Buckinghamshire children's services 'needs improvement'

Ofsted said the service had "acute and persistent" problems with recruitment and retention of social workers

Children's services deemed inadequate since 2014 still need improvement to be rated good, inspectors have said.

Ofsted found many children in contact with Buckinghamshire Council had too many changes of social worker, and the rate of re-referrals was high.

However, no widespread or serious failures were seen across its services.

Cabinet member for children's services, Anita Cranmer, said she was proud of its progress, adding: "We acknowledge that improvements need to be made."

Ofsted inspected the service in December and said it was no longer inadequate, but rated it as "requires improvement to be good".

'Fragmented and episodic'

"Leaders worked highly effectively to ensure that children were safeguarded during the Covid-19 pandemic," its report said.

Improvements had been impeded by "acute and persistent" problems with recruitment and retention of social workers and managers, and poor social work practice, it added.

Both issues dated back to its last full inspection in 2017, when it was given its second inadequate rating.

The help some children received was "fragmented and episodic" because of they did not see the same social worker, the report added.

Inspectors found senior managers did not use data "to provoke enquiries" into areas for concern, including the high rate or re-referrals and unsuitable accommodation for some care leavers.

However, it added that "regular and forensic" scrutiny had boosted the circumstances and experiences of many children.

"The positive impact of quality assurance work has accelerated during the last six months but has been too slow in generating widespread higher standards of practice that improve children's circumstances and experiences," the report added.

Conservative-run Buckinghamshire Council was formed in 2020 as a new unitary council following the merger of the county council and the four district councils of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe.