DfE criticised for failing to understand increased demand in children's services
The Department for Education has been slammed for failing to fully understand what is driving demand for children's social care.
The National Audit Office also criticises the department for not having an understanding why there is such wide variation between local authorities in their children’s social care activity and costs, as it has not yet done [...]
Ofsted reports published in January 2018
A round up of the Ofsted inspections of children's services published in January.
Reduced caseloads at Bedford improves outcomes
Leaders at Bedford children’s services have improved the stability of the social care workforce and reduced social work caseloads, Ofsted has said.
In a focused visit to Bedford Borough Council children’s services, inspectors said that actions taken since the [...]
Improvement required for children in care at Wirral
The scale of improvement required for children in care at Wirral children's services is greater than at the last inspection, Ofsted has warned.
At the time of the inspection in 2016, the judgement for the experiences of children in care was that it required improvement to be good. However, previous monitoring visits have reported that, [...]
Blackpool rated as inadequate
Longstanding and widespread failures in the quality of social work practice at Blackpool mean that many children are not having their needs responded to in the right way or at the right time, Ofsted has warned.
An inspection of children's services found that as a result, some children live in situations of chronic neglect for long [...]
Draft Domestic Abuse Bill bans cross-examination of victims by abusers in family courts
Any legislative changes introduced by the government following the publication of the draft Domestic Abuse Bill needs to be matched with resources, the Local Government Association has warned.
The draft Domestic Abuse Bill https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-consultation-response-and-draft-bill contains plans to prohibit the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts, includes a new government [...]
Care leavers' support at Redbridge is inconsistent
The quality of the support that care leavers receive in the London Borough of Redbridge is not consistent, Ofsted has said.
The service is delivered through a partnership arrangement, and since the last inspection in 2016, there have been significant gaps in management, which have impacted on service development and delivery.
"Managers have focused successfully on compliance [...]
