Ofsted rates Suffolk outstanding
Suffolk's children's services have been rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
Stable and aspirational leadership and strong political and financial support have created conditions that are conductive to continuous improvement and the development of sustainable, high-quality services, the report said.
"Services for children are of an exceptionally high standard. They are child-focused and make a positive difference to [...]
Stabilised workforce at Devon, Ofsted reports
Devon children's services has succeeded in stabilising the workforce at all levels and in bringing down social work caseloads to a manageable level, Ofsted has said.
Senior leaders, including elected members, have appropriately focused their time and energy on creating an environment in which children can receive a better service than when Devon local authority children’s [...]
The efficacy of settlement conferences
Ann Chavasse, senior family law specialist with considerable High Court and Court of Appeal experience, on the fairness of settlement conferences.
The ALC commissioned research into the fairness and efficacy of settlement conferences (SCs) in public law cases.
This was a limited study involving interviews with 19 advocates involved in 61 settlement conferences in the initial five [...]
Kingston-upon-Hull rated inadequate
Kingston-upon-Hull Council has failed to deliver the improvements needed, specifically to children’s circumstances and experiences, since the last inspection, Ofsted has warned.
Rating the authority as 'inadequate', Ofsted said that following the appointment of a new director of children's services, some important aspects of leadership have strengthened.
However, the actions that leaders have taken have not [...]
Slow progress made at Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire children's services is making slow progress in improving services for its children and young people, Ofsted has said.
The senior leadership team has a clear vision and coherent improvement plan to develop and deliver high-quality services to children and families in Gloucestershire, which it is successfully implementing.
"While there are early indicators of improvements in some [...]
Some concerns from last inspection of Liverpool remain
Caseloads remain too high for some social workers and Independent Reviewing Officers at Liverpool children's services, Ofsted has warned.
Liverpool children’s services were inspected in May 2018, when all areas were judged to require improvement to be good. Although there has been some work done to improve services since this inspection, this has led to minimal [...]
