Community Care

DECEMBER 6, 2021

Social workers have been freed up to spend more time with children after council investment led to a “significant reduction” in caseloads, Ofsted has found. Ofsted rated Walsall council as good overall at a full inspection last month, after telling the authority it required improvement in 2017 and rating it as inadequate nine years ago.

Social Worker 305

Social Worker Interventional Engagement Disability 305

Community Care

JUNE 14, 2022

Improvements in child protection practice at an ‘inadequate’ local authority have “accelerated” in the hands of “enthusiastic and motivated” social workers, Ofsted has found. the previous year, according to Department for Education figures. Recent Ofsted reports.

Social Worker 237

Social Worker Communication Engagement 237

Community Care

MAY 13, 2022

A council’s lack of social work capacity is leaving children inadequately protected, Ofsted has found, as it downgraded its children’s services to inadequate. Ofsted hails ‘inadequate’ council’s progress in latest visit. Council recovers from performance dip to maintain top Ofsted grade. By Rob Preston and Mithran Samuel.

Interventional 252

Interventional Social Worker Welfare Mental Health 252

Community Care

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

The Department for Education (DfE) has appointed a second commissioner to direct children’s services improvements at Sefton council after the first, Paul Moffat, found it had “made a good start to its improvement work” under a new leadership team. Latest Ofsted news and ratings. Related articles.

Government 248

Government Social Worker 248

Community Care

MAY 19, 2022

‘Considerable investment’ in social work has helped a council under government intervention since 2017 improve to ‘good’ after successive inadequate judgments by Ofsted. in September 2020, with its agency worker rate topping 40% and successive Ofsted monitoring visits raising concerns about high caseloads. Substantial turnaround.

Social Worker 250

Social Worker Disability Interventional Government 250

Community Care

DECEMBER 2, 2022

Stoke-on-Trent has shed its ‘inadequate’ status, with Ofsted praising its “co-ordinated and relentless drive” to improve children’s experiences despite pandemic hardships. Reflecting the latter, Ofsted promoted Stoke’s children in care and care leaver services by two grades to ‘good’. Latest Ofsted reports.

Social Worker 253

Social Worker Interventional Government Interviewing 253

Community Care

DECEMBER 1, 2021

The director of children’s services has resigned and the government has intervened in a council after Ofsted found children at risk of harm and social workers “significantly under-resourced”. Leaders also did not sufficiently understand the quality of practice or the level of risk children were experiencing, Ofsted found. in 2017.

Social Worker 261

Social Worker Government 261

Community Care

APRIL 19, 2023

That was the message from the Association of Directors of Children’s Services in its response to a Department for Education (DfE) consultation on setting rules for the use of agency staff in local authority child and family social work.

Social Worker 287

Social Worker Consultation Recovery Engagement 287

Community Care

JUNE 21, 2022

An ‘inadequate’ council has made significant progress in services for care leavers and older children in care under “determined” senior leaders, but practice remains inconsistent, Ofsted has said. Practice ‘inconsistent’ However, Ofsted found the quality of practice was inconsistent.

Mental Health 196

Mental Health Social Worker 196

Community Care

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

A lack of social work capacity, high staff turnover and a spike in demand led to delays in children receiving help and protection at Stockton-on-Tees council, Ofsted found in its latest visit to the authority. Boost to social worker numbers despite funding constraints helps council improve Ofsted grade.

Social Worker 209

Social Worker 209

Community Care

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

Ofsted has called on the government to extend its powers to enable it to scrutinise social care groups that run multiple children’s homes. The inspectorate said the change was necessary to fill a “gap in accountability” left by the current regime, in which Ofsted separately inspects children’s homes run by the same provider.

Consultation 259

Consultation Interviewing Welfare Government 259

Community Care

JANUARY 26, 2022

The Department for Education“presumes” it will remove North East Lincolnshire’s children’s social care services from the council unless a commissioner reports “compelling reasons” not to. It hasappointed consultant Peter Dwyer, a former director, as a commissioner to oversee improvements. We will not shy away from this challenge,”.

