Council's children's services on the up
Improvements continue to be made at a council's children's services department which was rated inadequate earlier this year, says a Government watchdog.
Inspectors from Ofsted returned to Dudley Council for the fourth monitoring visit since the department got the lowest possible rating.
In a letter, Inspector Pauline Higham said the council's improvement plan was resulting in positive progress, with areas such as social work getting better.
She said children seen by inspectors were receiving sufficient levels of support and protection.
But she raised concerns over a high rate of staff turnover, with a almost a third of children social workers being agency staff.
She also said 'a very small number' of children have waited too long to have their needs assessed, and some are not seen regularly by their social workers.
Councillor Anne Millward, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We are delighted to have received a fourth successful monitoring visit, which demonstrates we are continuing to move in the right direction to transform services. I’d like to praise the dedication, commitment and professionalism of social work staff, which was also recognised by inspectors.
“Since the inspection last year, we have worked extremely hard to make real changes. We are pleased inspectors have recognised the dedication and commitment of staff, and the positive and supportive management culture which are together helping to ensure children are safe and receiving appropriate care and support.
“Although we are making positive steps, we will not rest on our laurels. We know there are still areas where improvements need to be made and we have plans in place to address these as we move forward.”
The Ofsted monitoring visit was carried out by two inspectors on October 12 and 13.
