Devon's vulnerable children 'unsafe'

Worrying Ofsted report

Many of Devon’s vulnerable children “remain in unsafe and neglectful circumstances for too long,” according to a new report by Ofsted.

The findings come from a second monitoring visit to the county council’s children’s services, carried out in February, after they were rated as ‘inadequate’ in January 2020.

It follows the last visit in May 2021 to assess the quality of social work during the pandemic, which concluded that the service was still “at the start of its improvement journey” and “nothing is completely fixed.”

Published this week, the latest report found there was a surge in referrals during the pandemic about children who may be in need or at risk of harm.

This, combined with staff shortages and high caseloads “are all contributing to many children and families not yet receiving the help they need at the time they need it most,” it said.

However, the report by Ofsted inspector Steve Lowe pointed to some improvements being made – particularly within the leadership team and its importance at county hall – but it is clear that further work needs to be done.

“In particular, many children for whom there are concerns of significant harm are not seen quickly enough,” the report stated.

“Some families are unnecessarily subjected to repeated child protection investigations; managers’ recommendations are not always followed, and their application of thresholds for different levels of intervention is inconsistent.

“Professional curiosity is hampered by a lack of time to reflect on the best way forward for families. Consequently, many children remain in unsafe and neglectful circumstances for too long.

“However, in the last four months, a permanent senior leadership team with a clear understanding of what needs to improve has begun to address the serious weaknesses in Devon.

“During this time, the introduction of a new practice model, supported by external partners, has become increasingly understood by social workers and they are enthusiastic about the future.

“Elected members and corporate leaders now prioritise children and families and acknowledge the need to make changes more quickly.”

The report went on to say that the unprecedented increase in referrals over the summer of 2021 has begun to plateau, while children who are at the greatest risk of significant harm are clearly identified.

It added: “Daily meetings now take place between the police and the local authority to discuss and consider situations of risk, including domestic abuse. This allows intelligence and known information to be shared and discussed in a planned and focused way and has slightly reduced delay in the response to families.”

“In addition, the police and local authority are developing a better understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.

“However, some unilateral decision-making remains, and on occasion children are seen solely by police officers when social workers should also be present.”

Reacting to the report, Councillor Andrew Leadbetter (Conservative, Wearside & Topsham), cabinet member for children’s services said: “I am pleased that inspectors have acknowledged the very real progress made in our support to children and young people, during a period that has seen a surge in referrals to our services, acute staff shortages and an unprecedented high level of cases.

“But we recognise that we have much more to do to ensure that children and families consistently receive the services they deserve and need.”

“We are on a very clear journey and one that every member of our council is fully committed to.  Good progress is being made in many key areas of our work, but there is much more to be done.

“We have a very comprehensive improvement programme, supporting a council-wide priority to make Devon a child-friendly county, and through our commitment and hard work, we will continue to see improvements across our service and work with partners in the support that we provide to vulnerable children and their families.”