A North London council’s children’s services have been rated “inadequate” following an inspection by Ofsted.
While some areas have seen improvement, the report suggests that “significant leadership churn” over the past five years has led to a “deterioration in the quality of service and practice” for care leavers, with some homeless children not getting the right support.
Ofsted undertook a borough-wide inspection of Harrow Council’s children’s services in January, giving it an overall rating of “Inadequate” due to the watchdog’s findings on the “experience and progress of care leavers”. This is a fall from its overall “Good” rating following the department’s previous inspection in 2020.
The report highlights that the quality of support provided to care leavers “has deteriorated”, with the risk of harm to young people who were previously under the care of the local authority “not always considered or responded to effectively”. Inspectors pointed to “serious failures” in keeping in touch with a “significant number of care leavers” despite them being entitled to ongoing support.
The quality of plans for those preparing to leave care and live independently was described as “highly variable”, with weaker examples containing out-of-date information, not child-centred, and difficult to read and understand. A “lack of professional curiosity” about their subsequent living arrangements resulted in a failure to understand the possible risks. Even when a risk of harm is identified, inspectors found that neither their personal advisor (PA) nor managers could demonstrate how to mitigate it.
The local authority’s support for many unaccompanied asylum-seeking care leavers was also described as “ineffective” and, when young people go missing, “little effort is made to find them and ensure they are safe”, according to the report. It added that both corporate and political support for children and care leavers in Harrow “has not adequately ensured that [their] needs have been consistently met”, and there “is not currently sufficient leadership stability or focus to lead the level of change required”.
Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Hitesh Karia, acknowledged that it was “sad” that the report highlights that in recent years, the council “hasn’t always provided the right support at the right time for all our young people as they leave care”.
He said: “For that, we are truly sorry. We accept the findings of this report and have moved quickly to ensure those who have been let down now have a dedicated worker and will have the support they so rightly deserve to thrive in everything they go on to do as adults.”
Whilst the council received the lowest overall rating due its performance on care leavers, it was rated as either ‘Good’ or ‘Requires improvement to be good’ on the three other metrics – the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection; the experiences and progress of children in care; and the the impact of leaders on social work practice.
Contacts and referrals are said to be dealt with “in a timely way and are prioritised in line with risk”, meaning most children receive the right level of support and intervention. Children and adults who are victims of domestic abuse receive “sensitive support”, whilst the initial response to children at risk of significant harm “is prompt”, and they are transferred to the first response service “without delay”, according to the report.
Children’s assessments are thorough and “clear plans” are implemented that detail what needs to change, meaning the child and their families understand what is expected of them and why social workers are involved in their lives. Ofsted also highlighted that the response to children who go missing or are at risk of exploitation “has improved since the last inspection and they are now recognised and responded to effectively”.
When children come into the care of the local authority, Ofsted states that they “make tangible and sustained progress” and are cared for in “settled and stable living arrangements” where their ongoing health needs are “very well met”. Despite the financial pressures the council is facing, the report also highlights that there has been further investment “to strengthen services and increase staffing capacity”.
Cllr Karia said: “The well-being and safeguarding of our children and young people has and always will be a top priority for the council. We take the role of looking after children in care and supporting them into adulthood very seriously. It is reassuring that the Ofsted report recognises the ‘Good’ work we do to safeguard and support those children.”
He added: “While the outcome is not what we hoped for, the report highlights the great work our dedicated social workers do and the good services we generally provide for our children and young people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to achieving better outcomes for our children and young people.”
