Children's services decline in new inspection

Services have declined in quality since the previous inspection

The quality of children's services in Bedford has declined according to inspectors.

Bedford Borough Council's children's services have been judged to "require improvement to be good" in all areas following an inspection in July.

The Ofsted report marks a decline from the last inspection in November 2021, when the service was rated good across the board.

A council spokesperson said the borough "acknowledges and accepts" the findings, adding: "This provides clear direction for the development of the service."

"We are already implementing a robust improvement plan and will continue working closely with partners to ensure every child receives the support they deserve," it continued.

In the report were criticisms the council has not addressed a lack of placements, meaning many youngsters were living in unregistered children's homes.

Support for homeless teenagers was "inconsistent" as some faced delays, poor experiences and were not routinely made aware of their rights.

It was also noted that staff had very high caseloads, affecting their ability to ensure required tasks were completed.

Despite the overall decline, Ofsted did praise the council for its swift and effective referral triage, robust early help services, and a strong multi-agency response to tackling child exploitation.

The council pointed to national challenges in children's social care, including a shortage of placements, and said unregistered homes were only used when no other option was available.

Conservative councillor Jane Walker, portfolio holder for valuing families, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service how the authority was planning to respond.

She said: "Our focus is twofold: tight oversight and swift exit from any unregistered arrangement, and fixing the root cause – sufficiency – by growing in-house options and recruiting more Bedford borough foster carers.

"We are adding capacity and resources so caseloads become manageable.

"This includes targeted recruitment, retention measures and workflow changes so practitioners have the time to deliver safe, high-quality practice."