By Lucy Caulkett-
Kirklees children’s services have been blasted by ofsted for inadequate improvement in their poor services. Nine months after a damning report from ofsted that called for urgent government intervention, education and children’s watchdog have returned to launch a scathing attack on the slow progress of Kirklees Council.
Ofsted and the children’s watchdog have concluded that vulnerable children are still being let down by the council and not being given the standard of care required. The critical knock to the progress of the council comes after the Department of education appointed Eleanor Brazil to transform the troubled children services.
Brazil, an achiever in transforming troubled children’s services, had ruled that Kirklees Council loses control of its social services, but the last UK general elections delayed the implementation of her recommendations. Brazil has in past times turned around children services in Leeds, Stoke on Trent, and Herefordshire Council, and Birmingham Council. In the meantime arranged a collaboration with Leeds City Council to address the worrying failings of Kirklees Council.
BLOW
The damning ofsted report is a blow to senior management, who have reportedly been making efforts to improve the failed sate of affairs. Last month, social workers in Kirklees went on strike, citing understaffing levels in the services which is ”overworked, lacking training and adequate management, and that staff were bullied, harassed , and left out to dry.
One senior management anonymously told the eye of media.com ” staff have given it their best, but we have been underfunded for a long time. There has been a problem of insufficient funds and improper co-ordination due to lack of adeqate personnel sustained finncil backing to achieve set targets.
”when you consider that Kirklees Council has recently decided to stop operating its final four homes and privatize fcilities built over 10 years ago, the scale of the problem is clear to see. Castle Grange at Newsome and Claremont House Heckmondwick have been put on the market for sale. Two intermediate, ings Grove House in Mirfield and and Moorland’s Grange at Netherton are to be taken over by Locala- a not for profit health firm thst runs community care for the NHS.
WORKLOAD
Over 200 unison members in the children’s services went on strike for 48 hours. Branch Secretary Mr. Paul Holmes, said staff could not take anymore because ”the workload was double what it was 3 years ago”. Social workers across the country have been on the receiving end of staunch criticism in the last year over poor standards of services and halphazard delivery of their duties. Work overload has often been cited as the cause of the sub standard level of professionalism. However, the much valued and need social services ha slong been a struggling one in desperate need of help.
The eye of media.com tried to contact the communication team in Kirklees Council, but was unsuccesful in getting through to anyone. Repeated efforts over a one hour period also produced no results. What a very poor service Kirklees have.