Nottingham City Council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee will meet next week to assess the progress of Children’s Services following a concerning Ofsted report in July 2022.
The initial report had branded the services as ‘inadequate,’ highlighting critical areas needing urgent attention. Nearly two years later, the latest report presents a mixed but hopeful picture of the department.
The initial Ofsted Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) in July 2022 had painted a bleak picture. Notably, the services were struggling with the effectiveness and timeliness of responses to children’s needs, management oversight, social work capacity, placement sufficiency, support for care leavers, homeless young people, return home interviews, and oversight of children missing from education.
However, the recent scrutiny committee meeting, led by Catherine Underwood (Corporate Director for People), Ailsa Barr (Director for Children’s Integrated Services), and Councillor Cheryl Barnard, reveals substantial progress. The key to this turnaround seems to be the implementation of a robust action plan, closely monitored by the Children’s Improvement Board and an independent Department for Education Improvement Advisor.
Ofsted’s subsequent monitoring visits, three in total, have noted tangible improvements.
The focus has been on increasing frontline and management capacity, boosting staff morale, and strengthening the quality assurance framework. Additionally, the ‘Changing Lives, Changing Futures’ programme is reportedly making a positive impact on the quality of practice and staff morale.
Key areas of progress include:
There have been common themes and areas of progression across the three visits.
Inspectors could see:
Investment in posts to increase front line and management capacity, which has
helped manage workload and demand, increase management oversight, reduce
caseloads and improve staff morale.
The workforce feels supported by managers and can feel the positive impact that
reduced caseloads are having, enabling them to deliver best practice.
Staff develop strong and meaningful relationships with their children and young
people, know them well and act as good parents. This enables them to assess
children and young people’s needs to offer good support, particularly to our more
vulnerable children and care leavers (such as disabled children, care leavers with
additional needs and 16- and 17-year olds who present as homeless).
Processes (such as child in need review meetings, visits etc) often take place
sooner than the statutory minimum to meet the needs of the child, young person
or family, meaning that children and young people are seen or have their
circumstances reviewed in timescales appropriate to them.
There is a committed senior leadership team who have clear oversight and
knowledge of performance within service areas, and recently developed
dashboards are enabling managers and front line staff understand performance
and prioritise tasks that need to be completed, leading to timelier responses for
children and families.
The quality assurance framework has been strengthened and is being
embedded. This is correctly identifying areas for improvement and development
to help further strengthen practice and learning.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly around the inconsistency in the quality of assessments, supervision, and the high turnover of social workers. The service is also grappling with delays in assessment and intervention for some children and families.
A notable positive change has been the reduction in the number of children with a child protection plan and a significant decrease in the average duration of these plans. Furthermore, the service has focused on placing children in family environments, reducing reliance on costly residential home placements.
The transformation program, running alongside the service development plan, has accelerated progress. It has facilitated cultural change, improved staff morale, and retention. Testimonials from team managers and duty leads reflect a more collaborative, supportive, and effective working environment.
The service’s future, however, hinges on sustainable change. While improvements are evident, the service’s ability to maintain these changes amid budgetary and resource challenges remains a concern. The next monitoring visit, anticipated by the end of the financial year, will be crucial in assessing the long-term viability of these improvements.
As Nottingham City’s Children’s Services stride towards their full inspection in 2025, the progress made so far offers a beacon of hope. The journey from inadequacy to efficacy, though challenging, is underway, with the city’s most vulnerable children standing to benefit the most from these sweeping reforms.
The report will be discussed at the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee meeting on 24 January.
