Nottingham City Council has expressed regret that its children’s service is ‘not where it should be’ after Ofsted rated them as ‘Inadequate’.
The full inspection report, which was published today, identified a number of key areas for improvement including the response time when children are first identified as being at-risk and the need for more social workers.
Ofsted’s ‘Inadequate’ judgement, which follows an inspection that took place between 4 and 22 July, is a lower rating than the previous ‘Requires Improvement’ judgment in 2019.
Despite the overall judgement, the inspectors did acknowledge some areas where the council was doing well. They noted, for example, that children are well-supported once they are allocated a social worker.
Cllr Cheryl Barnard, portfolio holder for Children, Young People and Schools, said: ‘I am sorry that some children are not getting the right help at the right time and I accept that our overall performance is not where it should be.
‘Please be assured that everyone in our Children’s Services team is committed to providing the best possible care in our city – and will do whatever it takes to improve. Our children and young people deserve nothing less.’
