A SENIOR council officer has been praised for steadying the ship in the most turbulent time Dumfries and Galloway’s social work department has ever faced.
Lillian Cringles, the region’s chief social work officer, was thanked by councillors and colleagues once again last week for her “rock steady” leadership during the pandemic.
The plaudits came after the officer announced she would be retiring after nine years in the top job.
At last week’s social work committee meeting, Castle Douglas Councillor Pauline Drysdale also underlined the important work Ms Cringles did from 2014 onwards when she joined Dumfries and Galloway Council from North Lanarkshire Council.
Councillor Drysdale said: “Over the past nine years as chief social work officer Lillian has evidenced significant progress in the social work service delivery, leading by example, challenging bad practice, developing policies and procedures, and introducing high standards in assurance and evaluation.
“She sets extremely high standards in behaviours expected from others, and in particular from first line managers.
“Lillian has empowered and developed staff to fulfil their potential and deliver a high quality service.”
North West Dumfries Councillor Andy Ferguson was part of the panel that interviewed Ms Cringles for the role in 2014.
He said: “Somebody asked me, ‘how would you describe her?’
“Steady. Rock solid. Unflappable. Relentless. And that’s in pursuing what was, or is, the best way forward for those who either work in social work or those who use the services.
“That’s never been in doubt. It goes without saying that the social work team under your direction during the pandemic were absolutely outstanding.”
Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward, who served as governor of Dumfries Prison before being elected, said: “You’ve always been a safe and honest pair of hands, and your straight talking has always been appreciated.
“From my previous role in the justice sector, I can personally attest that, throughout the Covid pandemic Lillian provided excellent leadership, leading by example and supporting other leaders, including myself and her own team through these unprecedented and challenging times, with her well-known dry sense of humour and a big dose of tenacity and resilience.”
The first year of the pandemic, 2020, was previously described as “the hardest ever year” Dumfries and Galloway’s social work department has faced.
Overall in 2020/21, the social work department handled 81,010 calls – which is equivalent to 222 per day. A total of 14,436 calls were received out of hours.
