Support boost for councils at risk of 'inadequate' Ofsted rating

Plans drawn up by the Local Government Association (LGA) will see the organisation encourage councils that have not yet been inspected under Ofsted's controversial single inspection framework (SIF), but are deemed to be at "potential risk of an inadequate judgment", be peer reviewed.

An "enhanced support offer" would then be provided to try to rectify any identified issues that could result in an "inadequate" rating.

The move comes in response to an announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron last month that children's services judged "inadequate" must improve within six months or they will be taken over.

The LGA said there are currently 20 inadequate children's services departments across the country, with just over half of children's services authorities having been inspected since the current inspection framework was introduced in 2012.

It said that if this trajectory continues, 38 local authorities will have been found inadequate and therefore subject to potential takeover by April 2017.

Improvement support was previously available through the Children's Improvement Board which closed in 2013 after the DfE withdrew funding.

"It is clear that a new approach is required to drive sustained improvement within children's services," a document outlining the proposals states. 

The LGA said that, as part of current discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government about the future use of a top slice of the revenue support grant to fund improvement work, a "significant bid to continue and enhance the children's services offer has been submitted".

"Support for children's services should have a high priority within the LGA's sector-led improvement offer, given the number of councils currently in intervention and at risk of being judged inadequate by Ofsted," the proposal document states.

"The children's services support offer should prioritise councils that have not yet been inspected under the Ofsted single inspection framework and are at potential risk of an inadequate judgment.

"An enhanced support offer to councils should be developed to deal with any issues identified following a peer review or diagnostic that put a council at risk of an inadequate judgement at their next inspection.

"For councils judged inadequate, the existing support offer should be retained and enhanced, with a focus on supporting them to produce a credible improvement plan and maintain sufficient progress to avoid full-scale Department for Education (DfE) intervention in line with the new proposals."