Big conversation needed on social care inspection

The Ofsted “inadequate” judgments handed to Lambeth, Cumbria and West Berkshire children’s services departments over the past few weeks means that more than one in five local authorities have received the lowest grade for children’s social care since the single inspection framework was launched 18 months ago.

Since its inception, children’s services leaders have warned that the framework is not fit for purpose, primarily because it fails to reflect the ever-growing range of agencies that have a hand in shaping and delivering services for vulnerable children at a local level.

The Conservative leader of West Berkshire Council has added his voice to this growing chorus by highlighting how the best efforts of managers and frontline staff have been insufficient to keep pace with demand for services at a time when local government budgets are under unprecedented pressure.

Ofsted will point to authorities such as Trafford – which last week received a “good” rating – as evidence that success can be achieved in spite of the financial and workload pressures. There is some merit to this view: struggling authorities can learn from councils like Trafford and children’s services departments that have achieved a “good” or “outstanding” rating.

But the fact that around three-quarters of children’s services are now deemed to be not good enough or failing suggests something is fundamentally wrong – has the bar been set too high too quickly by Ofsted, or is it that the resources at the disposal of councils are insufficient?

It is hard to see a straightforward solution. But it is surely time, with a new government now in place, for ministers and sector leaders to take a collaborative look at what factors are driving this growing and demoralising gap between the actual and expected standards of services. When a similar disconnect happened in early years inspections last year, Ofsted and childcare leaders got together to undertake a wide-ranging “Big Conversation” over the future of inspection. A similar approach now for children’s social care would not go amiss.

Tory council leaders must fight government cuts

The new Conservative government will set out its priorities in the Queen’s Speech on 27 May. It will almost certainly reiterate the party’s pre-election pledge to make £13bn of further cuts to departmental budgets over the next two years. There will then be a six-week period of intense debate over where the axe should fall in the lead up to the Chancellor’s Budget on 8 July.

Children’s services leaders – like all those in local government – will be bracing themselves for the worst. But, as John Fowler of the Local Government Information Unit suggests, local authorities must put their case forcefully for why further deep cuts would spell disaster for their ability to support vulnerable families.

Council leaders – most of whom are now Conservative after that party took control of a majority of councils – have already warned that more funding cuts are “not an option”. It now needs these local representatives to bend the ear of their party’s national leaders to row back on their plans.

derren.hayes@markallengroup.com