Ofsted praises Lambeth’s in house review of children’s services
Joe Lepper
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Lambeth council’s review of improvements needed to its children’s services is already “leading to positive” change, according to Ofsted inspectors.
During their visit in June, inspectors welcomed progress made in the department since they rated it as "requires improvement to be good" during their previous full inspection last autumn.
They particularly welcome a “whole-scale review of the service” that has started to effectively improve support for children and families.
This has included the appointment of a new management team including strategic director of children’s services Andrew Carter.
Action has been taken to improve services for disabled children and their families, including Carter chairing a weekly panel to review children known to the service “to ensure that progress is being made”, said inspectors.
Visits to children are now monitored to ensure they are “timelier and better quality”. This process has been brought in by Lambeth amid concerns that children are not always seen by their social workers, which is hampering progress with their support.
Inspectors also welcomed improvements to court proceedings after raising concerns around delays in completing assessments which had “led to drift for children and impacts on timely decision-making about their safety and future”.
Improvements to court processes include setting up a panel to oversee children’s plans and progress and cut delays. In addition, “an experienced court progression manager” has been appointed and a tracker tool is being used to provide updates about cases, such as review dates, commissioning of assessments and timeliness of letters being sent.
Staff spoken to by Ofsted “enjoy working for Lambeth and feel supported by managers, whom they describe as visible and approachable”, said inspectors.
“Social workers informed inspectors that they value the space to reflect in supervision with their manager. Some supervision records seen during the focused visit are comprehensive; they review the child’s current situation, explore risk and need and provide clear direction for follow-up actions,” added inspectors in a letter to Carter following their visit.
But despite improvements inspectors raise concerns that “not all children are receiving help and support at the right level, or when it is needed”.
Further improvements are needed to cut delays in assessments and planning for disabled children and ensure there is effective arrangements in place when children’s cases transfer between social work teams.
Carter said that “the positivity of the report is a true testament to how dedicated our workforce is” adding “we welcome Ofsted’s feedback, which will be taken forward with partners in our improvement plans”.
Lambeth’s cabinet member for children and families Ben Kind added: “We take great pride in our self-awareness and recognise areas that need improvement. We’re making significant efforts to address these gaps and this focused visit confirms we’re headed in the right direction.”
