Snap inspection praises childcare

OLDHAM’S frontline childcare services have been praised by inspectors following a snap Ofsted assessment.

The Government inspectors arrived unannounced and found many strengths during their two-day assessment.

Their final report places Oldham among the best local authorities in the country.

The inspection team was looking at the quality and effectiveness of the service’s arrangements and their impact on minimising any child abuse and neglect in the borough.

They looked at a wide range of evidence and found Oldham’s services to have many key strengths including manageable workloads, assessments which are completed on time, and effective management and oversight.

It was also found communication and collaborative with other services is working well for vulnerable children and young people.

The diverse needs of children and families were found to be well considered in assessments and staff, including newly-qualified social workers, are given good support by managers.

Areas for improvement included making case records more easily accessible and making initial reports less wordy.

These weaknesses are being addressed by the council through training and the procurement of a new IT system for frontline staff.

Councillor Jack Hulme, cabinet member for children and families, said: “Contact, referral and assessment is one of the most challenging areas of children’s social care and we are very pleased that inspectors have recognised the strong team of hard-working, dedicated professionals we have.

“We are not complacent, however, and like many other local authorities we have seen a rise in referrals to social care and an increase in the number of children needing a child-protection plan. We keep our services under constant review.”

Every local authority in England and Wales receives an annual unannounced Ofsted inspection into its handling of contact, referrals and assessments.