Isles of Scilly children's services rated inadequate

An inspection was carried out in July

The Isles of Scilly council's services for children who need help and protection have been rated inadequate by Ofsted.

An inspection was carried out between 11 and 13 July and the report found children in the area were "not receiving effective support, protection and care".

Grades are given on a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

Chairman of the council, councillor Robert Francis, said he offered his "apologies on behalf of the council" and "fully accepts Ofsted's findings and recognises that not enough has been done".

The report found:

• The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families was inadequate

• The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection was inadequate

• The experiences and progress of children in care required improvement

• The experiences and progress of care leavers required improvement

• The overall effectiveness of the service was inadequate

Ofsted's report said: "When there are safeguarding concerns for children, action is not always taken quickly enough to assess risk or to ensure that children are safe.

"Appropriate professional standards for information sharing and confidentiality are not always understood or applied.

"This means that information is not shared between agencies or recorded in children’s records when it should be."

The council has received funding from the Department for Education since the release of the report.

It means Essex County Council, which is rated as outstanding in all of Ofsted's judgement areas, will provide support for the service.

New case management software has also been introduced and will be in place within the next 12 months.

'Matter of urgency'

Mr Francis said: "These services have a substantial impact on the lives of Scilly’s children and their families and we are determined to make improvements as a matter of urgency."

Lead member for children, councillor Joel Williams, said the actions taken "must lead to meaningful and long-term change so we do not find ourselves in this position again".

He added: "I will ensure that the service benefits from a greater level of scrutiny and support as we make the necessary improvements and seek to restore trust in these services.”