Ofsted praises improvements in children's services

Children's social care services in Worcestershire have improved in the past 18 months, according to inspectors.

Ofsted visited Worcestershire County Council in December to look at the arrangements for children in care.

A report published on Monday said most caseloads had reduced and the "consistency of services" had improved.

Steve Mackay, cabinet member for children and families at the council, said: "While we acknowledge there is still work to be done, particularly in further reducing caseloads, we have robust strategies in place to ensure every child should receive the support they deserve."

The report praised social workers for understanding their children's needs, saying they were "skilled at engaging with children, including using direct work tools".

It continued: "Their visits are purposeful, and social workers listen and respond to children's wishes and feelings about who they want to see and where they want to live."

But some children said they had experienced too many changes of social worker.

"This means they need to repeat their story and develop new relationships," said inspectors.

"Leaders understand this and are using recruitment and retention strategies with increasing success to maintain a stable workforce."

The report said most children were making progress at school, but for some children, especially those with more complex and specialist needs, their educational needs were "not consistently well met".

The inspection also praised the council for navigating major changes, including the reintegration of children's services to the county council in October 2024.

"This inspection confirms the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in our children's services," said Mr Mackay.

"Our commitment to improving the lives of children and families across Worcestershire remains steadfast, and it is heartening to see the positive outcomes highlighted in this report.

"I am heartened inspectors recognised improvements have been made in engaging with children to influence service development and delivery."

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