Baby P council given first 'outstanding' rating

Children's services at the north London council involved in two of the most notorious failed child welfare cases has been given an "outstanding" rating by Ofsted for the first time.

Haringey Council was criticised in the wake of the deaths of Victoria Climbie in 2000 and Peter Connolly in 2007, with multiple opportunities missed to protect them.

Over a two-week period in January 2026, Ofsted examined the experiences of children and young people receiving care, help and protection, from the council, as well as efforts to improve these services.

The report highlights strong leadership, exceptional social work practice and a culture where children's voices shape decision making at every level.

Haringey Council leader, Peray Ahmet, said the judgement represented "a major moment and tremendous achievement".

"It demonstrates the borough's progress and reaffirms the choices we have made to invest in services for children, young people and families.

"We will now use this 'outstanding' judgement as a platform to work even harder to improve outcomes for our children and young people. We do it for them, and the work does not stop here."

The council's director of children's services, Ann Graham, said the score was "the outcome of years of sustained improvement, dedication of our staff, and genuine partnership across our communities".

Inspectors highlighted areas of excellence, including:

• Strong and skilled social workers

• Effective and comprehensive early help services

• Exceptional care leaver support 

• Robust safeguarding arrangements

• Strong and strategic leadership.

The full inspection report is available on the Ofsted website.

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