Trafford Council's children's services 'improving but still inadequate'

Inspectors found inconsistent levels of children's services in Trafford

A great deal more work still needs to be done to tackle "inadequate" children's services in Trafford, inspectors said.

Despite finding dramatic improvements had been made since 2019, Ofsted said there was still "a long way to go".

The latest report, compiled following virtual inspections between February and May, found some children had been unexpectedly rushed into care.

Trafford Council said it recognised where it still needed to improve.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the review, led by Her Majesty's inspector Paula Thomson-Jones, found that assessments of some children's needs were "not reliable".

Some children also faced delays in getting the help they needed.

The inspector said the planned support for care leavers was also "unclear" and these young people were "not positive" about the support they received.

Communication issues between service providers were also identified.

'Vulnerable'

Among the leadership "failures" highlighted was the need for management to get a better grip on the service while staff recruitment and retention was also a "significant challenge".

Some children experienced inconsistent care because of high staff turnover.

Inconsistencies were also identified in the support provided to the most vulnerable children - those with child protection or child in need plans.

"When there is no progress for children and their lives do not improve, this is not identified or responded to quickly enough," said Ms Thomson-Jones.

But she acknowledged leaders and staff "understand the significant amount of development that is required to improve social work practice with children and their families".

A Trafford Council spokesperson said: "We are not complacent and we recognise there are still areas where we need to improve."

The March 2019 report branded Trafford Council's children's services "inadequate", citing "widespread deterioration" in the quality of services since a previous inspection in 2015.

Immediately after that critical report, Trafford's leadership team drew up a detailed improvement plan.