'Most care leavers well supported' - Ofsted

Young people leaving care in the East Riding of Yorkshire are well supported, according to Ofsted

Progress has been made to support young people leaving care in East Yorkshire, with leaders having a "clear vision" of what else needs to improve, according to inspectors.

Ofsted said East Riding of Yorkshire Council's children's services team had "worked hard" following an inspection in 2023, which identified work still needed to be done on supporting people leaving the care system.

Inspectors noted a "significant number" of changes to support a "whole-council approach to parenting" had been implemented.

The council said it would "remain focussed" on providing the best services possible for young people.

The council has invested in personal advisors to better support those leaving care

Following the latest inspection on 15-16 May, inspectors found the service had received investment, enabling it to increase its "personal advisor (PA) and managerial capacity".

"This has enabled leaders to expand the offer to care leavers so that PAs are now allocated to children at an earlier age," stated His Majesty's Inspector Jan Edwards, in a letter to Merlin Joseph, the local authority's executive director of children's services.

Ms Edwards said most care leavers, including those who are disabled, are well-supported into adulthood by "committed" PAs.

The "vast majority" of care leavers, including those who are living out of the authority, are living in homes considered suitable and PAs "are effective at keeping in touch with young people", she said.

Ms Edwards said inspectors found young people were "supported well in their ambitions" and were "making impressive strides in their work, education and personal lives".

Leaders have a "clear vision and understanding" of what remains to be implemented, she said.

Ms Edwards said a "small number" of older care leavers expressed concerns to inspectors regarding where they were living, although she said leaders "responded quickly" to these findings, reviewing each of the young people’s situations.

A number of care leavers were said to be "unclear about the content of the revised local offer" and were unsure regarding what it entailed.

Ms Edwards said the council now needed to focus on promoting the "local offer" to all care leavers and develop its care leavers' forum.

'Many improvements'

Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education, said: “I’m pleased that Ofsted’s focused visit found many improvements in the way we support care leavers. I’m particularly pleased that the review recognised that care leavers are supported through a whole council approach, making it everyone’s responsibility.

“The Local Offer has been revised and coproduced with our young people and this work continues. The voice and influence of care leavers is integral to our vision for the whole service, and we continue to develop how we do this.

“As a whole council we remain focussed on working with our partners, children and young people, to drive forward our ambition for our children and young people to receive the best services possible.”

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