Children's services at three councils rated 'good' by Ofsted

Stockport, Merton and Central Bedfordshire all received the positive ratings following visits by the inspectorate over June and July. Merton's adoption services and leadership received particular praise, with inspectors rating both areas as "outstanding", while Stockport also received an outstanding rating for adoption services.

"Leaders and managers [in Merton] are highly visible and show care and concern for children and staff," Ofsted's inspection report for the London borough states.

"They provide a strong culture of learning and a determination to improve further on outcomes that are already good."

Inspectors said they were impressed that among children requiring adoption all have a placement with none waiting. Also, over the last five years no adoption placement has broken down in the borough.

Adoption services at Stockport were praised for "high-quality, expert and responsive" support for both children and adopters.

"As a result, some children are matched within a matter of days," Ofsted's inspection report for Stockport states.

The local authority is very successful in finding adopters within children's timescales, for children whose needs, experiences and backgrounds can be complex and challenging."

In Central Bedfordshire, inspectors highlighted a strong relationship between social workers and children.

"Social workers are tenacious in building positive relationships with children, and children speak positively about their workers," the inspection report states.

"Morale across the workforce is good, supported by manageable caseloads." 

But Central Bedfordshire's work to support looked-after children and help them achieve permanence still requires improvement. Inspectors said children in care who are placed far from their home are missing out on health assessments and emotional support.

In addition, many personal educational plans for looked-after children lack details, are not updated frequently and are not backed by effective management oversight.

Meanwhile, North Somerset children's services were found to "require improvement", with only its adoption support and work with care leavers rated as "good", following an inspection over June and July.

High staff turnover was flagged as a key concern, as was a lack of pace in improvement caused by the fallout from an investigation into a whistleblowing allegation around the handing of child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases.