Update on Journey of Improvement for Children's Services

Key improvements have been made in Children's Services at South Tyneside Council since it was rated Inadequate by Ofsted a year ago.

Following a positive first monitoring visit by Ofsted, a second monitoring visit was held in March of this year when inspectors noted a number of improvements across the wider service.

Inspectors reviewed the progress made in two key areas - the 'front door' which refers to the arrangements in place when Children's Services are initially contacted by a professional or member of the public concerned about a child - and the response to 16 and 17-year-olds who present as homeless.

In their report, Inspectors highlight that improvements have been achieved at the 'front door' with children's needs now "promptly identified and responded to." This has been achieved through increased social work and manager capacity, a streamlined single point of contact and improved partnership arrangements.

Inspectors add in their report: "The new leadership team is delivering on some key objectives in their improvement path. While this visit looked specifically at the local authority's response at their front door, there have also been further improvements across the wider service. In addition to the improvements outlined at the first monitoring visit, further changes have been made to include an improved early help offer, a greater willingness to learn from the sector, and continuing improvements to quality assurance."

The report adds that the out-of-hours service is effective, with staff making swift analysis of the risks to children, meaning children do not experience delays in receiving the right service.

The timeliness of the assessment of children's needs has also improved. This has been achieved through the introduction of a completion deadline. While many are still done in the longest timeframe permitted, inspectors could see a shift towards more proportionate assessments.

Inspectors also found that there is a well-co-ordinated joint response from housing and children's social care when 16 and 17-year-old children present as homeless.

Inspectors noted that there has been improvement in our response to children exposed to domestic abuse with the response now sitting within the public health team who have access to a range of services from the domestic abuse team, including perpetrator programmes and services for women and children.

Inspectors also noted an improvement in collaboration with partner agencies. The introduction of a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub has provided opportunities for enhanced communication, information-sharing and shared decision-making for the benefit of children.

Leader, Councillor Tracey Dixon, said: "Inspectors have already reported on the strengthened approach to performance management and quality assurance.

"While we recognise there are still improvements to make, it is clear that we are definitely moving in the right direction.

"Perhaps most importantly, inspectors noted changes to the culture of the service. It is clear that our staff feel confident and supported and are enthusiastic about making changes to benefit our children and families."