Government 244

Government Social Worker Adoption Consultation 244

Community Care

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

A council criticised by inspectors for high caseloads has improved to a good Ofsted rating after hiring more social workers to reduce workloads. In a focused visit the following year, covering children in need of help and protection, Ofsted found caseloads were still too high, despite progress made in reducing them. Related articles.

Social Worker 282

Social Worker Foster Care Interviewing Diversity 282

Community Care

MAY 11, 2022

Ofsted upgraded Merton from the good rating it earned in 2017 after finding “skilled, experienced” professionals were making a positive difference to children’s lives, backed by “highly aspirational” leaders who had “strengthened and built on the impressive work at the time of the previous inspection”. over the same period. Related articles.

Social Worker 254

Social Worker Diversity Mental Health Government 254

Community Care

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Children who met thresholds were left waiting up to six weeks to see a social worker due to “significant, widespread and systemic” weaknesses in a council’s front door service, Ofsted has found. A significant number of children experienced repeated contacts and referrals before receiving the help they needed, said Ofsted.

Social Worker 286

Social Worker Adoption Interventional Foster Care 286

Community Care

APRIL 13, 2022

The Department for Education (DfE) has intervened in a council’s children’s services on the back of an ‘inadequate’ verdict from Ofsted. More recently, Coughlan acted as commissioner, and Hampshire as improvement partner, in West Sussex, after Ofsted found its services to be ‘inadequate’ in 2019.

Disability 242

Disability Social Worker 242

Community Care

MAY 5, 2022

But while the vast majority of teams had shown improvements, Ofsted said the “pace of change [had] been too slow”, in a report published this week. Ofsted said most looked-after children were in stable homes that met their needs. Recent Ofsted reports. Children left in neglectful situations. Better supervision needed.

Social Worker 210

Social Worker Communication Interviewing Government 210

Community Care

MAY 17, 2022

In a report last week , Ofsted praised Derby council’s successful implementation of a strengths-based practice model, against the backdrop of Covid-19, for enabling practitioners to support children well and improving supervision. Ofsted found the council had made progress on all the recommendations from its previous inspection in 2017.

Social Worker 245

Social Worker Schools 245

Community Care

MAY 25, 2022

A council is at risk of losing control of its children’s services after the government intervened in the light of a damning Ofsted report. However, this has now been withdrawn, and replaced by the statutory direction, in the light of the Ofsted inspection outcome. ‘Presumption’ services will be removed.

Interventional 319

Interventional Government 319

Community Care

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Social workers are overwhelmed by high caseloads and hampered by “highly inconsistent” supervision, Ofsted has found on a visit to a struggling council. However, Ofsted found that social workers, though highly committed, felt “overwhelmed by the high demands of their caseloads” in the face of significant recruitment and retention issues.

Social Worker 293

Social Worker Interventional 293

Community Care

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Ofsted has found varying rates of improvement at five ‘inadequate’ local authorities and strongly praised two good-rated councils, following visits last month. Ofsted commended Surrey council , rated inadequate in 2018, for how well its personal advisers (PAs) supported young people after they left care through “skilled and sensitive work”.

Disability 245

Disability Social Worker Interviewing Adoption 245

Community Care

APRIL 14, 2022

“Significant” difficulties recruiting social workers are undermining practice and thwarting improvements at an ‘inadequate’ local authority, Ofsted has found. Since its inadequate rating, St Helens has been subject to a Department for Education improvement notice, which means that it must work with a DfE-appointed improvement adviser.

Social Worker 260

Social Worker Interventional Engagement Government 260

Community Care

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Stoke-on-Trent council is confident of improving on its inadequate rating after Ofsted hailed its “tenacious” recruitment of social workers and “discernible progress” since its damning 2019 inspection. Ofsted is due to visit Stoke again in the spring. Inadequate’ councils make progress in latest Ofsted visits.

Social Worker 229

Social Worker Interviewing Disability Interventional 229

Community Care

APRIL 13, 2022

Doncaster Children’s Services Trust (DCST), set up in 2014, is transferring provision back to the council after the organisations agreed the current model was hindering progress and as Ofsted downgraded services from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ , with leadership rated inadequate. Unmet need. First children’s trust.

