While some areas have seen improvement, the report from the education watchdog suggests that “significant leadership churn” over the past five years has led to a “deterioration in the quality of service and practice” for care leavers, with some homeless children not getting the right support.
Ofsted inspected of Harrow Council’s children’s services in January, giving it the lowest rating of ‘inadequate’ and a fall from its second-highest ‘good’ rating following the department’s previous inspection in 2020.
The report highlights that the quality of support provided to care leavers “has deteriorated”, with the risk of harm to young people previously under the care of the local authority not always considered or responded to effectively. Inspectors pointed to “serious failures” in keeping in touch with a significant number of care leavers entitled to ongoing support.
The quality of plans for those preparing to leave care and live independently was described as “highly variable”, with weaker examples containing out-of-date information that was not child-centred and difficult to understand.
A “lack of professional curiosity” about their subsequent living arrangements resulted in a failure to understand possible risks.
The local authority’s support for many unaccompanied asylum-seeking care leavers was also described as “ineffective” and, when young people go missing, “little effort is made to find them and ensure they are safe”.
Harrow Council’s cabinet member for children’s services Cllr Hitesh Karia said the local authority is “truly sorry” for some of the findings. Image: Harrow Council
Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Hitesh Karia, admitted it was “sad” that the the council had not always provided the right support at the right time for all young people leaving care.
He said: “For that, we are truly sorry. We accept the findings of this report and have moved quickly to ensure those who have been let down now have a dedicated worker and will have the support they so rightly deserve to thrive in everything they go on to do as adults.”
While the council received the lowest overall rating due its performance on care leavers, it was rated as either ‘good’ or ‘requires improvement to be good’ on the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection; the experiences and progress of children in care; and the the impact of leaders on social work practice.
The report said contacts and referrals were dealt with in a timely way and prioritised in line with risk, meaning most children receive the right level of support and intervention.
Children and adults who are victims of domestic abuse receive “sensitive support”, while the initial response to children at risk of significant harm is “prompt”, and they are transferred to the first response service “without delay”.
Children’s assessments are thorough and ‘clear plans’ are implemented that detail what needs to change, meaning children and their families understand what is expected of them and why social workers are involved in their lives. Ofsted also highlighted that the response to children who go missing or are at risk of exploitation has improved since the last inspection.
When children come into the care of the local authority, Ofsted states that they make “tangible and sustained progress” and are cared for in “settled and stable” living arrangements where their ongoing health needs are very well met.
Despite the financial pressures the council is facing, the report also highlights that there has been further investment to strengthen services and increase staffing.
Cllr Karia said: “The well-being and safeguarding of our children and young people has and always will be a top priority for the council. We take the role of looking after children in care and supporting them into adulthood very seriously. It is reassuring that the Ofsted report recognises the ‘Good’ work we do to safeguard and support those children.”
He added: “While the outcome is not what we hoped for, the report highlights the great work our dedicated social workers do and the good services we generally provide for our children and young people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to achieving better outcomes for our children and young people.”
