Children’s Services at Dorset Council have been judged as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following an inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) in September.
The report, published 19th Nov 2021, by Ofsted confirms the overall effectiveness of Dorset Council Children’s Services are of a “good quality and are continuing to improve” and that the council has delivered “an impressive pace and effectiveness of change, in the context of a pandemic and Local Government Reorganisation in 2019.”
Inspectors also noted that the council has a “proven determination to give every child in Dorset a brighter future.” And that “senior leaders have taken the challenges presented by the pandemic as an opportunity to engage partners more firmly in the wider safeguarding agenda and in the vision of making Dorset the best place it can be for children to thrive.
The authority’s “stable, permanent workforce and manageable caseloads enable constructive relationships to be built with children and families. Staff take pride in their work. Good work is expected, delivered and celebrated.”
Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, said:
“I am immensely proud of the rating we have received from Ofsted today. We do some amazing work in Dorset and that has been recognised by Ofsted. This achievement reflects the significant positive impact that our work has had in supporting vulnerable children and families, across the Dorset Council area.
“I’d like to pay tribute to all the children’s services staff and our partners, who have shown passion, professionalism and commitment to improving the lives of children in Dorset.
“But the final word should go to the amazing children and young people who engaged with us throughout this sometimes-challenging journey. We are committed to giving them and their families the best support, care and education we can provide, and we are dedicated to improving services further and getting even better.”
The inspection team highlighted that Dorset Council’s leaders “know their strengths and weaknesses well” and so, together with its partners, the council is committed to maintaining standards in the practices it knows are effective, while focussing on areas for improvement, such as the services for care leavers moving in and out of emergency accommodation.
Theresa Leavy, the council’s Director for Children’s Services, said:
“I’d like to start by thanking our amazing teams and our partners for their passion and their pride in the work we are doing with children and their families, here in Dorset. We adopted a one-council approach to improving children’s services which has provided energy, focus and collaboration at all levels and has been absolutely key to our transformation.
“We know there is more to be done to ensure all children and families are getting the right support at the right time, and this will be a priority for us, going forwards.
“Our commitment to improving experiences for children remains our top priority. This is a day for our staff to be very proud of what they have achieved over the past couple of years, but our journey to improve even more, continues. We will carry on striving for excellence and to be the best we can be.
“Most of all, I want to thank all the children and young people and their families whose voices are shaping the future of our services in Dorset. We will keep working with you, learning from you and listening to you.”
Read the Ofsted report published 19th November 2021
