Improvements to Birmingham children's services continue

Ofsted inspectors visited in September and looked at services for children with a disability and subject to a child in need plan.

Inspectors found that the council ‘has made progress in ensuring that social work caseloads are manageable and that social workers have more time to build and establish relationships with the children they work with. These improvements have resulted in social workers being able to regularly visit families and ensure that children are being seen and heard’.

The report concluded that ‘the authority has demonstrated that it has made improvements in the quality of social work practice since the last inspection’.

The report also found:

• All cases seen had children in need plans in place and most, but not all, of these plans are being updated through re-assessment on a regular basis, ensuring a more robust response to changing need than seen previously
• Management oversight was evident in all cases seen. However, the quality of oversight, particularly in case supervision, remains variable. The best examples provided case direction and demonstrated an awareness of case progression
• For most children in need, partnership working is effective

Councillor Brigid Jones, cabinet member for children, families and schools, said: “I’m really pleased that Ofsted has again confirmed our steady progress; people are working tirelessly to ensure that children and families most in need get the best outcomes and changes in life.

“As with the earlier monitoring report, we know there is still much to do, but the important thing is that we know where we need to improve. We again have tangible evidence that sustainable improvements are being made.”