Kingston Council has moved to reassure residents the appointment of Achieving for Children (AfC) chief executive Nick Whitfield to Reading will have “no impact” on child services in the borough.

Mr Whitfield has been drafted in to save Reading’s struggling child social care services after the council received an inadequate Ofsted rating, despite his recent move to semi-retirement and duties in Kingston, Richmond and Sunderland.

He will work with Reading Council for the next three months.

In July, Mr Whitfield was given a £52,000 send-off as he prepared to enter semi-retirement, with Kingston and Richmond residents footing the bill.

He sent an email to headteachers across the two boroughs saying his workload would be cut to four, then eventually three, days a week.

An AfC spokeswoman said: “Arrangements have been made to ensure there will be no impact on the running of services in Kingston and Richmond.

“This will be a part-time position and will be delivered alongside his role as chief executive of AfC.”

Child social care services in Kingston were found to be among the best in the country by Ofsted in July, having twice been rated inadequate following the murder of Charito Cruz by her boyfriend.

Last year social work manager Fiona Cisneros told the Comet that when she joined AfC in 2013 “there wasn’t a proper telephone system” and that “practices and policies needed to be tightened up”. But her team expanded from only one permanent and seven agency workers to seven full-time social workers, plus business support and family support workers.

Children’s services in Sunderland were found to be making “significant progress” after Mr Whitfield was appointed in May to fix “serious and widespread” failings. Mr Whitfield will oversee services in Reading for three months and report back to the Department for Education on whether or not the council should relinquish control.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We have made clear that Reading must take its improvement plans forward as a matter of urgency.

“Mr Whitfield has considerable experience in working collaboratively with councils to support and challenge them to deliver rapid improvement.”

Cllr Jan Gavin, lead member for children’s services at Reading Council, said Mr Whitfield is an ‘experienced children’s services director’ and the council will work with him.