Croydon child services rated as ‘Good’ after latest watchdog inspection

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

Croydon council’s children’s services department has received a “Good” Ofsted report following its first inspection since 2020.

The government’s education watchdog recognised the council achieved this rating “against a backdrop of significant challenges,” including financial difficulties and the increased demand for services.

The local authority, home to the largest number of school-age children in London, was found to have improved in most areas following an inspection in October.

Despite this, officers report pressed home the need to improve staffing of its children’s services, which currently stand at 80 per cent capacity.

The council’s support for children in care and care leavers was considered particularly good. Inspectors praised the “creative, sensitive” work of social workers, as well as the high number of children who benefit from independent visitors and advocates, ensuring they understand their rights and have a voice.

The report also praised local leadership, noting that elected officials, the cabinet members, and the chief executive strongly advocate for children’s welfare. This leadership was praised in the context of  Croydon’s recent financial challenges and the difficulties arising from an increasing child population.

Despite this, Ofsted outlined a number of areas where Croydon had to improve its services further. In particular, it was called to improve its support for children needing help and protection. The report stated: “Not all children in Croydon receive a consistently effective service.”

While officers acknowledged the financial and staffing constraints placed on the council, they stated: “The responses by the out-of-hours service to children in emergency situations are inconsistent. There is insufficient staff capacity to answer calls out of hours. A lack of capacity in the emergency duty team means workers are not always able to visit children, for example, when children are in custody overnight.”

The council was also told to improve the wait times for disabled children receiving statutory assessments but sometimes delays in child protection investigations.

These concerns were previously raised during the council’s last inspection in February 2020, where it also received a “Good” rating. However, these last two inspections have seen a marked improvement from the council’s inspection in 2017, when it was rated as “inadequate.” During that inspection, officers found “widespread and serious failures” within the council’s children’s services, which left “some children at risk of significant harm”.

Jason Perry, executive Mayor of Croydon said: “This is good news for Croydon, and testament to the hard work and dedication of our children’s services staff. They work tirelessly to care for and support our children and young people, and their families, every day, often in the most difficult circumstances.

“I also want to thank the children and young people who have worked with us to improve the services we provide. I am particularly pleased that Ofsted recognised our young ambassadors for their important work.

“This is a good report, but we are far from complacent. Some areas still require improvement. We want to provide consistently good help and protection to all our young people, at the earliest possible stage.”

Pictured top: Spelling it out. Children are being well looked after overall, says Ofsted (Picture: Croydon council)