Coronavirus Pandemic: Ofsted's Comments On Isle Of Wight Council's Children Services

The Isle of Wight Council has had a routine Ofsted inspection into how children and youngsters have been supported during the pandemic.

It was a routine check-up which does not mean it is graded but comments are made on specifics such as how quickly the council prioritised and responded to concerns raised about children.

During a recent focused visit, inspectors said children's services had planned and delivered a well-coordinated and effective response throughout the COVID crisis. It said:

"Their actions have been swift and well-considered, with an appropriate focus on supporting the most vulnerable."

The virtual inspection was carried out as part of Ofsted’s normal inspection framework and focused on the local authority’s response and arrangements regarding children in need and children subject to child protection planning, including children with disabilities.

The inspection team also considered how children’s services have continued to safeguard children and young people since the pandemic.

A letter published by Ofsted on Tuesday (7 September) praised senior leaders for continuing at pace with their transformation project and said the council's new social work model and approach had made a positive impact on social work practice.

The letter also highlighted some areas for improvement, including the quality of assessments to ensure better consideration of parental histories and previous agency involvement.

Other key findings included:

• Disabled children are supported by experienced, skilled and dedicated social workers who know them well.
• Children develop good relationships with workers they know and trust.
• Social workers speak with children sensitively and there is good consideration of children's needs and abilities.
• Children's plans are well-constructed documents that demonstrate effective and responsive planning.
• When safeguarding concerns about children arise, multi-agency partners are fully involved and consulted. 

Welcoming the report, Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for children's services, education and skills, said:

"This was a routine but intensive check from Ofsted which does not result in a graded judgement but comments on a specific area of work.

"I am pleased to say that Ofsted noted continued good progress from our previous inspection in late 2018 when our services were judged to be 'good' in all regards.

"I would like to thank all of the teams working in children’s services who have gone above and beyond to keep our standards consistently high as evidenced in this report.

"This is an area of the council's activity that requires constant attention and there is and always will be more to do but it is good to have external validation that we are continuing to do well in this vital area and keeping our island children safe."

The full findings of the inspection is available on the Ofsted website at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/44/80419