By Charlotte Webster-
Birmingham Social Services are enjoying their very first Ofsted’s improvement in a decade after the “dogged determination” of social workers and leaders in Birmingham. Birmingham children’s services were in a dismal state for years, failing to ever meet the standards required of a competent social service that catered for children. In a report published today, inspectors said caseloads and reliance on agency workers had both reduced and that staff were now “proud” and “enthusiastic” to be working for Birmingham Children’s Trust.
Ofsted’s report commended Birmingham Social Services for making good use of monitoring visits since the 2016 inspection. They said many of the recommendations for improvement from their inspection have been acted on effectively. They added that ”the delegation of statutory functions to BCT has enabled the re-vitalisation of both practice and working culture, and, as a result, progress has been made in improving the experiences and progress of children”.
Cases of domestic violence that had previously been stated to dealt with inadequately, were now being ”evaluated quickly” with ”a clear identification of and an effective response to child protection issues. The conclusion by Ofsted that a majority of child protection enquires are thorough and evidence multi agency contribution informing appropriate decisions about next steps is very positive. Ofsted’s assessment of Birmingham City Council is one of the best it has ever been. Designated official arrangements to manage allegations against professionals and persons in positions of trust are robust, timely and well
recorded, Ofsted stated.
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The interface between the designated officers and key partners results in good sharing of information and swift decision-making. Action plans to protect children and coordinate multi-agency responses are clear, time
bound and subject to effective review.
MILESTONE
Children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi said the Ofsted inspection marked a “significant milestone”.
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“This government will not hesitate to intervene where children are being let down, but today’s report is down to strong leadership and the hard work of staff at the trust and council,” Zahawi said.
“Development of staff is a priority, and a comprehensive and focused approach contributes to staff having the right core skills,” the report said. “The voice of the child is often well represented across the trust and in social work records and reports.”
Ofsted had some points for further improvement for Birmingham City Council. Their observation that virtual school leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of the progress made by children in care over time is one that needs attention. The Council were excused by the observation that the gap in understanding was because systems to monitor pupils’ progress have not provided them with sufficient information about how well pupils are progressing from their starting point
Within Birmingham’s child protection services, Ofsted found section 47 enquiries were, with a few exceptions, thorough and with appropriate multi-agency input.
“Child protection and child in need plans are consistently in place and contain appropriate actions that are used to progress work that improves experiences and progress for children,” inspectors said.
The trust’s assessment and short-term intervention (ASTI) service, meanwhile, was judged to be effective and showing evidence of oversight, with cases being stepped up and down from family support in a “well-managed” fashion.
Edge-of-care services were praised by inspectors as “impressive” and delivering “successful, personalised” interventions.
“An absolute focus on engagement with families has increased the number of children in receipt of this service who do not
enter care subsequently,” Ofsted said. The report also identified many areas of inconsistency though, starting at early intervention stage, where the trust was found to have “yet to make any significant impact on ensuring that partners better understand the purpose of good-quality assessments”.
Ofsted said decisions were sometimes taken without sufficient information and meetings. Visits were also being conducted without partners being present, in shambolic practices that needs to be attended to. The mixed report highlighted areas that must be improved to make the children’s services at the right level, but it was an overall improvement of significance. Most children were found to enjoy “timely support and frequent visits from social workers who know them well”.
.REGULAR VISITS
Inspectors also praised the observed regular visits by social workers, who visited the children even when they were placed out-of the borough. Children were also seen to be actively encouraged to participate in reviews, which, along with care plans, were said to be improving. Andrew Christie, the chair of Birmingham Children’s Trust, said the report showed that “necessary progress” was being made but acknowledged there was still much work to do.
In April 2018 Birmingham City Council delegated responsibility for children’s social care services to Birmingham Children’s Trust, led by chair of the board Andrew Christie and chief executive Andy Couldrick.
Andrew Christie, chair of Birmingham Children’s Trust, said in a statement: “When the Children’s Trust began life in April 2018, we were determined to inject pace into the improvement of children’s social care services in Birmingham. This inspection indicates we are making the necessary progress but that we have much more still to do.
“We now have a stable workforce, with low rates of agency social workers, lower turnover, more social workers joining us and fewer leaving the Trust, and as the inspection notes our staff know their children well and go the extra mile.”
“Working with the city council and with the other agencies in the city, we are no less determined to make further progress and deliver good children’s services. We are so fortunate to benefit from the dedication and skill of all those working in the Trust, ably led by Andy Couldrick and his senior team. I would also want to pay tribute to Alastair Gibbons, recently retired Director, who provided the leadership we needed to start the improvement work.
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