THE person tasked with leading the turnaround of Bradford Council’s children’s services has spoken at her first key council meeting.

Gladys Rhodes White, who was appointed as interim strategic director last month, has been brought in to transform the service which was recently judged inadequate by Ofsted.

Speaking at the authority’s executive meeting yesterday, she outlined how work was already taking place to ensure the turnaround was “swift and decisive”.

“There is a lot to do - the Council knows that - and there is a high energy and commitment to that process.”

She added that the auditing of 1,700 cases of children classed as in need or those with child protection plans had been completed, and changes made where necessary.

Ms Rhodes White was brought in last month on an interim basis until May, following the resignation of Michael Jameson.

She has worked in all aspects of children’s services both as a front line practitioner and as a chief officer in a number of local authorities.

She has specialised in recent years in leading and transforming services, and has earned national and international accolades for her work on Child Sexual Exploitation and Early Years, receiving an OBE in 2012 for her services to children.

At the time of her appointment she said: “This is an exciting time for the district as it embarks on a rapid improvement journey to make sure that services for children and families meet the high standards that the Council and its partners expect and aspire to.

“I hope that my experience, commitment and passion for helping children to achieve the very best outcomes can add value to the work already underway across Bradford.”

Kersten England, the Council’s chief executive, said at the time: “Our over-riding priority is to address the areas of improvement that have recently been highlighted by Ofsted. Gladys brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record which will be invaluable in helping us achieve this.”

At yesterday’s meeting Ms England said: “The report provides the steps that have already been taken to drive improvement at pace and with certainty and actions that are in line with the improvement notice published by the Department for Education.”

She introduced Ms Rhodes and added that the Council would receive its first monitoring visit from Ofsted in January.

Councillor Adrian Farley, the Council’s portfolio holder for children’s social , added that he was really pleased with the speed at which improvement initiatives were come forward.

Ofsted released its critical report at the end of October, which said that children’s services in Bradford had “rapidly deteriorated” in the past 18 months.