Bradford Council's children's services rated inadequate for eighth time

Ofsted inspectors, who have visited Bradford Council’s Children’s Services department seven times since it was rated inadequate in 2018, said the services it offers have “deteriorated overall”.

Following their latest visit, the watchdog raised concerns about the high turnover of social workers, poor responses to safeguarding concerns, the lack of support offered to foster carers and a range of issues with the residential care provided to some children.

In the report, Ofsted stated council leaders “continue to lack understanding of the scale of improvement required and what actions, time and resources are needed”.

Marium Haque, Director of Children’s Services for Bradford Council, said: “children and families deserve better” and staff “have already taken steps to bring about changes”.

It comes after the Government decided last year that the council should be stripped of control over the department, as it has failed to make the necessary improvements since 2018.

A not-for-profit trust, which is set up and owned by the council, will take over from April 1, 2023. It will be chaired by Eileen Milner, the former executive director at the Care Quality Commission.

A shortage of full-time social workers has been an ongoing issue in Bradford. A recent report revealed almost 40 per cent of social workers are agency staff and they cost around £2m a month.

Ofsted said the high turnover of social workers and the “constant reallocation” of cases means they cannot fully understand a child’s history, the risks they face or the neglect they may have suffered.

The responses to safeguarding concerns are not always “timely or effective”, as strategy meetings are often delayed, and some children are being left in potentially dangerous situations, the inspectorsfound.

They also said some children are taken into care even though they were known to social services for years, because “a lack of risk-based assessments, and a lack of effective interventions”,

According to the report, the council is struggling to cope with the rising numbers of children entering care and some have endured “instability and multiple moves due to poor matching”.

A small number of children have also been “living in unlawful placements”, the report added, and some have remained there “for extended periods without any additional safeguards in place”.

The education watchdog highlighted the lack of support being offered to foster carers and claim this is “impacting on their morale and retention”. But it also said there have been “very recent improvements” to the front door, where the public first make contact with social services, and the early help service, which provides support to families as soon as problems emerge.