Social work high-flyer who was darling of left

Roger Dobson assesses the career of David Divine

David Divine, who was arrested yesterday following abuse allegations, was one of the leading figures in social services at a time when the London boroughs were beset by allegations of "loony-left" obsessions with minority groups.

As director of social services in Brent, north-west London, he acquired a reputation as a champion of a number of causes and was at the forefront of the debate over same-race adoption, an issue which first emerged in London. He appeared on television programmes and became a leading figure in social services when the profession was most beset by controversy.

A Christian and a family man, he was born in Scotland and one of his first care jobs was in Edinburgh - the time from which the allegations of abuse stem. One former director of social services in England described him as a forceful, committed man. "He was in care himself and knew, from the inside as it were, the problems and issues involved with those in care."

After 18 months in Edinburgh, he moved to London and worked in the East End boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets before getting the job of social services director in Brent. "He came from nowhere to what was one of the most important jobs in social services," said the former director.

"He was always in the forefront and espousing various causes ... and was frequently used almost as a spokesman for the profession," he added.

Mr Divine left Brent in the 1980s. He joined the Central Council for the Education and Training of Social Workers (CCETSW), the body which oversees and training and development of all practitioners in the UK and which is influential in the development of the profession, which does not have a governing body such as the General Medical Council.

He left the CCETSW around four years ago and now works as an independent consultant and lives in Walthamstow, north-east London, with his family.