Agenda item

Officer: Robert Henderson

Key decision: no

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To note the findings from the re-inspection of Croydon’s Early Help and Children’s Social Care Services by Ofsted which concluded on 14th February 2020 and was published on Ofsted’s website on 16th March 2020.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning thanked all involved in the council’s journey to being rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted inspectors and highlighted to work of Rob Henderson, Nick Pendry and previous directors, Martin Pratt at Camden Council and the work of the Safeguarding, Scrutiny Committees, Deputy Cabinet Member and Shadow Cabinet Members.

Members were advised that Ofsted had made four judgements which were outlined at paragraph 3.2 of the report. It was noted that Ofsted inspectors had seen a great transformation of the service to support children in need of help and protection which was enabling the council to meet the needs of individuals. Concerns in relation the Single Point of Contact had been addressed quickly so there was only one “front door” and the voice of the child was heard. Members were also advised that promising conversations were taking place to further enhance opportunities for children and families to access services and ensure meaningful work was taking place at the right time.

In terms of children in care and care leavers, the initial inspection in 2017 had found serious concerns and since then progress had been made to ensure social workers were committed, knowledgeable and knew their children well and understood the importance of permanence. It was noted that Croydon had a large cohort of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children UASC, with over 350 UASC at any one time, and these children were benefiting from the effective multi-agency work taking place. Members were informed that work continued in this area as the council continued its journey to achieve ‘outstanding’.

The Cabinet Member informed Members that services to support children with disabilities had undergone a dramatic transformation with staff being well supported. Furthermore, significant work had gone into supporting children with disabilities during the covid-19 pandemic. The Cabinet Member thanked Mike Brown for his work in transforming this service.

It was noted by the Cabinet Member that more work was required to maximise the stability of placements so children can have their ‘forever home’ at any earlier stage. The council remained committed to supporting UASC despite the continued underfunding by the Home Office and the Ofsted report acknowledged this work.

The impact of strong corporate and political leadership had been noted by inspectors and the Cabinet Member stated that the council’s financial commitment to deliver changes in the service could not be underestimated and thanked the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources for their support on the improvement journey.

Cabinet noted that Ofsted had made four recommendations which included the need for improved quality of written plans for young people. Whilst it was recognised that social workers knew their children and their needs well this had not always been fully recorded and it was important that records were completed. Additionally, a recommendation had focussed on supporting care leavers to find accommodation and the Cabinet Member noted the council’s commitment to support care leavers with housing and council tax support.

The Leader of the Council reiterated the thanks for the Cabinet Member of all involved who had been committed to improving children’s social care in the borough.

The Executive Director Children, Families & Education stated that he was very proud of the work of all involved and noted that the outcome was the best that the council have hoped for in a short period of time. It was noted that Ofsted had seen real action and pace of change in addition to the passion and commitment of the skilled workforce. The practitioners, families, Members, transformation board and the council were thanked for their support to achieve the transformation of the service.

The Shadow Cabinet Member congratulated all involved in the improvement journey and highlighted the work of staff. It was noted that the financial commitment of the council and the appointments of Rob Henderson and Nick Pendry had supported the improvements made in addition to the virtual school and improved partnership working.

Whilst it was recognised that the council had improved services for children and young people there was still some way to go and that it was important that the council remained focussed on making progress with the four recommendations from Ofsted.

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To note the findings from the re-inspection of Croydon’s Early Help and Children’s Social Care Services by Ofsted which concluded on 14th February 2020 and was published on Ofsted’s website on 16th March 2020.