‘A stepping stone on our journey’: Hull children’s services no longer rated inadequate
‘POSITIVE AND EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE’: Pauline Turner, director of children’s services. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography
By Simon Bristow
Children’s services in Hull have reached a significant milestone after inspectors found they are no longer inadequate.
In the latest Ofsted report, following a two-week inspection in November, Hull City Council was found to provide “good” services for children in care, and received an overall judgement of “requires improvement”.
The service was rated “inadequate” after the previous full inspection in 2019.
Pauline Turner, director of children’s services, said: “When I took up this role just over two years ago, I knew we wouldn’t be able to turn around the whole of children’s services overnight. What we have done is create long-lasting change that has benefitted the city’s children and their families.
“Ofsted’s judgement is a stepping stone for us, and we will continue on with developing the service with the ambition of delivering good and outstanding services for the children of Hull.
“I am proud of the staff who have undertaken a huge programme of change, alongside the impacts of Covid. Improvements have been seen across wider council services and in how we work with partners.
“We have been on a journey to make sure the services we deliver are the best they can be, and going forward I know we can maintain this drive and pace, and I am really positive and excited for the future of Hull’s children’s services.”
The report found:
Leaders have developed and delivered a comprehensive improvement plan which has delivered improvements in services and outcomes for many children.
Purposeful early help work at the right time leads to improvements in children and families’ lives.
Social workers routinely complete sensitive direct work with children to help understand their daily lived experiences. Social workers know their children well.
Plans for children in care are appropriate and address their key needs and risks.
Children say they feel listened to by senior leaders and believe they influence service delivery for the better.
The virtual school is well led and effective in helping children progress in their education.
There has been investment in the recruitment and retention of foster carers, which is welcomed by carers.
Care leavers are supported to be ambitious and have opportunities to test different avenues to help them choose the path that is right for them.
Learning is more widely shared and embedded, supported by measures including live performance data dashboards, detailed monthly performance reports, and a range of monthly case file audits.
A social work academy has been established, alongside an attractive workforce offer.
Matt Jukes, council chief executive, said: “We understand we still have a lot to do but this report is a step-change from where we were previously with many positives, and hearing the feedback from Ofsted made me incredibly proud of how far we have come.
“I would like to thank all our Children’s Services staff for their huge and on-going efforts, and the many staff in other areas who are contributing to our council-wide focus on improving our services.
“We are particularly pleased to have achieved ‘Good’ for the services we provide for children in our care. We are already building on this and looking to many further improvements ahead so, first and foremost, we can consistently provide the very best support our young people and their families deserve.”
Councillor Linda Tock, portfolio holder for children’s services said: “This is an important step for children’s services, the council and for the city.
“We now move forwards with priorities to retain and recruit more social workers, to encourage more people to become foster carers and to build on the excellent work of involving children and families in service development and workforce training.
“We aspire to provide good and outstanding services for children and families in Hull, and this is a significant milestone that should not be overlooked as it provides the strong foundations for the future. I’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of that journey, and continues to be a part of it.”
In its summary, the report said: “The impact of improvements for children’s services in Hull City Council effectively began following the appointment of the director of children’s services (DCS) at the end of 2020. The DCS and corporate leadership team have continued to progress service developments throughout the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Strategic leaders have developed and delivered a comprehensive improvement plan which has delivered improvements in services and outcomes for many children. Overall, this has led to a better service for children in care and care leavers. For children in need of help and protection, the service has also improved and is no longer inadequate.
“There are some areas for improvement for children in need of help and protection that were identified at the last inspection that have still to be fully addressed.”
It continued: “Like many local authorities across the country, Hull is struggling to recruit enough permanent social workers, and this has an impact on social work capacity.
“A number of agency workforce companies have been commissioned to cover social worker vacancies by providing complete teams of social workers and managers.
“The senior leadership team in Hull has failed to ensure that managers in the agency teams are accountable to the same quality assurance and practice standards as the rest of the service. This has led to inconsistency of practice in the agency teams, and inspectors found a small number of children at risk of significant harm in these teams.
“Leaders’ response to the children referred back by inspectors was robust.”