Northamptonshire Children's Trust aims to improve troubled children's services

Northamptonshire Children's Trust took control of children's services in the county in November 2020

After a damning report into the deaths of two murdered children and a county's children's services being rated "inadequate", a new trust was set up to protect vulnerable youngsters in Northamptonshire.

Even before that, the area's children's services had a troubled history, including a government commissioner being appointed to oversee them in 2018.

On government orders, an independent body - Northamptonshire Children's Trust - took control in November 2020.

Three years on, with questions about value for money and the effectiveness of the service, is it doing its job?

'Still work to do'

Northamptonshire Children's Trust chief executive Colin Foster believes progress has been made in the county

Last year in a full inspection, Ofsted said the trust "requires improvement", but inspectors said they found a "culture of kindness" within the service.

In a follow-up visit, reported this month, inspectors said a firm focus had continued on improvement, but help and protection for some children had not been provided at the earliest opportunity.

Chief executive of Northamptonshire Children's Trust, Colin Foster, says: "I think anyone in Northamptonshire would say the early support network for children and families isn't where it should be and hasn't been for many years.

"We've seen lots of improvements but still there's work to do.

"I'm really pleased to work with our partners around how we do that… it's a partnership responsibility."

'I just bottled it up'

Connor Smart was in the care system and now works for the children's trust

The trust cares for about 4,500 children and young people across Northamptonshire.

Connor Smart was one of those in care and now works as a business administration apprentice at the trust.

He says: "I was taken into care at the age of seven and I stayed within the system for 13 years, and here I am now working for the system."

The 21-year-old still has a good relationship with his foster parents, saying: "I'm invited back for festivities, such as Christmas. They've always got a room open for me whether I need it in times of need and are supportive."

But his experience with Northamptonshire Children's Services was not as positive, with him having 30 different social workers between the ages of seven and 13.

He says: "Each social worker stayed with me for, like, two or three months, then I would have a new one.

"It was not great because I didn't really explore into my problems. I didn't really express what I needed help with and just bottled [it] up eventually, and then I had to have extra additional services."

'Child focussed'

Social worker Lauren Hilling-Roughton says there is better staff retention - a previous criticism of the service

Lauren Hilling-Roughton is one of the 450 social workers and says over the last two years "the workforce is much more steadier - there's more permanent staff".

The number of agency workers in the trust has gone down from 26% of the workforce three years ago to 16% now.

Ms Hilling-Roughton, a senior social worker in the duty and assessment team, says the service is much more "child focussed" now.

'Like living with your best mate'

Foster carer Russ Parker says he has been given help and support by the trust

Russ Parker, a foster carer to a 14-year-old boy for three years, says: "In terms of support, we get quite a lot of training, we have mandatory training.

"I have my own social worker. I've always had a lot of support from the trust."

Mr Parker, who lives in Desborough, is one of 300 fostering households in Northamptonshire and the experience has led to new skills.

The 60-year-old is keen runner, but now does kickboxing three times a week with his foster placement.

"I'd say it's like living with your best mate. He hadn't had a significant relationship with an adult that he'd been able to hold on to," he adds.

Children's services in Northamptonshire: A timeline

Evelyn-Rose Muggleton and Dylan Tiffin-Brown were victims of separate murders while being monitored by Northamptonshire Children's Services

• Government commissioner Malcolm Newsam is appointed to oversee the "overwhelmed" service in 2018

• Two serious case reviews found the council had failed to protect murdered children Dylan Tiffin-Brown and Evelyn-Rose Muggleton

• The service was rated "inadequate" in July 2019

• Commissioner Mr Newsam resigned in September 2019, to be replaced by Andrew Christie

• In January 2020, a government report condemned the department as one of the worst in the country, despite being the most expensive

• An independent trust took control in November 2020, with Ofsted saying the department was improving a month later

• In December 2021, safeguarding reports into the deaths of two babies found there were "learnings" for authorities in the county to make

'Totally different atmosphere'

Conservative Fiona Baker hopes the trust will continue to improve

Fiona Baker, cabinet member for children's services at West Northamptonshire Council, says improvement at the trust "is a really long journey".

"It's not something that's going to happen overnight, it's something we're working on every single day," she says.

The Conservative councillor says in the last year there's been a "turnaround of staff satisfaction… and it's a totally different atmosphere here to what it was before".

She says the aim and hope is that the next full inspection of the service will see it rated "good" by Ofsted.

Ms Baker says the budget overspend is something being felt across the country.

"We've got a rise in inflation, a rise in the costs of placements. It is a really challenging situation. That's why the more work we can do in the early years helps to stop children coming into that situation," she says.

'Children failed'

Labour councillor Wendy Randall believes there needs to be more money for the trust

Last year the trust overspent by £21m, so unitary authorities West and North Northamptonshire councils increased its budget from just over £137m to £143m.

Despite that, it looks set to overspend again.

Wendy Randall, leader of the Labour group on West Northamptonshire Council, says she hopes improvements will continue as "so many children" had been "failed" in the past.

"Basically there's not enough funding, we've been underfunded [by central government] year-on-year and we're having more and more children coming into care," she says.

A government spokesperson says it is investing £259m "to support local authorities to create more placements for children in high quality and safe homes".

They added that reforms to children's social care will "focus on more early support for families, reducing the need for crisis response at a later stage, with plans backed by £200m to test and refine our approach".