Agenda item

Paula Jemson, Head of Corporate Parenting and Performance, Strategic Services will be in attendance to provide feedback from the monitoring visit.

The Head of looked after children and Corporate Parenting provided the Board with feedback from the current ofsted monitoring visit.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

On 29 and 30 March 2022, there was a 2 day monitoring visit, this was the third Monitoring Visit since the last full inspection (plus a focused visit)

There were two Inspectors, and the local authority was given two week’s preparation. This was the first ‘face to face’ visit and areas covered were as follows:

·        Matching, placement and decision-making for Children in Care

·        Planning and achieving permanence for children. 

The monitoring Visit feedback letter was published 6^th May 2022 and a link to the letter was included within the presentation for members.

They first asked us, how well we knew ourselves:

This was evidenced by our

•        Detailed improvement plan

•        Accurate Self Assessment (SEF) and this was considered to be ‘Spot On’. 

We know this through

•        Our Quality Assurance processes – It is not just about compliance

•        Robust reviewing processes and panels

•        Audits – the learning loop is crucial

•        Our centre for practice excellence was considered excellent and it is our central focus for collating learning and improvement.

In terms of permanence, feedback was as follows:

•        There was a systemic framework for permanency planning – it’s less reactive and more forward looking.

•        Stronger practice with children who have come into care more recently and more thought about early permanence planning

•        Permanency plans now include parallel planning to avoid drift and delay for children.

•        Social workers know children need permanence and know what they need to do to achieve it.

•        Regular and high quality supervision actively contribute to early permanence planning

•        Monthly Permanence Monitoring Group (PMG) meetings track and quality assure both plans and progression towards permanence    

Positives from the visit were as follows:

•        Children in Care are visited regularly

•        Most Social Workers know their children well and have built trusting relationships with them.

•        Good direct work – calibrated to a child’s age and understanding

•        Children’s voices are informing their planning.

•        Family Time

•        Children benefit from safely assessed family time

•        Family time with wider family members is well considered

•        Brother and sister ‘Together or Apart’ assessments are completed quickly and relationships are maintained if they can’t live together. 

•        Children are brought into care in a more timely way through better court applications

•        Good feedback from the local judiciary and Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service ( CAFCASS)

•        Child Permanence Reports are sensitively written

•        Social Workers understand the need for children to have life story work so they will understand their parentage and identity as they grow up

•        Children’s records are written directly to the child by social workers who know them

•        Children will be able to see the thought that went into the planning for their forever homes.

•        Care planning meetings, supervision sessions, reviews and legal gateway are well recorded forums for reflective and creative thinking. They provide clear oversight of the plans and actions for the best interests of children. Therefore children experience less delay.

•        Independent Reviewing Officers have improved oversight of children’s plans. There is evidence of them carrying out mid-point reviews to consider if these plans are progressing.

The head of service provided the board with the points to consider which were identified from the visit:

•        There is still some impact on children from a legacy of absent or poor planning.

•        Some children have experienced earlier unplanned placement moves and consequent disruption and instability

•        There are a number of children placed with family members who have not been assessed and approved as connected foster carers.

•        There is a minority of children with complex needs in unregistered children’s homes awaiting a suitably matched regulated placement. The carer’s ability to meet their needs is undetermined and unregulated.

•        However, leaders are aware of these children and all have individual assessments and cumulative oversight to mitigate against risk. 

•        Senior leaders know their services well

•        Social workers spoke positively about the determined efforts to make improvements and create the conditions for good social work practice through clear expectations and standards.

•        They value the

•        Support from their team members

•        Training and development programme

•        Growing supportive working culture 

•                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        There was a further Monitoring Visit that took place on 13-14 July 2022.  This focused specifically on the support and services provided within the MACH, Early Help and the Assessment Service.  The letter will be published on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              17 August 2022.

The next Monitoring Visit will take place in November 2022 and will focus on the support and services to Care Leavers, however this has yet to be confirmed.

Board members welcomed the comments from the visit and thanked all the officer for their work and focus.

A Board member finally queried how long Middlesbrough Children’s Services would be expected to be under Ofsted monitoring and in response the head of service advised in normal circumstances it would be 3 years.   

AGREED- That the feedback be noted.