Council gets 'good' Ofsted rating after ending agency worker use

Brighton & Hove City Council ceased using agency social workers in September 2017 with the help of additional investment that allowed it to over-recruit to its workforce.

In its latest full inspection report, Ofsted said the policy helped the council create a more stable and skilled workforce and has also improved children's relationships with social workers.

It had previously been rated 'requires improvement' in June 2015.

However, inspectors did note that the council's policy not to use agency staff meant there was reduced social worker capacity in some parts of the service including private fostering, where the majority of children did not have an allocated social worker.

Other factors behind the council's progress identified by Ofsted include improved quality monitoring and the decision to co-locate early help workers in its social care front door service.

In its inspection report, Ofsted said the early help staff "provide an effective response to enquiries by professionals and members of the public to ensure that children's needs are met at the earliest opportunity".

Ofsted also found high morale among social workers and said that children in care, children with disabilities, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and care leavers are getting a good service.

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It also praised Brighton & Hove children's services for its efforts to address the city's growing problem of criminal exploitation of young people with new adolescent vulnerability and risk meetings that respond to the interconnected issues of sexual and criminal exploitation.

However, Ofsted said the council's services to children who need help and protection still require improvement. Problems in this area included the quality of return home interviews, co-ordination of planning for children in need and a lack of local placements for adolescents with complex needs.

Inspectors also found delays in the pre-proceeding stage of court work, especially when the risks to children are more complex or chronic. Case supervision could also improve, Ofsted said.

"Case supervision is variable in terms of its quality," the inspectorate said in its report. "Supervision records do not always do justice to the quality of supervision reported by social workers. When supervision is recorded, it often lacks reflection or analysis, or rigour in driving the child's plan."

Pinaki Ghoshal, executive director of families, children and learning at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: "Our social care culture focuses on developing strong relationships with children and their families, listening, learning and guarding against complacency. We have put in place robust performance management and quality assurance arrangements.

"We're also engaging better with parents, children and young people and taking their feedback into account when we change things. We have a great team in place here. All our staff are committed to giving the children and young people they work with the very best start in their lives."