Government 287

Government Case Management Consultation Interventional 287

Community Care

AUGUST 31, 2023

Johnston’s appointment comes with children’s social care facing one of its biggest periods of reform in decades, on the back of the Department for Education’s (DfE) draft strategy, Stable Homes, Built on Love, issued in February. Before that, Will Quince spent 10 months as children’s minister.

Social Worker 271

Social Worker Government Disability University 271

Community Care

APRIL 24, 2023

Failures of oversight These included Ofsted, who had rated the settings as good as of 2021, despite receiving complaints dating back to at least 2015. Care, education and treatment reviews (CETRs) should be carried out for any disabled child on a pathway to a residential placement lasting longer than 38 weeks per year.

Social Worker 246

Social Worker Disability Schools Government 246

Community Care

JUNE 1, 2023

The “short-notice” closure of 28 children’s homes by one of the country’s biggest care providers shows the need for greater powers for councils and Ofsted over the market to manage the impact on young people.

Government 249

Government Social Worker Disorder 249

Community Care

JANUARY 16, 2024

The so-called review testing and implementation network (RTIN) will work alongside the national workload action group (NWAG), which the Department for Education (DfE) has set up as part of its children’s social care reforms.

Social Worker 241

Social Worker Diversity Government 241

Community Care

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

Education secretary Gillian Keegan announced the review in a statement to Parliament after the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published the report of phase 1 of its inquiry into serious abuse and neglect of disabled children in three residential special schools in Doncaster. It is due to report in spring 2023.

Disability 278

Disability Schools Government Welfare 278

Community Care

AUGUST 25, 2022

Ofsted has praised “highly effective” information sharing as it noted continuing progress at Hull council’s children’s services, which were graded ‘inadequate’ in 2019. Ofsted hails ‘inadequate’ council’s progress in latest visit. Related reading.

Interventional 239

Interventional Social Worker 239

Community Care

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

Following an inspection in December , Ofsted reported that many children in Buckinghamshire, particularly those receiving services from assessment and help and protection teams, “have too many changes of social worker”, causing them to receive “fragmented and episodic” help. More recent Ofsted reports. Relentless’ workloads.

Social Worker 217

Social Worker Interventional Engagement Schools 217

Community Care

MARCH 7, 2024

The Department for Education issued a second call for bids to trial the early career framework (ECF) today, after selecting eight organisations to do so last year. Appoint a minimum of 20 NQSWs in children’s services each year.

Adoption 215

Adoption Social Worker Engagement Government 215

Community Care

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Currently unregulated services for 16- and 17-year-old children in care and care leavers would be inspected a third as often as children’s homes, once requirements for them to register with Ofsted come into force next year, under government plans. The consultation runs until 16 January 2023. More follows .

Consultation 219

Consultation Government Foster Care 219

Community Care

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Multiple risks The Nuffield FJO’s analysis of 208 children found 11 main areas of need or risk: risk to others, going missing, self-harm, mental health concerns, neurodevelopmental disorders, disability, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, substance misuse, placement breakdown and being out of education.

Self-harm 246

Self-harm Disability Mental Health Welfare 246

Community Care

DECEMBER 6, 2021

The Department for Education has revoked improvement directions issued to Sunderland and Worcestershire, meaning they are no londer under an obligation to comply with DfE instructions. The DfE initially issued a direction to Sunderland City Council in April 2017 after Ofsted had judged its children’s services as inadequate.

Interventional 216

Interventional Government 216

Community Care

SEPTEMBER 5, 2022

A council whose children’s services will be transferred to an independent trust next year has improved its provision for care leavers, Ofsted has found. Following the report’s publication last week, Marium Haque, strategic director of children’s services, said: “This is a really positive outcome.

Social Worker 203

Social Worker Interventional Disability Mental Health 203

Community Care

AUGUST 24, 2023

And, in a letter to children’s services directors and lead members last week, education secretary Gillian Keegan urged them to source placements to help the Home Office clear hotels and relieve pressures on Kent, which has been instructed by the court to do its utmost to accommodate all arrivals.

Government 181

Government Foster Care Engagement 181