Family-friendly meeting spaces for Herefordshire council HQ

Offices will be turned into family-friendly meeting spaces at Herefordshire Council's headquarters.

The authority, which had its children's services rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2022, said it was part of an "ongoing improvement plan" to transform the department.

It said it wanted places where people could meet with social workers "in comfort and privacy".

The work at the Plough Lane building is due to be completed at the end of July.

In 2021 a High Court judgement found the council had "utterly failed" three foster children, which led to a non-statutory improvement notice from the Department for Education.

Then, in September 2022, Herefordshire council was found by Ofsted to be inadequate and failing to protect children in its care.

The authority responded with a plan of improvement and a promise to spend an extra £22m on children's services.

It said the meeting rooms can be accessed without having to go through the main reception and hoped they would be less intimidating for children.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk