Praise for Staffordshire County Council for improvements made to children’s services following 'requires improvement' ranking - here's why

Ofsted rated Staffordshire County Council’s children’s services as ‘requirements improvement’ in 2023, with the so-called ‘front door’ being identified as one of the areas where things had to get better.

The authority has now been praised for making positive progress in this area, following a focused visit in December. Ofsted inspectors say improvements have been made through the creation of an integrated front door, which is ensuring that ‘timely, well-considered’ decisions are made following referrals and contacts, benefiting vulnerable children and adults.

In her letter to the council, inspector Alison Smale notes the appointment of the ‘experienced’ Bernie Brown as director of children’s services in 2024, and the commitment of the Reform UK administration to making improvements.

She says: “Since the last inspection, there has been a notable change in leadership both within children’s social care and politically. The appointment of an already experienced director of children’s services last year has brought an ambitious vision and drive which has significantly improved front door services for children.

“Leaders now have a much more accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement within the front door. A new political administration recognises the need for improvement and evidences a strong commitment to strengthening services for vulnerable children in Staffordshire.”

Ms Smale says the management oversight has improved ‘significantly’, although there are ‘pockets’ where it is less strong.

She adds: “Many of the changes made are new and there remains some fragility as a result of capacity and increased demand. Positively, very recently the council’s political leaders agreed significant increased funding, which reflects their commitment to sustain and further improve services for vulnerable children.”

Other areas of good practice mentioned in the letter include information gathering and sharing between partners and the out-of-hours response to children and families. Ms Smale says that children’s needs are well identified in assessments, and that neglect, sexual abuse and domestic abuse are appropriately identified.

But she also notes that leaders are aware that workloads for some social workers are too high, and says that new social workers are sometimes given work that exceeds their level of experience. The council has been told to make improvements to social worker caseloads, the quality of recording of contacts, and the evaluation of quality through audits.

The council’s draft budget for 2026/27 includes an extra £5.5 million for children’s services, which will be enough for 119 new full-time staff, which the authority says will help reduce caseloads.

Councillor Nick Lakin, cabinet member for children and young people, welcomed Ofsted’s latest findings. He said: “Our children are the beating heart of the county, the future of Staffordshire, and a top priority for this administration. I am pleased that Ofsted have recognised that the new political administration recognised the need for improvement and that we have made a strong commitment to strengthening services for children in Staffordshire

“Front-line work in children’s services is demanding and unrelenting. Accordingly, it takes a great deal of sustained effort to deliver lasting improvement, so this judgement is credit to those involved.

“The well-being of Staffordshire children is a priority for this council. There is more to do but I am pleased that we are well-placed to keep moving forward.”

Ofsted says it will taking the findings of the focused visit into account when planning the county council’s next inspection or visit.