Annual care applications fall for first year in many
The number of care applications made to the courts has dipped for the first year in many, official statistics have revealed.
While the annual number of care applications made to the courts decreased by 2.7% in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17, the ADCS warned that there is no way of knowing if this trend will continue.
Alison Michalska, [...]
Early intervention services making progress at Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is making good progress in improving early intervention help and support for children and families in the borough, Ofsted has said.
In its sixth monitoring visit since the borough’s children’s services was rated as inadequate in June 2016, Ofsted inspector found the provision of early intervention services in Bromley is an [...]
Children’s leaders back plans to scrap IRO
Plans to allow local authorities to scrap the role of Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) have been welcomed by children’s services leaders.
The recently published Fostering Stocktake suggested that councils should be able to do away with the IRO role, reinvesting any savings in frontline children’s services.
While the proposals have been met with criticism [...]
Children in care feel less safe than in previous years
Children in care feel less safe than they have previously reported, an Ofsted report has warned.
The children’s social care annual survey of more than 370,000 young people in care found that children in care felt less safe than in previous years. Additionally, children in children’s homes felt less safe than those who had been fostered.
In [...]
Strong corporate leadership at Barking and Dagenham
There is strong corporate leadership at Barking and Dagenham children’s services which enables the authority to improve services to meet the diverse needs of children and their families.
A focussed report by Ofsted found that this scrutiny enables better quality social work practice to embed. In fact, the self-evaluation carried out by senior leaders shows that [...]
Ofsted: Birmingham is ‘maintaining progress’
Birmingham children’s services is “maintaining progress” in services for looked after children, Ofsted has found.
In the fourth monitoring visit since the local authority was judged inadequate in November 2016, inspectors said the local authority is maintaining progress seen at the last full inspection. Additional progress and improvement was seen in specific areas such as [...]
