Director of Care and Learning retires
19th October 2018
Tributes have been paid to The Highland Council's Director of Care and Learning, Bill Alexander who retires on 19 October after eighteen years leading the council's Care and Learning Services.
At the Council's Care and Learning meeting held on Thursday 18 October 2018, Chair of the Committee, Cllr Andrew Baxter; and Leader of the Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson praised Mr Alexander for his long service to the Council.
Cllr Davidson said: "Bill has had an exceptional career in Social Work and Education over many years. As Highland developed new and integrated models for health, care and education, he was there at the birth of ‘Getting it Right for Every Child' (known as GIRFEC) and other ground breaking changes designed to keep children safe.
"He has also pioneered the hugely successful integration of children’s services across the public sector. Bill leaves a legacy of a better, safer service - focussed on keeping our children and young people safer and they have more opportunities. Bill’s contribution has been in strategy not just here in the Highlands but nationally. We would all like to wish him a long and happy and very well deserved retirement."
Councillor Baxter added: "While Bill’s distinguished career spans both Social Work and Education, more recently he has contributed to the creation of the Northern Alliance - a partnership between 8 local authorities in the North of Scotland - which acts as a single voice for common topics and issues that affect the partners. It is recognised as the single voice of the north by the Scottish Government on education matters. This partnership provides the authorities with more lobbying power and leverage when addressing issues at national level.
“Bill’s advice and support to the Care and Learning Committee has been greatly welcomed over the past years. I have enormous respect for the work undertaken with Bill Alexander. We will miss his contributions, but wish him well in his retirement."
Bill started with Highland Council in 2000, in a joint post with NHS Highland as Head of Children’s Services. He previously worked as a social work manager in Strathclyde and East Dunbartonshire Councils.
Over the last 18 years, Bill has held the posts of Director of Social Work, Director of Health & Social Care, and Director of Care and Learning.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate. The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate.
Following the success of its Business Digital Grant scheme launched last year, The Highland Council is delighted to announce further funding. This is to help Highland companies access digital support alongside other business growth support.
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen. The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation. The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme. Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan. The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.
