Service that once 'failed children' now rated good

A council children's services have been rated good overall after leaders "worked diligently" to improve them, said inspectors.

The services at Herefordshire Council had been deemed inadequate in 2022, with Ofsted inspectors warning "widespread and serious failings" had left children and young people "not protected from harm".

However, inspections in November found core service areas were good, while leadership of the services was outstanding.

Inspectors said recruitment and retention initiatives had stabilised the workforce and reduced high caseloads, ensuring "children and their families benefit from effective services that make a difference to their lives".

Jonathan Lester, leader of the Conservative-run council, said that when elected in 2023 he reaffirmed "the council's number one priority to restore public confidence in our children's services".

He said he was "deeply grateful" to leaders 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," he said.

Ofsted said a framework used to measure progress had included "feedback from children and families".

The inspections between 10 and 21 November said the "experiences and progress of children who need help and protection" was among areas rated good, with praise for effective early help services and well-written assessments.

Many aspects were highlighted for praise in the report, including an "effective" response to children in emergency situations out of hours.

And the "experiences and progress of children in care" was good, with inspectors saying children lived in homes that meet their needs when not possible to stay with their families.

Ofsted said children in care benefited from positive relationships with their social workers.

They added some had seen "too many changes" in staff, although there had been more consistency recently.

They also noted a "swift and positive response" from the Get Safe team to children at risk of exploitation, or who go missing.

Also rated good were the experiences and progress of care leavers who received a "strong service"from their personal advisers (PAs).

"PAs demonstrate curiosity and commitment to understanding young people's experiences, concerns and aspirations," said inspectors.

Ofsted added the impact of leaders on social work practice was "outstanding" and "enabled vast improvements in the services delivered to children and their families.

It again praised the corporate director of children's services Tina Russell, saying since her appointment in July 2024, "improvements have been made at pace".

Russell said she was proud of the children's workforce "who had been through some very challenging times, but who have maintained their commitment to make a positive difference to the children and families they work with".

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