Ofsted praises 'flourishing' social work after first focused checks
Neil Puffett
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Inspectors have praised senior leaders at Leeds Council for creating an environment where social work is flourishing following the first two-day "focused" visits checking on the quality of children's services to be carried out under the new inspection framework.
Under the new inspection regime, all councils are subject to a basic inspection lasting between one and two weeks every three years - apart from councils already "inadequate" which face the prospect of a full four-week inspection.
Shorter focused visits will take place between these inspections to identify good practice or catch local authorities before standards drop.
Inspectors visiting Leeds looked at the local authority's arrangements for the quality of matching, placement and decision-making for children in care, including the quality of planning, and the identification and management of risk and vulnerability.
They also evaluated the effectiveness of performance management, management oversight, supervision, quality assurance and the continuous professional development of the workforce.
A letter outlining the findings said most children are being cared for in stable family placements that meet their needs, with social workers knowing the children well.
"Practice is child-centred," the letter states.
"Social work assessments reflect the wishes and feelings of children and young people. Children's plans are clear and coherent. There is evidence of a strong focus on achieving permanence for children and young people. Regular reviews and effective management oversight help to ensure minimum drift or delay in meeting children's needs.
"The local authority clearly understands its strengths and areas for development. It takes its corporate parenting responsibilities very seriously. Senior leaders have created an environment in which social work is flourishing."
However, inspectors did point out a number of areas for improvement.
These included the way in which information is presented in performance management reports making them not always easy to understand, potentially undermining critical challenge and accountability. Meanwhile, personal education plans were deemed to be of "variable quality".
"Sometimes delayed, they are not always sufficiently ambitious, specific or measurable," the letter states.
"Senior leaders recognise that this has contributed to children in care not making good progress in their learning and are taking appropriate action to address the issue. However, it remains an area for development."
Leeds was most recently inspected by Ofsted in 2015 under the old single inspection framework, with children's services being rated as "good" overall with "outstanding" leadership, management and governance.
Ofsted also published the findings of focused visits to Nottinghamshire, focusing on support for care leavers, and Coventry, focusing on the council's multi-agency safeguarding hub and thresholds for children in need and child protection.
Inspectors found that care leavers in Nottinghamshire, where services were rated good in July 2015, benefit from advice and support from a stable and committed group of personal advisers.
However, the pace of change and progress since the last inspection has not been sufficient to fully address capacity issues in the care leaving service or to ensure effective transition and support for all young people.
Inspectors said that, in Coventry, steady progress is being made, and in the case of the Mash, the quality of work has improved since the time of the last inspection.
