Ofsted praises children care services "restructure"

Ofsted report improvement in care leavers' and older children's care at Gloucestershire County Council

Ofsted inspectors have praised a "restructure" of the service for care leavers and older children in care at Gloucestershire County Council.

Findings showed "strong corporate and political support" have led to better services, but some areas still needed improvement.

The review, issued in a letter to the council, followed an inspection that was carried out on 22 and 23 January 2025.

Ann James, executive director for Children's Services, said the letter "reflects a huge amount of hard work".

'Bespoke training'

The review found children in care now benefited from a personal adviser (PA) which is allocated to them earlier on while in the care.

For some young people leaving care, the earlier intervention had been "transformative" and had helped some turn their lives around, according to inspectors.

They also said that PAs received "bespoke training" and that the local authority was now training non-social work qualified staff.

However, inspectors highlighted issues with record-keeping and "frequent oversight" from senior managers, reported by social workers.

It said issues related to care given to children over 16 who were placed in unregistered placements.

The local authority has welcomed the review

Inspectors said arrangements for care leavers in custody needed further improvement too, specifically around joint planning with probation and prison staff.

Ofsted also found a "very small number" of young people who had complex emotional or mental health needs did not receive support soon enough.

Leaders said they were working with the Integrated Commissioning Board (ICB) to reduce waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services.

Inspectors said staff were positive about the changes implemented for care leavers, including the creation of a dedicated care leaver service.

The review also found that improvements were being made to independent living accommodation, with more provision being commissioned and built.

Cllr Stephen Davies, leader of Gloucestershire County Council said he was "pleased to read" Ofsted's review.

Cllr Davies said the council was "committed to doing everything we can to support children in our care, and that doesn't stop at 18."

Executive director for Children's Services, Ann James, said: "I'm very grateful to our care leavers who have helped us to design and deliver the improvements that inspectors saw."