Swindon Borough Council has pledged to undertake swift and necessary enhancements to their services aimed at aiding and safeguarding children following their assessment as ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted.
In the period spanning from 17th to 28th July, inspectors from Ofsted conducted an evaluation of Swindon Borough Council, ultimately grading the overall effectiveness of its Children’s Services department as ‘Inadequate’.
The comprehensive report, now available on the Ofsted website, scrutinised the services against four pivotal criteria:
- The Impact of Leaders on Social Work Practice with Children and Families – ‘Inadequate’
- The Experiences and Progress of Children Who Need Help and Protection – ‘Inadequate’
- The Experiences and Progress of Children in Care – ‘Inadequate’
- The Experiences and Progress of Care Leavers – ‘Requires Improvement to be Good’
The report by Ofsted acknowledged “a significant deterioration in the quality and impact of services for children in Swindon” since the last assessment in 2019, when services earned an overall ‘Good’ rating.
While the inspectors highlighted instances of commendable practices in services provided for disabled children, those teetering on the edge of care, privately fostered children, and those receiving services from the virtual school, they also uncovered several areas of vulnerability.
The report outlined concerns that “too many children are left with unassessed needs and risks, and plans often languish, subjecting them to frequent changes of social worker.” Furthermore, it raised concerns that “children are not placed with permanent carers quickly enough.”
Acknowledging the efforts already underway to revamp services, the report added, “The new Corporate Director of Children’s Services has recently led a more rigorous and accurate appraisal of the quality of service provision.
“With the backing of corporate and political leaders, this has led to work to strengthen services. While this is positive, these developments are largely very recent and so had not, at the time of this inspection, had a significant impact.”
Ofsted inspectors have reviewed an action plan drafted by the Council to rectify and enhance services. This action plan will also be discussed during the Council’s Cabinet meeting next week (20th September) when Ofsted’s latest findings will be examined.
The Ofsted report underlines the Council’s commitment to improvement, highlighting the decision to bring social work pay and foster carer allowances in line with those of most other local authorities in the South West. It also commends ongoing efforts to devise a new strategy ensuring the Council offers the right blend of foster care, children’s homes, and supported accommodation to cater to the future needs of local young people.
Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said, “Ensuring children and young people across Swindon get the best possible care and support is one of the most critical responsibilities of this Council.
“Ofsted’s judgement confirms the significant work ahead of us to get services to where they need to be. At the time of the inspection, Ofsted was able to review the improvement plan already in place and the work that is underway to strengthen services.
“Accelerating these improvements must now be the Council’s highest priority, overseen by an improvement board that will brings together the necessary leadership, expertise and scrutiny to ensure we are meeting our targets.”
Sam Mowbray, Chief Executive of Swindon Borough Council, agreed, saying: “We fully accept the findings from Ofsted and are clear on the improvement journey ahead which is already in progress.
“The inspectors recognised the existing improvement plan in place but it is our job now to ensure this translates as quickly as possible into a consistent standard of care and support being provided to children and young people across Swindon.
“The changes will be overseen by a new improvement board including representatives from the political and corporate leadership, partners and the Department for Education.”
