Finance Business Partnering In Social Care Services

William is CIPFA’s social care policy voice, and he runs the Social Care Network. His work focuses on social care reform, and he has produced thought leadership in the areas of charging reform, children’s social care reform, Scotland’s National Care Service, and social care funding. Before joining CIPFA, he was Social Care Finance Lead at the Scottish Government where he was involved in costing a range of social care reform policies stemming from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care. William attained a PhD in English Literature from the University of Glasgow and started studying accountancy during the final stages of his PhD.

I have worked in Local Government Finance since 2003, when I started my career as an AAT apprentice, progressing to completing my CIPFA qualification in 2009. I have spent some of my career within Corporate Finance, both as an apprentice and as Strategic Finance Manager leading Financial Planning, Capital Financing, Financial Systems, the Production of the Statement of Accounts and the External Audit process. However, the largest proportion of my career has been spent supporting Children’s Services. I’m an experienced Children’s Services Finance Business Partner, and I have also worked across two LA’s on the establishment and ongoing operational management of a Children’s Trust delivery arrangement. My new role is that of Assistant Director of Finance for Birmingham Children’s Trust.

Wil began studying CIPFA in 2004 through a graduate training programme operated by the London Borough of Islington, London Borough of Hackney and the Metropolitan Police Service. After working in a range of different finance areas spanning both corporate finance and finance business partnering functions across all 3 organisation, he qualified in 2007 and took up a management accountant role working with the LB of Islington’s Environment & Infrastructure department. In 2010 Wil moved to Surrey County Council and has worked in a number of finance business partnering roles for this large county, mostly focused on Adult Social Care. Wil is currently the lead Strategic Finance Business Partner working with Adult Social Care, Public Health and Communities & Prevention services at the Surrey. He also plays a lead role in the South East Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) resource network and is actively involved in national Adult Social Care policy work through the LGA, CIPFA and central government.