Bradford’s Children’s Services ‘improved significantly’

Children’s Services are no longer judged to be ‘inadequate’ by inspectors, Ofsted have announced today (21 May). 

According to Ofsted, Children’s services are no longer failing or require “special measures”. This ends eight years of intensive regular Ofsted monitoring visits.

Importantly, the report confirms that “Services to children, young people and care leavers who need help, protection and care have improved significantly since the last inspection.”

The report states that “Leaders in the Trust and the Council have rebuilt the service with purpose and clarity.”

Bradford’s Children’s Services were given the following judgements:

Leadership: The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families	Good
Children who need help and protection: The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection	Requires improvement to be good
Children in Care: The experiences and progress of children in care	Requires improvement to be good
Care Leavers: The experiences and progress of care leavers	Good

Ofsted’s judgement for overall effectiveness is: “Requires improvement to be good.”

These judgements mark a significant achievement on behalf of Bradford’s children, young people and families, with a step change in the quality of services, impact and leadership. The Trust was set up three years ago to deliver children’s services on behalf of Bradford Council after children’s services were rated “inadequate” by Ofsted for two previous inspections

Charlotte Ramsden OBE, Chief Executive, Bradford Children and Families Trust, said:

“We are really pleased to receive such a positive report from our recent inspection. Ofsted recognises the big improvements made by Bradford’s Children and Families Trust supported by a strong partnership with Bradford Council.  This marks a turning point for children’s services in Bradford. We have built a solid and secure base for the future. Today, we celebrate this achievement, but we know we still have a lot of work to do as we drive forward further improvements.”

“On behalf of the whole Trust, our thanks go to our passionate and dedicated staff, carers and partners for the improvement and progress they have made. They work tirelessly with our families and communities to keep Bradford children and young people safe and provide the support that meets their needs.

“I also want to thank the children and young people we work with and their parents, carers and extended families for their feedback, which helps us work together to make Bradford a safe, great place to grow up.”

Dr Lorraine O’Donnell, Chief Executive of Bradford Council, said:

“Making Bradford a great place to grow up is a top priority for us. I am pleased that this detailed report from Ofsted outlines the many areas in which social services for children have shown significant improvement since the last inspection.

“This is a significant milestone on our improvement journey. I want to thank Trust and Council colleagues who have worked so hard to deliver this change and to all our partners including health, police, schools, and the voluntary sector.

“We know there is more to do, and we have robust plans in place to ensure we continue both the scale and pace of improvement.”

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