Hartlepool’s New Children’s Services Director: Another Short-Term Import from Stockton Raises Questions
- teessidetoday
- Oct 11
- 2 min read
Hartlepool’s newest children’s boss barely unpacked her bags in Stockton — is the council recycling short-term leaders ?
11th October 2025
Hartlepool Borough Council has proudly paraded the appointment of Alison Sutherland as its new Executive Director of Children’s Services — but behind the polished press release seems to lie a story that deserves much further scrutiny.
Sutherland takes over from interim director John Macilwraith following the departure of controversial Children's Services director Sally Robinson earlier this year. The council hailed her arrival as a positive step for its “outstanding” children’s services department. But closer inspection of her career history — and the timing of her move — suggests there may be more to the story than meets the eye.
This is because only two years ago, in late 2023, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council announced what it called was a “major coup” when it hired Sutherland as its new Director of Children’s Services.
At the time, Stockton’s leadership described her appointment as a transformational move, praising her “proven track record” and “strong leadership.” Yet, after barely two years in that role, Sutherland has now left Stockton On Tees to take up a near-identical position in Hartlepool.
This rapid turnover raises serious questions. What prompted such a short tenure in Stockton’s supposedly transformational post?
Did the “major coup” SBC tooted turn out to be less successful than expected? And what assurance does Hartlepool have that this latest move won’t be another short-term stop on an ever-changing professional journey?
Before joining Stockton, Sutherland’s career spanned various posts across Scotland, including Head of Children, Families and Justice Services at North Ayrshire Council and a secondment with the Scottish Government’s The Promise Scotland initiative. That background certainly demonstrates experience — but also a pattern of brief stays and frequent transitions between councils and projects.
While ambition and mobility are not inherently bad, they do raise questions about stability and long-term commitment — particularly in a department as crucial and sensitive as children’s services. Hartlepool’s own department may have been graded “outstanding,” but sustaining that success requires consistency, institutional memory, and strong relationships built over time.
It’s worth remembering that leadership churn in children’s services often has real-world consequences. Each new director brings their own priorities, restructures, and management style — creating uncertainty for frontline staff and, ultimately, for the children and families the service exists to protect.
Residents might rightly wonder whether Hartlepool Borough Council is prioritising genuine local leadership and continuity, or simply recycling senior officials from neighbouring authorities in the Tees Valley — often for hefty executive pay packages, while the real challenges of child welfare, poverty, staffing shortages, and service pressures remain unresolved.
As Sutherland begins her new role, promising that “together we can achieve great things,” the people of Hartlepool might ask for something simpler: stability, transparency, and a long-term commitment to the town — not just another name in what appears to be the revolving door of well-paid senior appointments.
