Mayor 'thrilled' with children's services turnaround

Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman has said he is "absolutely thrilled" after Ofsted gave children's services the highest possible rating, seven years after it was rated as "inadequate".

The council received an overall "outstanding" rating following an inspection which took place in November.

In a report published on Monday, inspectors praised the service for providing "high-quality support" for young people leaving care and the workforce was "committed, stable, skilled and permanent".

The rating means the service is in the top 20% of local authorities in the country.

He added: "This achievement is a testament to the compassion and hard work of our staff, who go above and beyond every day to support children and families in our community."

Inspectors said vulnerable children consistently receive good, and in some areas, exceptional support and praised leaders for being "creative and persistent" when it comes to developing a culture and environment where social workers learn and flourish.

They also found disabled children were well supported by the service, and said social workers were skilled and knowledgeable, having formed strong relationships with the children and families they support.

Inspectors said children are seen regularly by their social workers and are sensitively spoken to with a wide range of approaches used to help children explore and share views about their lives.

Children who care for others receive valuable support through young carer groups, meanwhile vulnerable children who go missing from home are well supported by the exploitation team which works alongside the service's social workers.

The service was given an "outstanding" rating in two key areas - the impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families and the experiences and progress of care leavers.

The other two key areas - the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection and the experiences and progress of children in care, were rated "good".

The service was rated "good" five years ago, and prior to this was rated "inadequate" in 2017.

Last week, Mr Rahman announced plans for a school uniform grant which could see thousands of children in the borough who are entering their first year of primary or secondary receive money off their new school uniform, if their families have household incomes of £50,350 or less.

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