In September 2022, Ofsted, the regulatory body for standards in education, children’s services and skills, published a report commending the significant improvements in the quality of Newham Council’s Children’s Services, praising its ‘outstanding’ leadership and describing an ‘environment where good social work can flourish’.
Newham’s children’s services Ofsted ratings
|
Judgement |
Grade |
|---|---|
|
The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families |
Outstanding |
|
The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection |
Good |
|
The experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers |
Good |
|
Overall effectiveness |
Good |
Inspectors awarded the Council an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the impact of leaders on social care practice with children and families, and overall, services were rated ‘Good’. This rating is a substantial and significant improvement on an Ofsted verdict from March 2019, with the Council moving up two grades from ‘inadequate’ for its provision of children’s services.
The report follows a series of monitoring visits from Ofsted since March 2019, with the formal re-inspection taking place in July this year. The publication of the report today also marks the end of the Department for Education’s intervention in Newham’s Children’s Services.
In the published report, inspectors said: “Children in the London Borough of Newham receive good-quality services…Leaders are ambitious in delivering effective help, care and protection for children…A highly visible and permanent senior leadership team has brought stability and a transformation in engagement with partners, creating a determined ‘one-council approach’ to providing the services children need to thrive. Leaders, managers and staff have worked unstintingly to drive change. Strategic oversight has been highly effective in safeguarding the most vulnerable children.”
Since 2019, Newham Council has focused on transforming its services for children, introducing a raft of measures and committing to the greatest investment in the borough’s young people in a generation. The council was praised by Ofsted for the following:
- ‘Outstanding’ leadership and management and ambition in delivering effective help, care and protection for children
- Strong services for children who need help and protection delivered by a passionate, creative and skilled workforce
- A strong service for children at risk from any form of exploitation, including serious youth violence
- The response to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
- An environment where good social work flourishes with manageable caseloads
- A more permanent, stable and motivated workforce who are passionate about improving children’s lives through creative and skilled social work
- A strong Social Work Academy a relationship-based practice model and an improved professional development offer
- Committed social workers and personal advisors, who really enjoy working in Newham
- A strong, mature response to partnership working and a ‘one-council’ approach which helps children to thrive.
