CAMBRIDGESHIRE County Council has appointed Adrian Loades as its new Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services.

Adrian will be responsible for all aspects of children’s education and social care across the county, including schools and educational standards, children’s social care and child protection, youth services and partnerships.

He has already completed two four-month secondments to the role of Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services - in 2007/08 and 2008/09.

He succeeds Gordon Jeyes, who left the Council on June 30th after five years in charge of Children and Young People’s services in the county.

Counciller Martin Curtis, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, said: “In Adrian Loades we have a passionate champion for children and young people.

He has the experience, vision and skills to build on the achievements of Gordon Jeyes to lead Children and Young People’s Services through what will undoubtedly be difficult and challenging times.

Budgets will be tight, but Adrian’s unstinting commitment to achieving the right outcomes for young people across Cambridgeshire means the service is in safe hands.”

Adrian Loades spent 11 years with the Audit Commission before joining Cambridgeshire County Council in 2001 as Assistant Director (Resources) in the former department of Education, Libraries and Heritage, where he was responsible for finance, HR, ICT and performance management.

Between 2003 and 2005 he fulfilled a similar role in the former Social Services department, before becoming Director of Planning and Development, then Service Director for Strategy and Commissioning in the newly created Children and Young People’s Services department.

In this most recent role, Adrian has been responsible for school organisation and planning, Building Schools for the Future, budget strategy, schools funding, post 16 education and training, performance management, and planning.