Ofsted notes improvement at Sandwell but says pace of change needs to accelerate
Sandwell Children’s Trust is making some progress in improving services for children and young people, Ofsted has said.
When the trust took over the delivery of children’s services on behalf of the local authority in April 2018, services were at a low base. Since then, social work processes and practice guidance have been established, which [...]
Ofsted notes rapid progress at Croydon
Concerted and dynamic leadership continues to drive rapid progress in the quality of services for children in Croydon, according to Ofsted.
Improvements were evident in almost all areas of practice reviewed during this monitoring visit which was the seventh monitoring visit since the local authority was judged inadequate in September 2017. Progress over the last [...]
Bedford's approach to permanence praised
Bedford children's services clearly understands the significance and importance of permanence and what it means for children, Ofsted has said.
Inspectors carried out a focused visit of the authority looking at planning and achieving permanence for children, whether by way of adoption, living with family or friends under the terms of a special guardianship order, [...]
Quality of contacts work at Walsall improves
The quality of work in responding effectively to contacts in Walsall has improved since the last inspection in 2017, which is positive for children and families who receive a timely response to initial identified needs and concerns.
The local authority response to most children at risk of harm or in need of help is appropriate, although, [...]
Some improvements in care proceedings at Sunderland
Since the last inspection of Sunderland, there have been some improvements in the management of the public law outline and care proceedings, Ofsted has said.
However, the pace of improvement remains too slow. While clear care and legal pathways are now in place, there are continued weaknesses in management oversight and the quality of social work [...]
4,000 online child abuse offences on Facebook apps
Facebook apps were used in more than 4,000 instances of child abuse image and online sexual offences last year.
Freedom of Information requests from 32 UK police forces revealed that Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were used in child abuse image and online child sexual offences last year an average of 11 times a day.
The [...]
