Devon’s Children’s Commissioner has acknowledged significant improvements at Devon County Council and warned against the risk of breaking up the service as part of local government reorganisation.
In a report published this week the Department for Education’s Commissioner Nigel Richardson CBE recognises significant progress in improving services for children and families, while acknowledging that further work is needed.
The Commissioner concludes that Devon now has the capacity and capability to improve itself, and recommends that operational control of services should remain with the council rather than be transferred to a trust.
The report praises:
- strong corporate leadership: children’s services are now the council’s top priority, with clear commitment from senior staff
- strong political leadership, with the Leader and Cabinet having made children’s futures their top priority
- a stabilised leadership team: An experienced interim Director of Children’s Services (DCS) and a strong Deputy Director have brought confidence and clarity, supported by a permanent senior leadership team for the first time in years
- workforce development: recruitment and retention are improving, supported by initiatives such as the Social Work Academy and Leadership Development Programme
- strategic investment: the council has committed £156m over 10 years through its Growing Futures programme to provide more local homes for children in care.
- improved partnership working: relationships with Ofsted and safeguarding partners have strengthened, and sector-led support from Essex and Hertfordshire continues to drive best practice
Devon County Council leader Councillor Julian Brazil has welcomed the fact that improvements have been recognised.
“Children’s services in Devon are in a much better place to where they were in 2013,” he said.
“Our strategic plan places children and young people at the heart of everything we do, and we will not rest until those improvements are felt by all the families we support.
“Our clear challenge is to continue this improvement.”
Councillor Richard Jefferies, lead member for children’s services, said:
“While the Commissioner notes that much remains to be done, there is also a lot to be encouraged by in this important report.
“His view that the council requires support rather than further scrutiny to achieve its ambitions for children and young people is a welcome and constructive approach. I look forward to focussing on this vital work with our dedicated officers with urgency and pace.”
Progress is clear since the service was deemed inadequate by Ofsted, the Commissioner’s report says, and he stresses that improvement must accelerate.
Ofsted identified six priority areas, including timely responses to children at risk, better risk assessment, and stronger management oversight. The Commissioner recommends targeted practical support to embed reflective supervision, expanding support schemes Family Group Conferencing and Lifelong Links, and refreshing the Restorative Devon approach to create a shared language across agencies.
Devon County Council’s new strategic vision, Building a Positive Future for Devon Where Everyone Thrives, places children and young people at the heart of everything it does.
In November the council submitted its business plan for local government reorganisation, a Government programme to replace district and county councils with unitary authorities.
The county’s proposal is the only one which keeps children’s services together. Breaking them up, the Commissioner concludes, would pose a significant risk.
“Anything that breaks that model would risk stopping the existing work in its tracks with an even bigger risk that things would quickly slip backwards,” he writes.
Devon County Council is recruiting and training social workers roles and signing up more foster carers to help deliver its ambitious plans for young people. To find out more visit www.devon.gov.uk.