Kent County Council's children's services 'outstanding'

The vast majority of children in care told Ofsted inspectors they feel safe where they live

Kent County Council's (KCC) children's services, which have had to respond to "unparalleled" numbers of child migrants, have been rated "outstanding".

Inspectors from Ofsted reported: "Children are at the centre of Kent County Council's culture and practice."

They said services were of a "a consistently good standard, resulting in positive outcomes".

The director of children's services said the report was "fantastic".

The Ofsted inspectors reported: "Kent children's services have had to respond to the unparalleled numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in the county.

"At times, the local and national demands have been challenging to balance. Senior leaders and frontline staff have responded well to these exceptional pressures on service delivery.

"As a result, the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children Kent County Council takes responsibility for are well cared for and services for all vulnerable children in Kent have continued to improve."

However, inspectors noted some children were missing lessons due to social workers conducting visits during school hours, and said the authority needed to improve social workers' caseloads.

'Dedication and commitment'

Sarah Hammond, KCC's Interim Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, said: "I am incredibly proud that our children's services have been rated as outstanding.

"It reflects the positive difference our staff make every day to the lives of children, young people and their families, as well as their dedication and commitment to providing the best possible standard of service.

"This is a fantastic result, but our work does not stop here", she said.

"We will continue to make further improvements to our services and professional practice so that we continue to deliver outstanding services for our children, young people and their families."

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