Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: September 9, 2025

Purpose: Report on the outcome of Ofsted ILACS inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers and the associated Improvement Plan which has been developed in response to the recommendations.

Content: Following the December 2021 ‘requires improvement’ judgement, Ofsted recently conducted an inspection of local authority services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers. While the outcome of the inspection remained consistent with the judgement published in 2022, with an overall assessment of ‘requires improvement to be good’, this inspection found the experiences and progress of children in care to be ‘good’.   Overall, the inspection findings reflected the Council’s own self-assessment and acknowledged there had been improvement in the delivery of services since December 2021, including a strengthened response to previous recommendations and a consolidation of practice across most areas including the delivery of o services for the most vulnerable children.   The Council remained committed to continuous improvement and had developed a plan to address areas requiring further development.   RESOLVED that:- a)      the outcome of the recent Ofsted inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers be noted. b)      the Ofsted Recommendations Improvement Plan, as set out at Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report, in response to the findings be noted.