Watchdog praises Council’s support for care leavers

Ofsted visited the Children’s Services Department earlier this year to examine its arrangements for care leavers and to talk to the care leavers themselves, and its findings were presented today – on what is World Social Work Day - to a meeting of the Council’s Children’s Services Committee.

Ofsted found that young people leaving care are provided with consistent practical, financial and emotional support and that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have continued to experience the same high-quality service as they did before.

The inspectors praised a culture in which “care leavers are always in mind and always in reach” and applauded staff for their “unstinting commitment to young people.”

They said: “Highly-skilled and effective workers, many of whom have worked in the authority for years, have long-standing and meaningful relationships with young people.

“They support care leavers exceptionally well to make the transition to becoming young adults in all areas of their lives.”

Ofsted said: “Care leavers told inspectors they experience excellent support from workers in all areas of their lives. They report that they have strong and supportive relationships with workers who they feel truly care about them.”

It added that “Strong agency partnerships and a highly effective virtual school work closely with social workers, staff and carers to help care leavers access employment and training opportunities and achieve their ambitions” and noted that the number of care leavers accessing university is increasing.

It recommended that further work should be done to increase the care leaver’s voice in developing and owning their individual pathway plan – something which the Council is already addressing.

The inspectors also said: “Enthusiastic political leadership, driven by the lead member, means that care leavers are benefiting from their needs being understood and prioritised as any good parent would.

“Senior leaders and members are rightly very proud of the service and are determined to improve care leavers’ outcomes even further.” 

Councillor Jim Lindridge, Chair of the Council’s Children’s Services Committee, said: “This is an excellent report. As Ofsted has noted, our care leavers team is utterly committed to the wellbeing of the young people and totally dedicated to achieving the very best for them. They deserve our highest praise and can feel rightly proud of the report findings.

”On what is World Social Work Day I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the Council’s social workers for their exceptional dedication and commitment.”