JOHN Coughlan has been named by Hampshire County Council as its new director of children's services.

The appointment, with an annual salary of £150,000, comes as a result of the Children Act 2004, which requires councils to co-ordinate and deliver all children's services from within one department.

Mr Coughlan, aged 45, has been corporate director for social care at Telford and Wrekin Council since 2001, having previously spent time at Dudley Council as assistant director, children and families, and 15 years at Birmingham City Council, mostly in key children's services roles.

Married with two young children, Mr Coughlan, is, says the county council, active in the Association of Directors of Social Services and is vice-president for the coming year.

The Children Act aims to ensure all youngsters have the chance to fulfil their potential by reducing abuse and neglect, improving educational attainment, and cutting crime and anti-social behaviour.

It requires councils to meet their educational and social care needs and to lead work with other agencies.

As director of children's services Mr Coughlan will have responsibility for around 23,000 employees, which includes 20,000 school staff, as well as providing social care for around 9,000 children and families each year.

The county council looks after 539 schools and educates more than 170,000 children aged between three and 18.

County chief executive, Peter Robertson, said: "While this will be a time of significant change for the council, we will ensure that there will be minimal disruption to service users and staff."

The posts of county education officer and director of social services cease to exist under the Act, once the directors of children's and adult services take up their posts.

The county education officer, Andrew Seber, is taking early retirement this summer.