'Trust in children's social care has been rebuilt'

Ofsted inspectors have rated children's social care in North East Lincolnshire as "good"

Children services in North East Lincolnshire have been rated "good" after previously being judged as "inadequate" in 2021.

An Ofsted report said the service had "undergone profound and positive change".

It added that trust in children's social care "has been rebuilt" with local agency partnerships and key stakeholders.

Ann-Marie Matson, the council's director of children's services, said: "The outcome reflects the way in which everybody has played their part."

Ms Matson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that children in care living locally was quickly identified as a priority when she and new leadership for children's services came in.

"It was quite clear to see that we had children that were living many miles from this amazing community that we are in today, and it was their absolute right to come home," she said.

"The whole council, the whole partnership, but also the whole business network and our schools, our colleges across North East Lincolnshire got behind a fostering friendly campaign."

The report said the "quality and impact of social work practice have improved considerably" and that children in care "now benefit from having permanent social workers who see them regularly and know them well".

Director of children's services Ann-Marie Matson says everybody has played their part

However, inspectors said there was a need for improvement in support for children with disabilities.

Ms Matson told the LDRS the areas for improvement were "absolutely embraced by the council and the partnership", and confirmed new dedicated managers have been recruited to improve support for disabled children.

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