Child services get first 'good' rating since 2013

The new rating has been celebrated by staff at Sandwell Council

Children's services in Sandwell have been rated "good" for the first time in more than a decade.

An inspection by Ofsted first judged them "inadequate" in 2013, then again in 2015 before they were taken over by Sandwell Children's Trust in 2018, which ran the services for the council.

In 2022 Ofsted said the council's children's services required improvement and inspectors said in their latest report significant changes had been made since then.

Sandwell Council said the new rating reflected "years of determination and improvement".

The latest Ofsted inspection found children and families received effective help from social workers and responses to reports of domestic abuse and exploitation were well co-ordinated.

They also found children who were looked after in Sandwell were living in safe, stable homes, had strong relationships with social workers and the views of the children themselves were used to shape care plans.

The inspectors praised the leadership of the children's services and the partnerships involved.

The leader of the council, Kerrie Carmichael, said she was "extremely proud of the progress made".

Sandwell Children's Trust's chief executive Emma Taylor said: "Every improvement has been driven by a commitment to put children at the heart of everything we do."