Norfolk children's services 'out of special measures'

Children's services at Norfolk County Council are rated as "requires improvements" in all areas except for adoption

A council's under-fire children's services department is no longer failing and is out of special measures, inspectors have said.

The Norfolk County Council department was rated as inadequate in 2013 and 2015.

In their latest report, Ofsted inspectors said services for children had got better but still required improvement in all but one area.

The council's adoption service was "outstanding", they added.

Stuart Darke, vice-chairman of the children's services committee, welcomed the report and said it was a "significant signpost" towards a "good" status.

He said the improvements were down to the "drive" and "determination" of officers.

Inspectors found social workers were visiting children regularly and more children and families were supported by early help services when needed.

Sara Tough, executive director of children's services, said there was still a lot of work to do

The report said social workers did an "excellent" job of finding families for children who needed to be adopted.

In 2015, the Fostering to Adopt programme was in its infancy and had only had one case. It has since dealt with 27, the report said.

Seven recommendations were made for further improvement, including ensuring there was a stable and settled workforce to support children's relationships with social workers.

Inspectors also said the council needed to strengthen its response to children who go missing or are at risk of sexual exploitation.

The council said it was investing £12m extra on redesigning services over the next four years which it hoped would mean less children in care because families were more resilient.

Sara Tough, who became executive director of children's services in October, said morale had been boosted by taking on more staff.

There was "still a lot of work to do" and vacancies to fill, she added.