Independent children's services trust failing to protect children, Ofsted finds
Joe Lepper
Friday, July 27, 2018
Ofsted has criticised failures to protect vulnerable young people and the slow pace of improvement at an "inadequate" children's services department that was taken over by an independent trust last year.
A re-inspection during April and May of children's services provision in Sunderland concluded that standards remained "inadequate" three years after it was handed Ofsted's lowest rating.
Inspectors found that efforts to turn around performance have been too slow and the risk of harm faced by children is often not being recognised or appropriately responded to.
Inspectors were particularly critical of the arrangements involving the handing over of children's services to community interest company Together for Children (TfC) in April 2017.
They found that under the arrangements the council is not effectively scrutinising poor practice. Leadership and child protection measures are both rated as "inadequate" by inspectors, who criticised a failure of managers to understand weaknesses in the service and ensure the area's most vulnerable children are protected.
The report states that managers have been particularly poor in improving practice around missing children and those at risk of sexual exploitation.
Inspectors also noted that it has taken almost two years to set up an early help service for vulnerable families.
"There has not been sufficient progress made to ensure that the experiences of children who need help and protection have improved," states Ofsted's inspection report.
"For too many children, risk is not recognised, or appropriately responded to. The scale of some of the weaknesses in practice found during this inspection were not well understood by managers and leaders.
"The pace of change has been too slow for too long, particularly for children in need of help and protection."
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The report also found that thresholds for accessing social care support are "too high" and the quality of most assessments of children are "weak".
"Key information is often missing, thus limiting the assessment of risk and need," adds their report.
Despite the concerns inspectors praised progress in improving adoption services, which has been upgraded from "inadequate" in 2015 to "good".
"Adoption as a permanence option is considered early for children for whom care proceedings are being initiated," the report states.
"Children move into adoptive placements more quickly than previously."
Support for looked-after children and care leavers also improved, from "inadequate" to "requires improvement".
However, too many care leavers are still not in education, employment or training, inspectors found.
TfC chair Deborah Jenkins said: "Transformation of this scale and from such a low base takes time and while we are disappointed at the overall judgment, we are encouraged that in three out of the five inspection areas Ofsted have acknowledged the improvements that have been made.
"Everyone at Together for Children remains steadfastly committed to working tirelessly to quickly address the remaining areas that have been identified by Ofsted as still falling short of where they need to be."
