Three councils move out of 'inadequate' following Ofsted re-inspections

Reports published today show that Cumbria - which was rated inadequate for the second time in two years in 2015 - and Somerset are now rated "requires improvement", while Rotherham has been rated "good".

However, fresh inspections of Buckinghamshire and Sandwell have found provision at each local authority is still "inadequate".

Cumbria County Council vowed to improve provision after Ofsted inspectors highlighted "serious failures" in relation to the services looked-after children received following an inspection in 2015 as well as warning that responses to both child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse were "underdeveloped".

A report published today, following a re-inspection conducted in November, concluded that all local authority services for children in Cumbria had significantly improved and overall effectiveness of services required improvement to be good.

It found that children referred for social work support received a "timely response" and strategy meetings led to effective child protection investigations.

"The quality of assessments and care plans is improving, but the majority of work still requires improvement," the report said.

Inspectors said Cumbria County Council had achieved a "period of continuous development" for both help and protection as well as looked-after children services.

"This has ensured that improving services for children has become a priority for the whole council," they added.

Meanwhile, children's services in Somerset, which were judged as inadequate overall in 2015, were found to be making "steady progress" following re-inspection.