Lincolnshire children's services receives 'good' Ofsted rating
Derren Hayes
Friday, January 9, 2015
Children's services at Lincolnshire Council have been judged "good" by Ofsted, with inspectors particularly praising the "exceptional" quality of adoption support.
The Midlands authority received “good” judgments from the inspectorate in each of the three key service areas of child protection, looked-after children, and leadership, management and governance.
A previous inspection by Ofsted in June 2010, judged safeguarding arrangements at the council as “outstanding” and the looked-after children’s service as “good”.
The latest inspection, carried out in October and November last year, found the department to be a “learning organisation” that has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.
The Ofsted report said safeguarding is a key priority and is underpinned by effective governance and “strong” corporate parenting.
Early help services are well targeted, and the authority’s Families Working Together team – delivered under the Troubled Families programme – is praised for effectively engaging and “turning around” the lives of vulnerable children and parents.
In addition, children are quickly safeguarded when concerns arise, while the introduction of new legal mechanisms have been utilized to speed up care proceedings.
Looked-after children are well supported by social workers, with care plans reviewed regularly, and the authority’s care leavers service – delivered by Barnardo’s – provides good support and is good at keeping in touch with young people.
Inspectors highlighted the cost-effectiveness of care placements as a key factor in the council’s good performance in children’s social care overall.
The report states: “The success of the local authority in ensuring that most looked-after children live in in-house placements has been extremely cost effective without compromising on quality. This has contributed to funding being available for workforce and service development.”
The authority’s adoption performance was rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, reflecting the high priority given to permanence planning. Lincolnshire children are adopted quicker than the national average, with 68 adoptions taking place in the past 12 months.
“Children are well prepared for their new families and offered effective adoption support,” the report states.
Areas that Ofsted recommended needed improving include ending the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless 16- and 17-year-olds and care leavers; maximizing the impact of pupil premium funding to improve education outcomes for looked-after children; and review and evaluate child sexual exploitation procedures.
