Medway Council 'unaware' of child services failings

Many vulnerable children were found to be living in situations of harm, said watchdog Ofsted

Senior Medway council leaders were unaware of numerous failings in children's social care services, according to an Ofsted report.

Vulnerable children were found to be at risk or living in situations of harm after services deteriorated from 2015.

Social workers had "exceptionally high" caseloads and were each responsible for up to 55 children.

Deputy director of children's services Ann Domeney resigned on Tuesday morning after the report was published.

Ofsted announced an "inadequate" rating after an interim inspection on 15 July and highlighted serious concern for the following areas:

• Impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families

• Experiences and progress of children who need help and protection

• Overall effectiveness

Provisions for children in care, those in need of adoption and those leaving care were found to be "not good enough" and also needed improvement.

'Hugely embarrassing'

Senior leaders and politicians failed to acknowledge concerns identified in February 2019 by inspectors, said Ofsted.

The watchdog also found staff across teams went unsupported, while leaders failed to "understand children's lived experiences".

Council Leader Allan Jarrett said the report was "hugely embarrassing".

"Quite frankly we're appalled by it - it was quite a shock to us."

Medway Council say it accepts full responsibility for the areas of concern highlighted in the report

The council claims to have made improvements but said there is a "huge amount of work" ahead.

The Department for Education has appointed commissioner Eleanor Brazil to scrutinise changes made over the next three months.

If improvements are not sufficient, the council could be stripped of its services.