Agenda item

The Director of Children’s Social Work and Early Help submits a report providing an update on the post-inspection improvement plan for Children’s Social Care.

The Director of Children’s Social Care and Early Help submitted a report to the Commission to deliver a presentationon the post-inspection improvement plan, progress made and priorities for the next 12 months for Children’s Social Care following a full Ofsted inspection in September 2024 and an Ofsted Focused Visit reviewing services and support for Care Leavers in March 2026.

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education introduced and presented the report on the Post Inspection Improvement Plan following the Ofsted inspection of Children's Services in October 2024.The following was noted:

• Children's Services had been assessed as "Requires Improvement". The previous inspection in 2021 had resulted in a judgement of "Good", however services had changed significantly since the pandemic and a detailed analysis of the inspection findings had been undertaken.
• Officers acknowledged the areas identified for improvement and advised that an extensive improvement plan was in place to strengthen service delivery, increase capacity, improve oversight and provide greater quality assurance across services.
• Governance arrangements had been established to oversee delivery of the improvement plan, including a dedicated board which met every 6 weeks to monitor progress.
• External support had been provided through the Department for Education, including support from the London Borough of Islington. Whilst this support had been beneficial, officers advised that progress was not moving at the pace they would ideally wish to achieve.
• It was reported that the authority was now in a significantly stronger position to deliver the required improvements, with the necessary resources, leadership and organisational culture in place.
• Workforce recruitment and retention remained a key area of focus, particularly within social work where recruitment of experienced staff continued to be challenging nationally.
• To address workforce pressures, the authority had recruited experienced social workers from overseas, including South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The first cohort had joined at the end of 2023 and all remained in post, with some progressing to senior social worker roles.
• A further cohort of approximately 20 social workers had joined during the current year, resulting in the service becoming fully staffed for social worker posts for the first time.
• Some overseas recruits had previously managed caseloads of up to 120 children before joining the authority, compared to significantly lower caseloads within the UK system.

In discussion with Members and Young People Representatives, the following was noted:

• In response to questions regarding the findings of the inspection, the key focus of the improvement programme was moving away from a culture of compliance and ensuring social workers had the time and capacity to undertake meaningful work with children and families.
• High caseloads had previously limited opportunities for relationship based practice and that the service was seeking to create greater capacity for social workers to focus on direct work and achieving positive outcomes for children. Officers advised that culture change would be driven through stronger relational practice, accountability and a focus on doing the right thing for children rather than simply completing paperwork
• Changes were being made to support more community based working, including increased use of Family Hubs and local networks. This would enable social workers to spend more time working directly with children and families and strengthen local relationships and support networks.
• It was noted that developments in artificial intelligence could help reduce the administrative burden on social workers by supporting recording processes and enabling more time to be spent working directly with children and families.
• In response to a request for additional performance information, officers advised that detailed data was monitored at a strategic and operational level and that quarterly performance reports could be shared with scrutiny members.
• Members discussed support for care leavers and heard that a focused Ofsted visit had taken place earlier in the year. Following feedback from the visit, work was underway to develop a standalone Care Leavers Strategy, which would provide greater clarity regarding priorities and future ambitions for the service. It was anticipated that the strategy would be available by the autumn.
• The number of care leavers aged over 21 was increasing and that work was ongoing to ensure appropriate staffing capacity, expertise and proactive support arrangements were in place. Consideration was also being given to the development of accessible community provision where care leavers could access support, advice and practical assistance.
• Members welcomed the proposals to strengthen community-based practice and develop a dedicated strategy for care leavers.
• In response to questions regarding external challenge and assurance, officers advised that focused Ofsted visits and peer challenge arrangements with other local authorities provided opportunities for independent review and learning. Members heard that future peer challenge activity would include work relating to children affected by domestic violence and how services support non-abusive parents and carers. Independent external input would be sought where appropriate to support service improvement and continuous learning.
• Members suggested that links with universities and community organisations may provide further opportunities to support work relating to domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental health.

AGREED:

1)     A future report on the development of the Care Leavers Strategy and related improvement work be brought back to the Commission.

2)     That the Commission note the report.