Timpson orders creation of independent trust in Slough
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Children's services in Slough are to be split off from local authority control and run by an independent trust in an attempt to improve performance, children's minister Edward Timpson has said.
The decision follows a review of options for the future of children's services at the authority, which was rated "inadequate" in February.
The review concluded that the best option was to team up Slough with another authority that would act as an "improvement partner", although Slough itself favoured drafting in an independent commissioner with the power to direct the council.
Writing to council leader Rob Anderson, children's minister Edward Timpson said he did not believe either option was suitable, proposing instead that an independent trust, similar to the one currently being implemented in Doncaster, is set up.
"This model offers a clear and distinct set of governance arrangements and a model which, to my mind, adequately addresses the serious concerns identified around governance and leadership - both of Slough children's services and the council," Timpson wrote.
The trust will be governed by a chair appointed by the new Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan as well as a board intended to "reflect the distinctive features of Slough".
"The chair's leadership of the trust will be critical to delivering the rapid improvement necessary and I have asked officials to consider that appointment urgently," Timpson added.
Ruth Bagley, chief executive of Slough Borough Council, said the authority does not agree with Timpson's decision.
"We had made strong representations that a trust was not the swiftest and most effective approach to deliver improvements to children's services and safeguard our children," she said.
"We are now digesting the full implications for the council and will be preparing a response to the minister in due course."
Slough was the first authority to be given a rating of inadequate under Ofsted's tougher new inspection framework.
It had previously been inspected in May 2011, when, under the previous inspection framework, safeguarding arrangements were judged inadequate and the looked-after children's services were judged adequate.
The latest report found there had been insufficient progress in the development of multi-agency child protection work between the police and children's social care.
Inspectors also commented on the authority's inability to recruit enough qualified and suitably experienced permanent social workers.
