Herefordshire Council’s Children’s Services has been rated ‘Good’ overall by Ofsted, with each specific service area receiving a ‘Good’ judgement and the ‘Impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families’ judged as ‘Outstanding’ in a report published today.

Ofsted found that “Children’s Services are rightly considered a high priority for the Council” and said “a visible and effective leadership team, supported by corporate and political leaders has enabled vast improvements in the services delivered to children and their families, with particular pace and vision led by the Corporate Director of Children’s Services who is aspirational for children and committed to enhancing their lives”.

This marks a significant achievement for Herefordshire, reflecting the hard work and dedication of practitioners, managers, elected members and partners who committed to deliver on the improvements detailed in the Herefordshire Children’s Services and Partnership Improvement Plan.

Headlines from the report noted that:

·       Leaders have firmly established a culture within the organisation to ensure that children are at the centre of service delivery and that the views of children and their families inform the development of services.

·       Leaders have worked diligently, using effective and mature partnerships to influence and improve the quality and consistency of practice.

·       Recruitment and retention initiatives have successfully stabilised the workforce and leaders have nurtured and coached their teams to deliver improvements and good practice, leading by example.

·       A comprehensive quality assurance framework has enabled leaders to have an accurate understanding of the quality and impact of services delivered to children and families.

·       As corporate parents leaders were described as “effective and who understand what children in care and care leavers need” and that “Their ambitious and child-focused approach has ensured that children’s voices are sought and heard”.

·       Leaders had a clear plan in place to manage the changes needed as a result of the social care reforms.

Key strengths identified by Ofsted include:

·       Families benefiting from effective early help and family support delivered by a multi-agency network of professionals.

·       Across the services Ofsted found “well considered, comprehensive assessments by social workers, that are informed by the views of children, families and other professionals, and that demonstrate an understanding of the strengths in families, balancing this against presenting risks and needs” with additional recognition that assessments for children with disabilities and complex needs show workers understand needs that are responded to well.

·       Appropriate thresholds for care and protection being applied effectively with strong management oversight at all tiers, demonstrating evidence-based rationale for further action.

·       A workforce of staff who are committed to building relationships with children and young people through creative and individualised direct.

·       Effective support in place delivered by “skilled practitioners” to keep children living with their families, or return to their care, where it is in their best interests.

·       For those children and young people at risk or experiencing exploitation Ofsted found an established and impactful multi agency service that reduces risk to children.

·       Thorough assessments and tailored support for foster carers, including kinship carers, who are well supported and have improved training opportunities.

·       A strong service to care leavers with a clear and comprehensive ‘Local Offer’ delivered by persistent and creative personal advisors who are committed to understanding the young people’s lives and helping them achieve their aspirations.

The report noted two areas where development is needed: Management oversight of the local authority designated officer (LADO) function and identification and assessment for children living in Private Fostering arrangements. Inspectors acknowledged that leaders were aware of the strengths in their services and areas for development and noted arrangements are already in place to address issues they identified for development.

Cllr Jonathan Lester, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “When I was elected Leader in 2023 I reaffirmed the council’s number one priority to restore public confidence in our children’s services. Safeguarding the most vulnerable in our society is the most important responsibility we hold as a council, and it was clear we had to continue to act decisively on behalf of families and children in Herefordshire. That meant backing strong leadership, more investment and a culture that truly put children first along with robust oversight and scrutiny to ensure lasting change.

“I am deeply grateful to Cllr Ivan Powell, to Paul Walker, our chief executive and to Tina Russell and the entire Children and Young People team; our partners, and to councillors from all sides who held us to account and helped drive improvements. This has been a collective effort, and it shows what can be achieved when we work together with determination and focus.

“Ultimately, this is about giving confidence to families, children and residents that Herefordshire will always strive to provide the best possible care and support. Today’s Ofsted judgement is a significant milestone, but our commitment to safeguarding and improving lives will never stop.”

Paul Walker, Chief Executive of Herefordshire Council, added: “Children’s services are a top priority for Herefordshire. This outcome reflects our shared vision to give every child the best start in life. The systems that we have put in place will allow us to continue to build on our achievements and deliver the best possible services for children and young people in our county.”

Cllr Ivan Powell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, continued: “This rating reflects the hard work that has taken place during our improvement journey and I would like to thank council staff, elected members and our partners for their support throughout. Special thanks also to the families who have worked closely with us to help improve our services. Their input has been fundamental in ensuring that we offer children, young people and their families the best possible support when they need it the most.”

Tina Russell, Herefordshire Council’s Corporate Director of Children’s Services, added: “It is wonderful to be recognised by Ofsted, the independent body of inspection, as a Children’s Service delivering ‘Good’ services, with leadership rated ‘Outstanding’. It is testament to the commitment and hard work of everyone involved in our improvement journey and I am very proud of the children’s workforce who have worked through some very challenging times, but who have maintained their commitment to make a positive difference to the children and families they work with. I want to thank the children, young people and families, who have given us feedback to learn from and who have worked with us to help develop best practice and family friendly services and I want to recognise that we could not have made these great achievements without the engagement of our wide ranging partners who have been supportive through our journey of improvement and who too have been willing to listen, learn and develop as we have come together with our vision and commitment to deliver high quality services to children and their families.”

Key partners have also welcomed the findings of the Ofsted report.

Deputy Chief Constable for West Mercia Police, Damian Barratt, said: “We are pleased the inspection commended the strength of partnership working across Herefordshire. It is also encouraging to see the collective commitment of all local agencies acknowledged, particularly our shared determination to working together to best meet the needs of children and families.

“It is especially positive that the inspection highlights the effective multi‑agency practice within the Safeguarding Hub, and our strong joint response to missing children and tackling exploitation. High‑quality information sharing and well‑coordinated safeguarding action remain central to how we work together to keep people safe.”

Dr Kathryn Cobain, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB, added: “I’m really proud of the teams working across Children’s Services in Herefordshire and the difference they make every day for children and families. To be rated good in all areas, with outstanding leadership, reflects strong partnership working and the commitment of our nursing and health staff on the ground. We’re proud to be part of this system and will continue to work closely with partners to ensure safe, high-quality care for every child.” 

Jon Roberts, Chief Operating Officer at Vennture, the independent charity working across Herefordshire to help families, young people and individuals facing all types of circumstances and challenges to make a fresh start after difficult times, said: “Many congratulations to the whole team at Herefordshire Children’s Services on the positive findings of the Ofsted report. We have seen first-hand the change in culture and outcomes, and most importantly what this means for children, young people and families. I recognise the difficulty in facing these challenges and making real change. The stability and confidence the new Corporate Director has brought is evident throughout the service. Vennture is pleased to be actively partnering with the service to support children, young people and families.”

In response to the Ofsted report a parent of the Making a Difference For Families group, said: “The changes that have been made have been massive and us parents and social workers have been working hard behind scenes to make it a more supportive, structured, understanding involvement with less judgement. I have witnessed this first hand and also have seen social workers be more understanding rather than judge and have more support and guidance in place. Families are heard more, allowing families to lead in telling their story and home life.”

The full Ofsted report is available to view online. 

Cllr Jonathan Lester responds to the outcome of Herefordshire Council's Children's Services Ofsted inspection