Today, Moira Swann, Cumbria County Council's new Corporate Director for Children's Services takes up her post.
Moira moves to Cumbria from Hertfordshire where she was Deputy Director in Hertfordshire County Council's Children's, Schools and Family Department, one of the first authorities to develop Children's Services.
County councillor Philip Chappelhow, cabinet spokesman for children's services said:
"I am looking forward to working with Moira. She will take up officer leadership of this key and largest County Council service at a time of change and challenge. I am confident that she will do so with great success. She brings with her a wealth of experience of working with children and will be a valuable addition to our senior management team."
Moira is looking forward to her new role. She said:
"I am really looking forward to joining Cumbria County Council at this significant time of development in children's services. I have worked in many relevant settings related to this post and am keen to get started bringing my experiences to bear on tackling the challenges in Cumbria."
Moira started her career in South Yorkshire where she worked as a teacher for eight years. She then went on to become a qualified social worker where she worked on a number of projects with several multi-agency partnerships. She worked for Gloucestershire County Council as Head of Children's Social Work Service until 2004 when she was then appointed as Deputy Director for Children's Schools and Family Department at Hertfordshire County Council.