Inspectors praise ‘significant improvements’ at Wakefield children’s services
Joe Lepper
Thursday, January 6, 2022
Improvements at Wakefield Council’s children’s services department, which was rated “inadequate” by Ofsted in 2018, have been praised by inspectors.
Their most recent inspection, in November last year, found that social work practice is “outstanding”.
Meanwhile, the department’s overall effectiveness, support for children in care and care leavers as well as its child protection services are all rated as “good”.
In their report, inspectors said that “services for children in Wakefield are of a good quality and have significantly improved since the last inspection in 2018”.
Children’s services leaders have made “steady and sustained progress to establish a sustainable, ambitious and child-focused service”, adds Ofsted’s report.
Social workers are “motivated and skilled” and supported by “strong managers” and “unstinting corporate and political investment and commitment”.
Partnership working has also improved, say inspectors, who also note that social workers have manageable caseloads to better support children.
“Vast improvements in partnership working can be seen at strategic and operational levels, which are having a positive impact on children and families,” says Ofsted’s report.
“A stable, permanent workforce, with manageable caseloads, allows purposeful relationships to be built with children and families.”
In addition, inspectors found that “children are at the centre of all practice” and children in care “receive a good service from workers who know them well” and are “consistently being involved in decisions about their lives.”
Ofsted’s previous full inspection three years ago had rated services as “inadequate” across all areas with particular criticism of placement stability and timeliness of finding permanent placements.”
However, by September 2021 it emerged that Wakefield had achieved the highest rate of foster care to adoption conversions in West Yorkshire. While in 2018/19, 30 children were adopted overall with numbers increasing to 49 in 2020/21.
Wakefield Council leader Denise Jeffery said: “The report clearly acknowledges the significant changes and vast improvements that have been made across all children’s services, and most importantly highlights the positive impact that this is having on children and their families.
“Families have the commitment from my council and I, that we will continue to drive improvement, wherever possible, placing children and young people at the very heart of everything we do.”
