SUNDERLAND City Council has appointed Jill Colbert as its Director of Children’s Services and Chief Executive of Together for Children.
Jill joins the council from Trafford Council where she is currently Corporate Director for Children, Families and Well-being. She started her career at Birmingham Council, working with children and young people in youth justice services, then moved to Birmingham Community Health Trust and to The Children’s Society.
She subsequently worked for Knowsley and Trafford Councils in the North West in a series of managerial roles, commissioning and leading children’s services and since 2016 has held the post of Corporate Director (Children Families and Wellbeing) at Trafford Council.
In her new role, Jill will lead Together for Children, the company launched last April to deliver children’s services in Sunderland on behalf of the City Council. She will also take on the statutory role of Director of Children’s Services for the City Council.
Together for Children is responsible for delivering the highest quality services, including children’s social care, early help, education and fostering and adoption, as well as the infrastructure needed to run fully integrated children’s services.
Welcoming the appointment Irene Lucas CBE, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, said: “I’m delighted Jill is joining us. She has an excellent track record in this area of work and I’m very much looking forward to working with her as we continue to steer forward the high quality services that our children and young people need to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives.”
Deborah Jenkins, Chair of the Together for Children added: “I’m very excited that Jill will be joining TfC and very much look forward to welcoming her into our team. She brings a wealth of experience of partnership working to build on the strong foundations of our first year under Sue Carty’s leadership.”
Speaking about her new role, Jill, who went to school in Whitley Bay, before studying Sociology at Birmingham University and also an MBA, said: “I am delighted and excited to be joining Together for Children and look forward to working closely with partners to deliver great outcomes for children and families across the city of Sunderland.”
She is expected to take up her new post this summer.