Timpson defends children's services outsourcing plans

Appearing before the education select committee, Timpson told MPs that the transfer of responsibility for education from Hackney Council to a not-for-profit trust in 2002 shows that the concept can work.

He added that there is "emerging evidence" from Doncaster and Slough, where children's services were removed from local authority control last year, that improvements are being made to services.

However, he declined to reveal the findings of a DfE-commissioned report into developing capacity for delivering children’s services outside of local authorities that was due to be completed in September 2014, but is yet to be published.

Last month, the DfE refused to publish the findings of the controversial study, which was put together by Professor Julian Le Grand from the London School of Economics, alongside an expert panel including chief children's social worker Isabelle Trowler and former president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, Alan Wood, following a five-month Freedom of Information (FOI) battle.

In a wide-ranging session on social work reform, Timpson was asked by Labour MP for Newcastle North Catherine McKinnell about what evidence the government has that removing children’s services from local authority control will result in better outcomes for children and families.

“I’m one of those who prescribes to the what works view of the world, and also understanding what doesn’t work," Timpson said.

"What we do know is that there are some areas where there is systemic failure and persistent failure which cannot be tolerated and where every opportunity has been given for that organisation to turn that service around, so it’s only right in those circumstances that we look at other ways of delivering this service that would improve outcomes for children and drive up consistent quality in that organisation."

Timpson cited the example of education in Hackney where an education trust was established in 2002 as the first private, not-for-profit company in the UK to take over a council’s entire education function, as evidence that stripping local authorities of responsibility can work.

“[The education trust] ran schools in Hackney for close to 10 years, turned them around then returned them back to the local authority and generally they are still very good performing schools, so it can have a very positive impact, albeit that was education," he said.

He also gave the examples of Doncaster and Slough – where the local authorities have been stripped of responsibility for children's services, with independent trusts being established. Since their establishment, both trusts have been rated "inadequate" by Ofsted, but Timpson stressed that improvements have been made.

"What we have already seen in the first year [in Doncaster] is significant improvement from what was the very, very low end of ‘inadequate’ to a ‘good’ adoption service and many other elements of that service that have gone from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’," he said.

"But also importantly a huge culture change within that organisation, where social workers feel more supported, more valued and feel ownership of the service.

“So there is emerging evidence from Doncaster and now in Slough from the initial reports that have been done there, that it is having a positive impact."

Timpson added that the government is also keen on other ways of turning around children's services, besides independent trusts.

"Hampshire run Isle of Wight, and have turned Isle of Wight around," he said.

"Richmond set up a community interest company, Achieving for Children, who took over the running of Kingston, which went from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ in a few short years.

“The tri-borough have all come together and run a single service, with two of those councils becoming ‘outstanding’, so there are examples of how if we deliver services differently, and also I’m keen for other voluntary organisations to come in and help local authorities, we can improve services.

“For me it’s about what works, and if that works, we should do it.

Asked by McKinnell for an idea of the main conclusions of the DfE-commissioned report on delivering children’s services outside of local authorities, Timpson declined.

"That will be published, as indicated, as soon as purdah is over so I’m not at liberty to start divulging the contents until then," he said.

"But, the reason it is being published is because it is a helpful paper – it’s trying to flesh out the ways that we can deliver children’s services which are more innovative.

"It’s why we set up the innovation programme, so we can test these ideas out in a risk-controlled environment. This is all about how can we give children who need protection who are vulnerable a greater prospect of receiving the services that they need."