Ofsted published the outcome of our latest focused visit on 16 and 17 April 2024, which specifically looked at arrangements for children in need or children who are the subject of a child protection plan. This visit doesn’t lead to a graded Ofsted judgement like some other inspections; the outcome of this type of inspection is an evaluation of our service quality in the form of a report letter.
The headline finding is that Ofsted positively recognised our ‘comprehensive improvement programme’, noting that ‘progress for children is evident in the improved quality and timeliness of assessments, the increased timeliness of visits to children, and a more consistent application of thresholds’. Inspectors found ‘children have positive relationships with their social workers because the social workers invest their time in getting to know them’ and they ‘understand the importance of families working together’.
You can read the full letter here, but in summary:
Inspectors also found some areas we need to improve on, which the relevant services recognise. These are improving the quality of letters before proceedings and the consistency and quality of direct work with children and there are already steps taking place to address these areas.
Overall, the inspection findings are positive and recognise that we are developing our teams and providing the right level of support and supervision to ensure the right outcomes for Surrey children. Congratulations to colleagues who have worked tirelessly to get to this important milestone in our improvement journey. A full ‘ILACS’ inspection of our children’s services is expected within the next 18 months, and you can find out more about Ofsted inspections of children’s services here.
