Sefton Council is set to retain control of its children’s services despite having “lost sight of their responsibilities”, according to a report by a government-appointed commissioner.
The report, produced by commissioner Paul Moffat and released last week, details the steps that have been taken since a “bleak” Ofsted inspection earlier this year left the borough’s children’s service rated inadequate after “serious and systemic failings” were identified.
Following the release of a report into that inspection in May this year, the service was placed into special measures and Mr Moffat appointed to oversee changes. Now, after a three-month review into the service, the commissioner has reported his findings and recommendations to the secretary of state for education.
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The report includes a partial reprieve for Sefton Council, as the service was at risk of being taken over by another council or a trust.
In the report, Mr Moffat said the service had made a “good start” in bringing about improvements. But he said the speed of change was being “hampered” by ongoing workforce and quality issues as well as “ineffective and unaligned improvement measures.”
He added that the pace needed to improve over the next six to nine months, although at this stage he was reluctant to invoke the more drastic option of taking the service out of the council’s hands.
Mr Moffat said: “At this juncture this would be time consuming and would further delay improvements in my view because it would distract from the core work of improvement.”
Looking back at what went wrong, Mr Moffat said: “Ineffective governance, poor performance management arrangements and quality assurance processes meant that senior leaders were not aware of the quality of services provided or how resources were being allocated,” noting the deterioration had begun around 2016.
He added that while the council “responded swiftly” to the Ofsted inspection report and attempted to implement changes, this was frustrated by a “strong culture of non-compliance which has become a custom and practice coping strategy.”
He said there have been “positive gains” and “constructive plans” in recent months, including the “very positive” development of a new social work academy but the risks remain that “embedded” poor practice can continue to influence new recruits if learning and culture change does not occur throughout the service.
Key problems persist around children’s plans that do not place the child at the centre and “lack purpose” or effective actions for some of the borough’s most vulnerable children. In particular, the quality of work around safeguarding and children at risk of exploitation is still “variable” meaning some children may be left at risk.
In the case of special educational provision, Mr Moffat said the situation continues to deteriorate. The report states: “The service has recently experienced a further decline in performance, with significant challenges in respect of staffing and the increase in the number requests for EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans).”
However, there are signs of hope, with Mr Moffat adding that improvement plans are “in place”.
But he said the improvement plan, recently submitted to Ofsted, “does not yet do justice to the Council’s clear ambitions around engagement, participation and co-production.”
All of this is taking place, according to the commissioner, against a backdrop of stretched council finances, despite the need for ever-increasing investment, which has led to “difficult financial decisions” to ensure the service remains adequately funded.
In conclusion, Mr Moffat made 11 recommendations, including retaining the use of a commissioner, the development of a medium term financial plan, a review of the council’s market position and a “refresh” of the structure and membership of the improvement board.
Moving all parts of the service into the same location, which is already in process, is also listed as an urgent recommendation alongside a “system analysis” from the perspective of a child’s journey through the services to inform further improvements to the provision.
The secretary of state for education will now review the report and make a decision on the next steps for Sefton Council’s beleaguered children’s services.
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