Following an unannounced inspection of its contact, referral and assessment work in March inspectors found no areas for priority action.
This comes after a string of damning inspection reports over the past three years. As recently as December last year Essex was one of 12 councils to receive Ofsted’s lowest grade of "performing poorly" in the watchdog’s annual assessments.
Changes that impressed inspectors were an emphasis on auditing work and the launch of a "safeguarding improvement project," which had "assisted staff to raise standards".
The council’s initial referral team was proving "effective in providing timely and appropriate responses to contacts and referrals".
Inspectors also noted that social workers felt they were well supported by managers and that their caseloads were manageable.
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