Derby City Council was visited by by Ofsted in March after being rated as "good" by the inspectorate in 2017.
Inspectors judged services to be outstanding in three out of four categories, including overall effectiveness, highlighting “significant progress” made by the authority over the last five years.
The inspectorate rated Derby as outstanding for the impact of its leaders on social work practice with children and families, and the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection.
The experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers was rated as good.
“An impressive and committed senior leadership team ensures that children living Derby City receive a consistently good and often outstanding response from services.
“This ensures that children have the right help and support when they need it,” the report states.
Senior leaders were praised for establishing a “clear and tangible service culture” that put children at its centre.
“They lead by example and their dedication to continuous improvement results in achieving the best possible services for children,” the report adds.
The authority was commended for embracing a new model of social work practice across its workforce which it used consistently to support children effectively.
“This is a significant achievement considering the implementation took place during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns in 2020,” the report concludes.
Despite ongoing workforce challenges in the city, senior leaders were recognised for taking “creative action” to help sustain social worker recruitment and retention to ensure that most social work caseloads remained manageable.
The inspectorate set out just two recommendations for Derby in its report asking for better access for all children to life-story work to help them understand their histories.
There should also be sufficient placement choice and location for children in care, it added.
Andy Smith, the council’s strategic director of people services, said the judgement was a “testament” to the dedication of staff working on behalf of children and young people.
“Our staff are dedicated to seeking the best outcomes for Derby’s children and work incredibly hard in what is a challenging, but ultimately rewarding job.
“We’ve come a long way in five years but we know there is still work to be done to be even better, and we have plans in place for this,” he said.
