Ofsted continues to note improvements in Swindon’s Children’s Services

In a letter published today (17 Oct), inspectors noted that investment in additional permanent staff had created a stable workforce which was having a positive impact on the support provided to care-experienced young people (those aged between 18 and 25 who have left the care of the local authority).

The report said: “Care-experienced young people report being listened to and being involved in decisions that influence and shape services for them. They view this as a significant cultural change.

“They value becoming more visible and involved with political and corporate leaders, and they appreciate the efforts that the Council is now making to celebrate their success and achievements.”

The report added: “The corporate partnership is becoming more effective in creating greater strategic joint working across the Council. This is particularly striking in the partnership working between Children’s Services and Housing.

“Equally, the Children’s commissioning team is beginning to understand gaps in service provision and are developing services to meet these needs. This is leading to a greater accommodation choice for young people.”

Inspectors identified that young people benefit from “imaginative and persistent” social workers and that the Council had worked hard to ensure that care leavers had access to their local offer entitlements as well as offering a more focused and coordinated service for young people not in education or employment.

The visit did, however, highlight that improvements still need to be made to pathway plans that reflect young people’s changing needs and involve the whole of their support network.

On separated migrant children, inspectors wrote that they were cared for in placements that meet their cultural, religious and support needs.

The report added: “They receive effective help from the local authority to formalise their legal status in the United Kingdom and in retaining contact with their families.

“They are well supported by personal advisors in accessing and maintaining educational and employment placements.”

Last month’s monitoring visit was the third time inspectors had visited the Council since the Children’s Services department was judged to be ‘inadequate’ last summer.

Swindon’s Children’s Services is subject to a statutory Improvement notice which sets out what it must do and who it is to work with to ensure improvement in the areas identified by Ofsted.

A Children’s Services Improvement Board, is also meeting regularly and is being overseen by an independent chair and tasked with providing effective governance, oversight and challenge of the improvement plan and programme of work. This will ensure that all the recommendations outlined in the Ofsted report are responded to and the plan improves outcomes for children and young people in Swindon.

Councillor Paul Dixon, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “Our staff are striving to make sustained improvements to the services we provide to children and young people and I’m really pleased Ofsted has again seen evidence of this in practice.

“There are a number of positives in this assessment of the services we provide to care-experienced young people and separated migrant children, but we know there are areas where we could do even better so we will continue to work on those to bring about the necessary improvements.”

A copy of the monitoring visit letter can be found on Ofsted’s website.