A new Ofsted report says how North East Lincolnshire Council’s Children’s Services are “unrecognisable” after a “whole-service transformation”.
The report, which was published after an in-depth inspection across three weeks in July, presents an overall ‘good’ judgement, with individual area ratings boasting three ‘good’ ratings and one ‘outstanding’.
The impact of leaders on social work has been rated as ‘outstanding’, the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection have been rated as ‘good’, the experiences and progress of children in care have been rated as ‘good’, and the experiences and progress of care leavers are ‘good’.
The progress has been outlined in the report as one of the fastest positive changes in the history of local authority Children’s Services across the country, with it going on to say that “a whole-service transformation has been achieved.”
Less than four years ago, in November 2021, the service came under intense scrutiny, and the same inspection was critical of the council’s services, but now those areas are lauded by inspectors.
There were only a few critiques from the report, but the Council plans to work on these areas for improvement imminently, with plans already in place with senior managers.
Sharing the news with the departments was Director of Children’s Services Ann-Marie Matson, who said: “The pride I feel is extremely hard to put into words. I want to thank all of those around me – the whole Children’s Services team, the council, all our partners, our commissioner and, most importantly, the children of our communities and their families.
“What we are doing here is for all those children and young people who deserve opportunity, deserve our support and deserve a bright future. We will not stop; this is just the beginning.”
Following the inspection in 2021, a government-appointed commissioner, Anthony Douglas, was brought in to work with the Council, offering his vast experience in the area.
He has praised the Council highly for their transformative efforts, saying that they are “outstanding leaders”, “champions for your young people” and how the “service is unrecognisable from what it was.”
Council leader Phillip Jackson, who has faced criticism for the department in the past, said: “Less than four years ago I stood before you as leader and accepted the challenges ahead – pledging that we would listen, we would support, and we would act in the interests of our borough and our children and young people. This is what we have done, and together we have achieved.
“Words cannot describe what these improvements mean for the children, families and communities across North East Lincolnshire. This continued improvement remains vital if we are to succeed in realising our vision to build stronger communities and a stronger economy here in our borough.”
Councillor Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education, added: “This is a remarkable journey and testament to all involved. We now move forward together with pride, and with determination – and also with humility that there is still much to do for our children, young people and families.”
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