Council chiefs salute 'good' Ofsted outcome for children’s and social services

Oldham’s children’s and social services have reached a ‘huge milestone’ after achieving a ‘good’ Ofsted rating, council bosses say.

The rating is a major upgrade after a 2019 inspection found the town hall service ‘required improvement’ and was understood to have been bordering on being ‘inadequate’. 

The rating could be a ‘turning point’ for public trust in the service.

Findings by the previous Ofsted report and a 2019 inquiry led by Greater Manchester’s Combined Authority into the council’s handling of historic child sexual abuse cases have hung heavily over the council. 

The GMCA inquiry found ‘systemic failings’ in the way the council had handled cases of children vulnerable to exploitation, despite efforts to protect them.

Though it found no evidence to support online claims of a council-led ‘cover-up’. 

Public distrust was still exacerbated by the circulation of accusations and conspiracy theories online. 

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the new rating, council leader Arooj Shah said the rating was ‘really symbolic in terms of public confidence’. 

Coun Shah added: “[The protection of children] has been politicised and used to knock confidence out of a service where people are really committed to the most vulnerable in society has felt really unfair. 

“I think the council has always operated in a way that protects our most vulnerable children.

"But you have to accept the outcome of that report in 2019.

"The report said there was no cover-up but they talked about system failings, which you have to apologise for and learn from.

“I’m just thrilled because this [Ofsted] report reflects that we’re protecting our most vulnerable people and keeping families together – and I would go so far as to say saving lives, too.

"It’s really important that people know that we will look after them and give them the services they deserve.” 

Chief executive Harry Catherall and director of children’s services Julie Daniels explainedsaid there had been a huge, two-year plan to transform the directorate, with bosses having ‘sleepless nights’. 

“We were just about keeping safe,” Mr Catherall said.

“We knew we needed radical change.” 

The project started with a £14.7m investment into the service.

In the wake of a national shortage of experienced social workers, Ms Daniels addressed staffing issues and set up an Oldham-based academy to train up new and returning staff.

Working conditions were also improved, so staff would stay for longer and could build more long-term relationships with families. 

The culture was changed so social workers worked more closely with families and ensuring the needs of youngsters in care were being met.

Ofsted recognised the efforts as a ‘relentless focus on improvement’ and praised the ‘strong and stable’ leadership that brought about the change. 

The inspection found children in Oldham ‘now benefit from good-quality help and support’ in the borough and that services had improved ‘despite increased level of demand’.

The council received ‘good’ ratings in all inspection areas including the treatment of kids in care, social work and vulnerable kids.

The improvements come at a time when demand for children’s services is skyrocketing in Oldham.

Demand for services has increased by 50 percent with the department seeing around 500 to 600 referrals each week. 

Covid, the cost of living crisis and long-term struggles with deprivation and poverty in the borough are ‘compounding generations of challenges with neglect’, according to Mr Catherall.

It has left too many kids in volatile situations, with 500 currently housed in temporary accommodation as a result of their families becoming homeless. 

But the local picture is part of a UK-wide pattern which sees local authorities increasingly struggling to keep up with the spiralling demand and costs of children’s care.

Council bosses in Oldham also wonder if the huge investments they’ve put into the local authority’s services are ‘sustainable’ in the long run. 

Coun Shah added: “These are all significant challenges that need significant investment.

"And every local authority across the country will tell you that it’s been underfunded.

"It can’t continue like that.”

Mr Catherall added that he hoped to see a ‘rethink’ at a governmental level that will support local authorities into engaging preventatively with families at a much earlier stage.

He thinks children’s protection is the ‘toughest job of all’ in local government. 

“I’m not proud of anything more than this,” he said.

“Because we know what this translates into.

"It translates into children being kept safe.” 

But their work isn’t done yet and the Oldham bosses say they are ‘far from complacent’ about the challenges at hand. 

For one, Oldham has a massive undersupply of children’s homes, which the local authority is currently working to address. 

Last year 239 kids were placed outside the local authority, with almost 50 more than 20 miles away from home.

A new kid’s home in Royton will soon open seven new spaces in the borough. 

The council will also have to grapple with other challenges in children’s support, including their support for SEND pupils across the borough after a recent inspection found ‘widespread and/or systemic failings’.

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