Chief Social Worker for Children and Families and Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel member

Isabelle Trowler CBE

Biography

Isabelle Trowler was appointed as the government鈥檚 first Chief Social Worker for Children and Families in September 2013. She qualified as a social worker in 1996 and has worked as both a practitioner and senior leader in a variety of local government roles.

Isabelle chairs the听National Practice Group听and is currently a member of the:

Isabelle was a founder member of the What Work鈥檚 Centre for Children鈥檚 Social Care, which is now known as听. She has more than 30 years鈥� experience in the children鈥檚 sector and has previously contributed to:

She is currently working closely with the听families first for children pathfinders听and has a particular interest in the national rollout of the multi-agency child protection teams.

Isabelle was awarded a CBE in the New Years Honours 2024 for services to children鈥檚 social care.

Chief Social Worker for Children and Families

The Chief Social Worker for Children and Families offers independent expert advice on a wide range of national policy areas including:

  • family help
  • child protection
  • family justice
  • children鈥檚 social care workforce

She works collaboratively with the听Chief Social Worker for Adults听from the Office of the Chief Social Worker to:

  • support and challenge the profession to ensure that children and adults get the best possible help from social workers
  • provide independent expert advice to ministers on social work reform and the contribution of social work and social workers to policy implementation more generally
  • provide leadership and work with key leaders in the profession and wider sector to drive forward the improvement and reform programme for social work
  • challenge weak practice to achieve decisive improvements in the quality of social work
  • provide leadership to the network of principal social workers

Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel member

Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel