Ann Graham Named ADCS President for Haringey 2026

Key Points

• Haringey Council’s Corporate Director of Children’s Services, Ann Graham, has been appointed President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) for 2026/27.
• She formally took up the role at an ADCS reception held at the Guildhall in London on 14 April 2026.
• Ann Graham is the first Black woman to serve as ADCS President in the organisation’s 20‑year history.
• In her inaugural speech, she identified adolescent safeguarding as a priority, including strengthening work with the Metropolitan Police on Stop and Search and related issues in Haringey.
• She has urged directors of children’s services to “join the dots” across local authorities and police forces, particularly where children are missing, involved in county lines, or “cuckooed” in the same premises.
• Graham has announced plans for ADCS to publish a policy paper on adolescence, examining how current systems respond to the complex needs of teenagers and proposing ways to improve practice.
• She welcomed reforms in children’s social care and the emphasis on early help, but cautioned that success depends on the “conditions of success”, such as staffing, resources and partnership working.
• She also highlighted inclusive education and SEND reform as a top priority, calling on the government to work with local authorities as partners in implementing changes.

Haringey (North London News) April 17, 2026 – Haringey Council’s Corporate Director of Children’s Services Ann Graham has become President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), marking a major milestone for a national leadership role that oversees children’s services across England. The announcement took effect after she formally took office at an ADCS reception held at the Guildhall in London on 14 April 2026. As reported by Haringey Council in its official news release published on 16 April 2026, Graham is the first Black woman to serve as ADCS President since the organisation was founded two decades ago.

What does Ann Graham’s new role mean?

Ann Graham’s election to the ADCS presidency places her at the head of an association that represents directors of children’s services, who are responsible for social care, safeguarding and education‑related services for children and young people in local authorities. As the new president, she will shape the association’s policy agenda, sit on national advisory groups and represent the profession in discussions with central government and agencies such as Ofsted and the Department for Education. As noted on the ADCS website profile of her inaugural speech, Graham formally assumed the presidency at the 14 April reception, where she set out her priorities for the 12‑month term.

Why is being the first Black woman ADCS President significant?

Haringey Council has described Graham as an “inspirational and tireless advocate for children and young people”, highlighting her role in helping Haringey achieve an Ofsted rating of “Outstanding” for its children’s services for the first time in the borough’s history. In its LinkedIn post announcing the appointment, Haringey stated that her presidency marks a “significant milestone” because she is the first Black woman to hold the ADCS presidency in its 20‑year history. This representation is noted by ADCS itself as a step towards greater diversity and equity in senior leadership roles within children’s services, an area that has long been criticised for under‑representation of Black and minority‑ethnic professionals.

What are Graham’s priorities for adolescent safeguarding?

As reported by the Local Government Lawyer in coverage of her inaugural address, Graham made adolescent safeguarding a central theme of her presidency. She stressed safeguarding “in and across places”, pointing out that children who go missing from one local authority are often missing together with friends from another, yet current systems treat them separately. In her speech quoted by the publication, she said it was “incumbent” on directors of children’s services to “join the dots”, particularly where children are involved in county lines drug‑running or are “cuckooed” (where their homes are taken over by criminals) in the same property.

Graham also pledged to prioritise adolescent safeguarding with concrete work, including ongoing collaboration with the Metropolitan Police on Stop and Search practices in Haringey. According to Haringey Council, the work aims to balance the need for safety and crime‑prevention with protecting the rights and mental‑health wellbeing of young people, especially those from Black and minority‑ethnic backgrounds who can be disproportionately targeted.

What will the new ADCS policy paper on adolescence cover?

Local Government Lawyer reported that Graham has announced plans for ADCS to develop a policy paper on adolescence, which will be published during her term. The publication notes that the paper will set out how current systems respond to the varied and complex needs of teenagers, including risks such as exploitation, mental‑health issues and educational disruption. Graham told the ADCS audience, as quoted by the magazine, that the paper will propose ways practice and systems could better respond, including more joined‑up working across local authorities and agencies.

How has she responded to national reforms in children’s social care and SEND?

In her inaugural address, Graham welcomed the government’s wider reforms in children’s social care, particularly the focus on earlier help and prevention, as reported by Local Government Lawyer. She noted that the reforms could allow many authorities to “step back into a space that was lost following 15 years of austerity”, pointing to the pressures of funding cuts and rising demand over the past decade. At the same time, she warned that success depends on what she called the “conditions of success” – contextual factors such as staffing, resources, training and partnership working that underpin effective practice.

Graham also addressed SEND (special educational needs and disability) reform, describing an inclusive education system as her profession’s “number one priority”. As reported by the same outlet, she welcomed the government’s commitment to substantial investment in the SEND system but urged ministers to engage with local authorities as genuine partners in implementation. She stated that directors of children’s services will comply with and develop local SEND reform plans, but argued that they lack the formal levers needed to require change from partners, a role that ultimately rests with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education.

Background: How did Graham’s career lead to this point?

Ann Graham has worked in children’s services leadership for many years, holding senior roles that have exposed her to both the operational challenges and the policy‑making dimension of safeguarding. Haringey Council notes that under her leadership, Haringey’s children’s services have transformed from a historically troubled department to one judged “Outstanding” by Ofsted, a performance change that has been widely cited in local government commentary. Her earlier work includes time in other local authorities where she focused on reducing inequalities, improving outcomes for vulnerable children and strengthening multi‑agency partnerships – experience she has now carried into the national ADCS platform.

What might this development mean for children, families and local authorities?

For children and families in Haringey and beyond, Graham’s ADCS presidency may reinforce a policy focus on earlier help, stronger adolescent safeguarding and more joined‑up responses across boroughs and police forces. If the planned ADCS policy paper on adolescence leads to clearer guidance and more coordinated practice, it could help reduce the duplication of case‑handling and improve how local authorities support teenagers who are at risk of exploitation, crime or homelessness.

For local authority children’s services, the presidency may translate into more visible advocacy for resources and for the “conditions of success” Graham emphasised, such as secure staffing and stable funding. If the national government responds by engaging ADCS and directors as partners on SEND and social‑care reform, local authorities could gain more influence over how new policies are implemented, potentially leading to more consistent and realistic expectations on the ground.

For Black and minority‑ethnic professionals in children’s services, Graham’s appointment sets a precedent by demonstrating that senior national leadership roles are attainable within ADCS, which may encourage greater diversity in the pipeline of future directors.

Background of the development

Ann Graham’s rise to the ADCS presidency follows a long career in children’s services leadership, including a period of high‑profile improvement work at Haringey Council, where the department’s move to an “Outstanding” Ofsted rating has been widely reported. The ADCS itself, founded two decades ago, acts as a professional association for directors of children’s services, providing policy guidance, training and a national voice for local authorities on children’s welfare. Her appointment therefore sits at the intersection of local‑level reform, national policy‑making and diversity in senior social‑care leadership.

Prediction for affected audiences

If ADCS implements the priorities Graham has outlined, children and young people in multi‑agency areas may see more consistent and coordinated safeguarding, especially where they are involved in county lines or are at risk of being cuckooed. For families in Haringey and other boroughs, the emphasis on earlier help and improved adolescent safeguarding could mean services intervene sooner, reducing the likelihood of escalation to more serious care or criminal‑justice involvement. For local authority directors and practitioners, a stronger ADCS advocacy role may support clearer national expectations and more realistic resource settlements, though the extent of any change will depend on how far government and central agencies are willing to engage with the profession’s recommendations.