Council lined up to help neighbour's 'inadequate' children's services

Torbay Council was handed Ofsted's lowest rating in January 2016 after inspectors found widespread delays in supporting children and "important weaknesses" across its social work practice.

A review by John Coughlan, the chief executive of Hampshire County Council and Department for Education appointed commissioner for the troubled service, found that the council, which also received an inadequate rating in 2010 for its safeguarding services, is unable to run children's services on its own.

His recommendation that neighbouring Plymouth City Council, which is itself currently rated as requires improvement, be drafted in as a strategic partner to help run the service has been backed by children's minister Robert Goodwill and this week Torbay councillors agreed to meet with Plymouth representatives to hammer out details of the new partnership agreement.

The final proposals will be considered by Torbay Council in September and are expected to come into force in April 2018.

"The commissioner wrote to the DfE recommending that a partnership with Plymouth City Council children's services provided the best option for sustainable improvements in children's services in Torbay within a reasonable timescale," states a report presented to Torbay Council this week.

"The commissioner further recommended that the partnership should include the full range of children's services (both education and social care) and that Torbay's participation be subject to a DfE statutory direction."

Plymouth was one of a number of local authorities in the south west of England approached by Coughlan to help run Torbay's children's services.

Despite its children's services being judged as requires improvement Coughlan felt that Plymouth's stable senior management team and strong similarities with Torbay, as a local authority that covers coastal and urban areas, gave it the edge. 

"The recommendation to partner Torbay with a local authority that is not currently judged good or outstanding by Ofsted is a pragmatic response to circumstances prevailing in the South West region in which, with the exception of Cornwall, there is an absence of high performing authorities," added the Torbay Council report.