A government adviser who has called for more voluntary sector providers of children’s social care services has been appointed to chair a new organisation merged from two charities.
Josh MacAlister recommended the merger of What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) and the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) in his government-commissioned review earlier this year.
Trustees of the two charities, both set up and primarily funded by the government, agreed to merge in July and this week appointed MacAlister as executive chair of the united organisation.
MacAlister is employed by the Department for Education (DfE) to assist the implementation of his own government-commissioned review of children’s social care and has said that he would welcome a “resurgence” of charities providing residential care services.
Jo Casebourne, chief executive of the EIF – the smaller of the two charities with an income of £2.7m compared to £13.2m – will hold the same role at the new organisation, currently named What Works for Early Intervention and Children’s Social Care.
Both Casebourne and MacAlister will formally take up their roles in December, while the chairs of the merging charities will be trustees of the new organisation.
Chair welcomes ‘resurgence’ of charities providing care services
MacAlister’s review of children’s social care included plans to “fix” the “broken market” for placements for children in care and tackle “profiteering” by large children’s homes and fostering providers.
It called for a windfall tax on the 15 largest private residential care and independent fostering providers to partially fund the review’s suggested changes.
Speaking at an event hosted by New Philanthropy Capital earlier this year, MacAlister said it would be “very welcome to see a resurgence in the charity sector offering something for children and families in fostering and residential care” instead of private providers.
The DfE, advised by MacAlister, is due to announce its response to his review by the end of the year.
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