The local authority’s children’s services were previously rated “good” at an inspection in 2017, while being overseen by Department for Education appointed commissioners after the scale of child sexual exploitation in the town came to light alongside the authority's repeated failures to address the abuse.
Government intervention at the council ended in 2019 after then-Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said “the council had made strong progress”.
In its first inspection since intervention was revoked, Ofsted praised Rotherham’s work to ensure “the majority of children receive a good and timely service”.
Inspectors also noted that “children’s services are a clear priority for the council”, that there was a “whole council commitment to children and families in Rotherham”.
The report praises work by a new director of children’s services and the senior management team for their oversight of improvements at the council.
“Services continued to be delivered effectively during the Covid-19 pandemic,” it adds.
In a handful of recommendations to the council, inspectors have called for more consideration of previous history and current circumstances when concerns are first raised about children and improvements to the quality of individual case audits to inform wider service learning.
Responding to the report, Suzanne Joyner, the council’s director of children and young people’s services, said: “Every day, it is my privilege to work alongside so many fantastic colleagues and see at first-hand how they work to ensure Rotherham children, young people and families can be resilient, successful and safe. I am proud of all our staff, councillors and partners who make this their daily mission.
“This is deserved recognition of their work and we will continue to challenge ourselves and each other by asking ‘would this be good enough for my child/family’. We remain relentless to learn, listen and strive for even better.”
Councillor Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council added: “When I became Leader of the Council in 2015, we were a long way away from providing good children’s services. However, we have continued to make this a priority since our last inspection in 2017. After leaving intervention, we’ve sustained that progress and improved even further on our own two feet.”
