Nigel Minns, Executive Director for Children and Young People
In conversation with… Nigel Minns, Executive Director for Children and Young People
Tell us about the Children and Young People Directorate…
The Children and Young People Directorate focuses on the people of Warwickshire. This includes supporting children and young people and providers at all stages of education; protecting and supporting vulnerable children and young people; supporting people with disabilities of all ages as well as older people; and promoting and enabling good public health.
Everything we do is designed to improve the lives of people in Warwickshire.
How does your directorate support the council’s three strategic priorities?
Our strategic priority to “be a county where all people can live their best lives; where communities and individuals are supported to live safely, healthily, happily and independently” is the core of the Children and Young People Directorate.
Education Services also has a huge role to play in enabling Warwickshire to “have a thriving economy”; ensuring that children and young people are able to access education and develop the skills they need.
What makes WCC different from other places you’ve worked?
Senior leaders and managers, officers and politicians, throughout Warwickshire County Council care about the people who work for us and recognise that our people are our most important asset. In turn, those employees really care about Warwickshire and genuinely want to do their best for the organisation and for the county.
How would you say your role makes a difference to the people of Warwickshire?
My role is about ensuring that the most vulnerable residents of Warwickshire get the support that they need, whether they are children at risk of harm or older people requiring care and support, and ensuring that we maximise opportunities for everyone to lead the kind of lives they want to lead.
How do you keep connected to colleagues across different services?
I meet regularly with Corporate Board, Cabinet, my Directorate Leadership Team and many others. Before the pandemic, I used to visit front line teams whenever possible to ensure that I knew what was happening and the challenges they were facing. More recently, the Corporate Board and Strategic Director virtual broadcasts have been a great way to engage with as many colleagues as possible.
What do you do to manage your own wellbeing?
I am naturally a very calm person and manage to deal with the stresses and strains of the role. My wife, children and dog are far too demanding to allow myself to be too occupied by my working life! I do try and make time to take the dog for a walk every day to get away from things.
How do you want people to feel working for Warwickshire?
I want, more than anything, for our people to be proud of working for Warwickshire, to want to stay here and to know that we care about them.
Which of the WCC our behaviours resonates with you the most and why?
I am absolutely committed to helping people and communities to find their own solutions. This is deeply embedded in the way that we work; whether it is our strengths-based approach in adults or our restorative practice in children’s, we want to do things with people, not to or for them.
What is the best part of your role?
Every now and then I get direct contact with service users who have had a really positive experience – whether it be young children in care who have found a permanent home, a child who has unexpectedly been able to access mainstream education or an older person who just wants to say thank you for the way our adult social care team has supported them. I cannot describe how rewarding this is.