Praise from watchdogs for service for vulnerable children

A team of inspectors from Ofsted visited Norfolk County Council last month for a focused visit on services for children in care.

In their letter to the council, following the visit, inspectors were largely positive about the service being provided.

It represents encouraging signs for the department, which had previously been rated as inadequate and was then upgraded to requiring improvement.

The letter said: "Norfolk County Council looks after most children in its care well" and that senior leaders "have a coherent vision and are taking action to improve support to children and carers".

They said: "Manageable caseloads in the In Care teams help social workers to build relationships with children, family members and professionals."

The letter said support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children was "a strength" and "social workers know their children well."

Inspectors said: "They visit children regularly and spend time getting to know them.

"They make persistent efforts to engage with children and to understand their needs.

"A commitment to hearing the child’s voice is evident, and staff work hard to reflect children’s wishes and feelings in their plans."

However, inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement, including over the timeliness, rigour and recording of assessments of family and friend foster carers and getting more consistency in the quality of matching and placement planning work.

Sara Tough, director of children's services, said she was proud of the work her staff had done and said: "From our point of view, it is a positive letter. It reflects the good direction of travel in terms of the changes we have been making.

"Ofsted’s findings demonstrate that despite the pressures of the pandemic, we have continued to improve our services and have acted quickly to keep children and young people safe.

“This is down to the dedication of our staff, foster carers and partners who work as a team to ensure children in our care have the care, support and education they need to flourish."

The council's children's services department was rated inadequate in 2013 and 2015, after Ofsted visits. A 2017 inspection judged the service as requiring improvement.

In 2019, inspectors, on a focused visit, said so-called front door services for children had "been transformed".

John Fisher, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for children's services

John Fisher, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Ofsted’s comments demonstrate our commitment to ensuring children in our care are well looked after and receive the education, support and love they need to achieve their potential.

“Today’s report builds on the strengths highlighted in our previous Ofsted visit and demonstrates how far we’ve come since our last full inspection in 2017.

“We’ve made considerable investment to transform how we work, including creating new services for children in care and those at risk of coming into care. This is helping to improve access to specialist support and ensuring more children can live with families, rather than in residential care.”

Focused visits do not result in a formal Ofsted judgement but the findings will feed into the inspectors next full inspection.

Analysis

Ofsted inspectors are largely positive about what they found during their two-day visit of Norfolk County Council's children's services department last month.

This was not a full inspection of the department, but a focused visit by inspectors of the children in care element of the service.

The letter from inspectors makes welcome reading for the team at Norfolk County Council who were tasked with turning around a department which was letting down vulnerable children and young people.

Inspectors, after visits in 2013 and 2015 had rated it as inadequate. Two years later it had improved - to requiring improvement.

Two focused inspections in a row have found plenty to praise, although, as you would expect, inspectors also recommended improvements.

The next time inspectors come, it will almost certainly be for a full inspection - and that will be the real litmus test when it comes to demonstrating progress.