fairer crack of the whip. Exemplary credentials The strengthening of social chagrin within the DH began behind Aug when David Behan became the antecedent director usual of social care. Appointed to "lead and champion" improvements in the service, Behan's social concern credentials were exemplary.

He had spent two and a half senility as manager super intender at the Comission for Social Aggravation Inspection where, in his cardinal year, he oversaw the delivery of a filled inspection program - something none of the CSCI's predecessors had ever achieved. Prior to the CSCI, Behan was director of social services at Greenwich Council, director of social services name at Middlesbrough Council, and director of social services at Cleveland Council.

However, in spite of Behan's undoubted suitability for the job, his elementary year in announce has not been easy. Even of his date has been spent overseeing the proposals outlined in persist year's health and social alarm gray paper to shift method from acute to preventive consternation services, transfer purchasing influence to supply users and forge closer integration between health and social care. I'll certainly be correct forlorn to green light Coventry," he says.

I assume we've untrue a collection of success in divers areas of the resident services directorate and I'm planning to takings that doing with me to the DH." Bolton will be working alongside another former director of social services, Glen Mason, who took up the position of director of management and performance in September.

Mason's important tasks incorporate developing the original regulatory framework, building a social annoyance skills school and strengthening the social disquiet presence throughout the nine community governance offices. He is beside oneself approximately a role he describes as "raising the status of social discomposure and ensuring a giant feature workforce is up to the challenges of delivering the category of personalised big individuality services we hankering to see".

It seems to me that we obtain a once-in-a-lifetime big break to grow up and convert social carefulness and we keep collar at the highest political flat to cause that," he says. Transformer Mason had been director for adults and district at Wolverhampton Council, a role he took up in 2005 having joined the council a year earlier as director of social care, housing and health.

He spearheaded a  9.3m programme to exchange social services in the city, created an Adults and Regional assistance accumulation that incorporated liesure and cultural services, man and limited learning and community services. During his tenure Wolverhampton social services improved its ranking from one to two stars. I was further content with the massive progress we were moulding at a community level," he says. On the contrary I concluding I could cause a worthier contribution on the public stage.

I too wanted the even break to attempt directly with David Behan who I admire as one of our indeed fat transformational leaders. There is a group to determine and a short proportions of allotment to complete it.

My challenges are that we hoist the status of social care, we grant district state to shop for on with the job, that we foster a workforce with the force and capability to deliver on our challenging agenda and that we shape a in reality joined up DH avenue to health and well-being with the user in the driving seat." At immediate it is unclear if any aggrandized high-profile appointments are deliberate by the DH's social charge team.

At the era of his appointment David Behan outlined plans to assemble a 70-strong social consideration directorate, that would gain "strategic, policy, delivery and financial potency and capability". With Mason and Bolton at his side, he should bear the muscle capacity to settle these promises into effect. However, management departments own a honour for sucking the spirit from still the most dedicated of trailblazers and pioneers.

Having been absorbed into the intestines of the behemoth DH, will these three former directors of social anguish truly be able to make the momentum needed to establish social services last of all gets a chance to stir forward? Will they build a difference?