Child protection cases closed without review as Ofsted rates Birmingham services 'inadequate'

The Ofsted inspection report of Birmingham City Council's children's social care services highlights widespread failures within the department, judging it “inadequate” overall and for all three key service measures.

The inspection, which took place in March and April, identified areas of serious concern in children who need help and protection; looked-after children; and leadership, management and governance.

The report reveals that the cases of more than 400 children, which had been referred more than two months previously, had not been risk assessed with a "significant number" receiving no intervention at all because their cases were closed due to insufficient staff numbers.

It also criticises the service, which has been rated “inadequate” by Ofsted since 2009, for failing to implement strategies to improve safeguarding for children and young people, citing a “significant and unaccountable” delay in implementation.

Ofsted found that a widespread misunderstanding about thresholds between the service and its partners undermined any attempts to make improvements and put children at risk of further harm.

The report also identifies a catalogue of failings by frontline social workers, for which it blames a “legacy” of poor management. Social workers’ failure to focus on outcomes for children and young people was due to “inconsistent management oversight", it adds.

The report states: “These failures have become so entrenched that despite recent efforts to improve management practice and outcomes, the progress being made to date is too slow and has had little or no impact.

“There have been too many ‘false dawns’ that have raised expectations but have ultimately failed to deliver adequate care and protection for vulnerable children in Birmingham.”

Care pathway plans for looked-after children unable to return home and for care leavers were also found to be substandard.

The report has done little to allay the concerns of the Department for Education, which last November warned that the services could be taken out of the authority’s control unless it made improvements by its next inspection. An independent review of the department led by professor Julian Le Grand and published in March also raised serious concerns about the standard of services. A second review, also be carried out by Le Grand and set to report in September, is to draw up what options are available to the council for improving services.

Children’s minister Edward Timpson has written to the council expressing his concern at the “unacceptable” findings.

He wrote: “Ofsted’s findings are not unexpected. Julian Le Grand and his team’s report published on 27 March showed a similar picture of poor performance. That makes the findings no less concerning.

“The council is inadequate across all principle areas inspected and persists in failing to protect the most vulnerable children in Birmingham. That is and continues to be unacceptable, the more so given the length of time that services have been found wanting and the opportunities not taken to put them right.”

Timpson has ordered the authority to submit a clear explanation of the issues underlying Ofsted’s findings and how it intends to make improvements by July.

Until then, Lord Warner, the recently installed independent commissioner for Birmingham children’s social care, will co-ordinate the council’s efforts to improve.

A spokeswoman for the DfE said a decision about the services’ future would be made after that date and that “nothing is off the table at the moment”.

Brigid Jones, cabinet member for children and family services at Birmingham, echoed Timpson's view and said the findings of the report were expected.

She said: “We have been very open about the state of children’s services in Birmingham and this inadequate rating is what we expected.

“The report’s details build on the issues we had recognised ourselves as inadequate practice and which we shared with Ofsted on their arrival.”

Jones added that improvement work with Warner has made a “good start”.