Cornwall’s Children’s Services Earn ‘Good’ Rating with ‘Outstanding’ Features from Ofsted

Cornwall Council’s children’s services have received a glowing report from Ofsted, the UK’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, following a two-week inspection in July. The inspection team rated the services as ‘Good’ overall, with ‘Outstanding’ features, particularly highlighting the council’s work with care leavers.

Positive Leadership and Dedication Recognised

Ofsted’s report commends the strong leadership and commitment demonstrated by the Together for Families (TFF) team. The report praises the council’s senior leaders and local politicians for their relentless efforts to improve the lives of children and families across Cornwall. Inspectors noted that the care, commitment, and child-focused approach of the staff were evident at every level of the organisation.

The services were evaluated across several key areas, all receiving a ‘Good’ rating:

• Impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families
• Experiences and progress of children who need help and protection
• Experiences and progress of children in care
• Experiences and progress of care leavers – Rated as ‘Outstanding’

Exemplary Support for Care Leavers

One of the standout features of the report is the level of support provided to care leavers in Cornwall. The partnership between the council and a specialist commissioned service for young people was described as exemplary. Inspectors noted that care leavers benefit from skilled and compassionate personal advisers who know them well and provide an impressive level of support.

Kate Evan-Hughes, Strategic Director for Together for Families, expressed her delight at the recognition, particularly the acknowledgment of the passion and commitment of the team. She emphasised that the care leavers in Cornwall are receiving some of the best experiences and outcomes in the country.

Rising Challenges Amid Growing Demand

The report’s publication comes at a time of increasing pressure on local authority children’s services across the country, with the after-effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis hitting families hard. In Cornwall, these challenges are further intensified by high levels of deprivation, leading to significant increases in abuse, neglect, and the number of children in care.

Since the last inspection by Ofsted in 2019, Cornwall Council has seen sharp rises in demand for services:

• Early Help assessments up by 87% (over 1,250 additional assessments every six months)
• Child welfare referrals up by 47% (more than 1,200 additional referrals every six months)
• Child in Need assessments up by 34% (over 1,100 additional assessments every six months)
• Child Protection enquiries up by 104% (over 600 extra every six months)
• An increase of 146 children in care – a 31% rise, including separated children seeking asylum

Ben Davies, Service Director for Children and Family Services, highlighted the council’s success in managing these significant increases in demand, particularly in areas where other local authorities are struggling, such as early help and child exploitation.

Areas for Improvement

While the inspection report was largely positive, Ofsted identified some areas for improvement. These include the timeliness of child protection strategy meetings, the quality of Public Law Outline letters, and the day-to-day monitoring of children living in unregistered children’s homes.

Ben Davies acknowledged these areas, noting that action plans were already in place before the inspection, and substantial progress has been made since then.

Kate Evan-Hughes reiterated the team’s commitment to continuous improvement, expressing pride in the team’s achievements and excitement for the future.

For a more detailed look at the inspection findings, the full Ofsted report can be accessed here.