Middlesbrough's children's services further improved, inspectors say

The head of Middlesbrough children's services described the Ofsted report as "encouraging"

There has been "substantial improvement" in Middlesbrough's children's services but issues remain around appropriate placements for some youngsters, inspectors have said.

In December 2019, Ofsted rated the service as "inadequate", but this was withdrawn after improvements were made.

A visit by inspectors in March highlighted further improvements.

They found outcomes for children were "moving in the right direction" under a "committed leadership team".

Their report added: "There has been a substantial improvement in permanence planning for children in care since the last inspection.

"This is having a positive impact on the progress and experiences of these children."

Other positives noted included children being regularly visited by their social workers and benefitting from safely assessed time with their families, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Complex needs'

However inspectors found that issues remained around appropriate placements for some children.

The report states: "There are a small number of children placed with family members who have not been formally assessed and approved as connected foster carers.

"There are also a small minority of children with complex needs in unregistered children's homes who are awaiting a suitably matched regulated placement."

Ofsted acknowledged that leaders were aware of the situation and the children all have individual assessments to identify and mitigate risks.

Sue Butcher, director of Middlesbrough's children's services, said: "This latest Ofsted feedback is encouraging for us and reflects well on the changes we are making.

"We're well aware we have more improvements to make and I'm confident that the commitment and passion of our staff will keep us on the right track."