Ofsted has warned Kirklees Council that its children’s social services have not improved enough.
Nine months on from the damning inspection report that led to government intervention, education and children’s watchdog inspectors have been back to check on progress.
And they have ruled there is lots more to be done to give vulnerable children in the borough the care they deserve.
Senior management have been given some praise for attempting to resolve issues but have been told the things are taking too long to improve.
The critical report comes despite months of work by troubleshooter Eleanor Brazil, who was appointed by the Department of Education (DfE) to turn the embattled children’s services around, following an ‘Inadequate’ rating by Ofsted last year.
Mrs Brazil, who has helped other struggling councils including Haringey following the Baby P scandal, is still in post, pending the publication of her report in the next few months.
Her report, which could recommend Kirklees loses control of its own social services, was delayed by the General Election.
It has been submitted and is currently under review by the DfE.
In the meantime, she has arranged for a formal partnership with Leeds City Council in a bid to boost expertise in Kirklees.
However managers have been dealt a blow after the results of a follow-up Ofsted inspection from late June, published this week, concluded the turnaround is far from complete.
Last month social workers went on strike, citing a lack of progress with many staffing and workload issues.
An Ofsted letter sent to the interim director of Kirklees children’s services, Steve Walker, says: “Although there are pockets of discreet improvement in the quality of practice, this is not consistent.
“The pace of change is being hindered by workforce instabliity and high social work caseloads.
“Not all actions taken by senior managers to tackle drift and delay for children have been effective, and some children have been left in risky situations for too long.”
The report says the majority of children are not getting help quick enough.
But Ofsted said “in spite of the challenges” staff were child focussed and doing their best to improve children’s lives.
Steve Walker, Director of Children’s Services, said: “We welcome the latest letter from Ofsted and agree with their assessment that progress is being made in improving services for children and families.
“The inspectors’ view is that this progress is limited.
“This is not unexpected and reflects the changes in leadership that Children’s Services in Kirklees have experienced over the past year.
“It is really pleasing that Ofsted have recognised the commitment of our workforce and highlighted that they have a clear focus on children – this gives the service a strong foundation to build on.
“Ofsted have also highlighted areas of progress and improvement.
“These include a good understanding of what needs to improve, a focus on the right areas, better working with partners and a recognition that the local authority is committed to improvement and that we are doing all we can to recruit experienced, high-quality staff.
“As expected Ofsted have also identified areas for development.
“It is reassuring that these are all areas that we are already working hard to improve.
“The growing partnership between Kirklees Council and Leeds City Council will bring long-term benefits and we are confident we will be able to show further progress by the time of Ofsted’s next visit
“Our absolute priority is to the children and young people of Kirklees and ensuring that they achieve the best possible outcomes.”
