Local authority’s children’s services given Good Ofsted rating

Children in Bath and North East Somerset continue to benefit from good quality support, help and services that have a positive impact on their lives, says Ofsted.

Councillor Paul May (centre) with members of the local authority’s children’s services team | Photo © B&NES Council

The inspection of the local authority’s children’s services was carried out in June and the report was published earlier this month.

It says: “Senior leaders have a thorough understanding of the quality of support and services, and have continued to make improvements since the time of the last inspection in 2022.

“This includes how well families are supported to keep children living with them when safe to do so, and the quality of work to reunify children with their families.

“Although some action has been taken by leaders to address the areas for improvement noted at the last inspection, these are not embedded or having the impact they need to.

“The response to children who go missing, the consistency of support to care leavers aged over 21 and the quality and impact of supervision and management oversight are not fully effective.”

Children who need help and protection are said to have “meaningful and trusting relationships” with social workers who know them well. Early help is timely and swift action is taken when there are significant concerns, with social workers working collaboratively with partner agencies.

The report says that the council’s innovative Fostering Families service has provided creative support to enable children to remain living at home, removing the need for higher levels of support.

Children in care are supported to stay in touch with family members via the Lifelong Links service and their educational needs are effectively identified through the virtual school which ensures personal education plans are in place to help them make progress.

The inspectors also say that care leavers develop trusted and positive ongoing relationships with their personal advisors (PAs) and are supported to develop strategies that help them to stay safe in the community.

Other findings include:

• Most children live in safe and suitable homes that meet their needs, and they make good progress.
• Disabled children receive bespoke help and support from knowledgeable social workers who understand their unique needs and vulnerabilities.
• Care leavers who arrived in the UK as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children receive support from knowledgeable and caring PAs who ensure they are fully supported to make applications regarding their immigration status and to settle in the UK.
• Social workers enjoy working for B&NES Council and speak positively about their experiences.

Following the report being published,  Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for children’s services, said the report is a testament to the work and dedication of the children’s services team, who work hard to get the best outcomes for children in very difficult circumstances.

He said: “We are proud of our ‘good’ rating across the board and the areas in which the team is especially achieving great outcomes for children, such as spending quality time with them and making sure they receive the right help.

“We are expecting a new director of children’s services starting in August and these strong foundations enable us to deliver on our ambitions of continuous improvement and to deliver the best care and support to children and young people and their families.”

You can read the report in full at https://bit.ly/3V3Clk1.