Ofsted praise improvement in Lambeth Children’s social care

13 January 2025

Written by: Lambeth Council

News and announcements

The council has welcomed the finding of an Ofsted focused visit to Lambeth children’s services which were issued by letter today outlining the inspector’s views that services in the borough have significantly improved since 2022’s last full Ofsted inspection.

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Ofsted praise improvement in Lambeth Children’s social care

The visit which was held in December specifically evaluated ‘the experiences and progress of disabled children, children subject to child in need and protection planning and the quality of practice with children subject to the Public Law Outline’. It also looked at the quality of social work provided by the council.

The detailed findings which were shared with the council on January 13 found many areas of strength, praised the leadership in children’s services saying performance management was highly effective and also that services for disabled children are vastly improved.

Councillor Ben Kind, Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: “Lambeth children’s services provide incredibly important community support, safeguarding the future of the most vulnerable young people in our borough.

“So I am really pleased that we have got this positive feedback from Ofsted, and am reassured that the council is on a strong improvement path following the disappointing outcomes highlighted in our last inspection two years ago.

“While there is lots of praise in the letter outlining the findings, it is also a reminder that we must continue to put in the hard work that has got us to this place. There are further challenges ahead, but we are determined to use the experience gained here and build on that to best meet the needs of our borough.”

The letter set out how the inspection found social workers and managers are alert to risks to children outside the family home, and understand the push and pull factors that influence children in being drawn into exploitative relationships.

It also said that increasingly child and family assessments are comprehensive and well written and include the child’s history. It said social workers assessments are now effective in analysing the risk and working effectively to identify the interventions necessary to meet children’s needs.

The inspectors found that leaders at the council know that there is more work to do to ensure that all children in need of help and protection receive a consistent, timely and effective service. It also said the director of children’s services, together with his senior team have worked diligently to develop and support a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Andrew Carter, Lambeth’s Corporate Director: Children, Families & Education, said: “I’m really pleased at the Ofsted findings, and we will use this feedback to drive our continuous improvement.

“We are committed to serving Lambeth’s children and families and making Lambeth one of the best places to grow up and thrive. Our workers are on the front line making a real difference and it was good to see that the inspectors noted that our diverse workforce really reflects the local community and that is a real strength. We want Lambeth as an employer to be the first choice for talented, committed and passionate social workers and professionals.”

To read the full letter see below:

London Borough of Lambeth – Ofsted.gov.uk