'Renewed focus' to improve children's services at Liverpool Council

A “renewed focus” has been placed on improving the experience of young people in care at Liverpool Council, almost two years on from a shocking assessment of its services.

Ofsted officials have said improvements continue to be made by officials at the Cunard Building following a dramatic inspection in March 2023 that widely condemned the quality of support for children and young people. A fourth monitoring visit was carried out by education assessors in December last year.

Senior leaders have reacted warmly to the findings, with Cllr Liz Parsons, cabinet member for children and young people, declaring “Liverpool is heading in the right direction.” The review by officials in March 2023 came as a hammer blow to Liverpool Council.

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The excoriating assessment said performance of social care teams by the local authority in how it looked after children contained “serious weaknesses.” Young people were deemed at risk of harm.

The latest findings said “there has been a renewed focus on the experiences of care-experienced young people.” The report added: “This has led to several recent improvements in the service delivered to them.

“The profile of care-experienced young people in the council and wider partnership has been significantly raised. There continues to be a stable leadership team that is clear about strengths and areas for further developments in practice.”

While remarking on the progress to date, Ofsted said areas remained where practice needs to develop further, including planning for children leaving care. The document added: “Written pathway plans do not accurately reflect the planning that happens for care-experienced young people, and there is more to do to ensure that these young people know how to access their health histories and social care records.”

Wider praise was reserved for how many care-experienced young people are in suitable accommodation where they feel safe and settled. They are supported to develop their skills in managing their own accommodation when they are ready to do so.

However, challenges remain in securing accommodation for some care-experienced young people with complex or challenging needs. Inspector Kathryn Grindrod said: “As a result, a higher-than-average number of these young people live temporarily in unsuitable accommodation.

“Personal assistants and managers are tenacious in ensuring that these arrangements are short in duration and that young people promptly secure appropriate accommodation.”

Ms Grindrod added: “The workforce is passionate, committed and excited about the future. Staff care deeply about their young people and are ambitious for their futures.”

Jenny Turnross, corporate director for children and young people’s services, said: “As a service, we remain committed to driving further improvements to ensure that Liverpool’s care-experienced young people receive the support they need to thrive.

“Together, we are building a better future for all children and young people in Liverpool.” Cllr Parsons added: “The positive feedback from Ofsted’s is to be warmly welcomed and reflects the huge amount of work going on to improve services for young children in our care.

“This report aligns with our own assessment, affirming that Liverpool is heading in the right direction. While there is still work to be done, the latest visit confirms that the steps we are taking are making a real difference.

“We want to thank the young people who shared their experiences with inspectors and the incredible teams who worked tirelessly during this visit. This progress is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and teamwork.”