Senior leaders failed to understand the level at which children’s services across Liverpool had declined with issues dating back five years not being addressed effectively according to education inspectors.
A damning Ofsted report has slammed the service provided by Liverpool Council as “inadequate” and cited “serious weaknesses” for children who need help or protection, leaving children “being harmed or at risk of harm.”
After an inspection in March, the children's services department has been rated as inadequate in four out of five of the key areas - including the overall rating. Assessing the impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families, the education watchdog said the council had shown “insufficient prioritisation and pace in tackling critical areas necessary to enable improvement.”
READ MORE: Fight in the street leads to petrol being poured over vehicle
The report's findings have been heavily criticised by opposition members, with newly appointed Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Carl Cashman, describing the council’s performance as “a staggering failure of our children and young people.”
During the inspection period, Liverpool Council was without a director of children’s services following the departure of Steve Reddy earlier this year. The current interim director, Suzy Joyner, had been in post only a matter of days at the start of the inspection.
Despite significant investment supporting a redesign of the service, officials criticised the lack of a systematic approach to improvement as well as insufficient corporate scrutiny. The report said this meant practice shortfalls identified in 2018 have not been addressed effectively, to make the necessary improvements to children’s lives.
“The extent to which services have declined has not been understood by previous senior leaders.” The failure to address capacity in the service had “significantly impacted” the ability of social workers to respond appropriately to the needs of young people when they required support, inspectors found.
However, Ofsted officials praised the role of interim chief executive Theresa Grant, who was said to bring a “greater understanding of practice weaknesses, which has led to a recent acceleration in improvement, supported by political leaders.”
This included strengthening of governance and scrutiny arrangements, additional financial support and assertive actions leading to successes in recruitment. Ofsted said both Ms Joyner and the management team recognised the “significant amount of work to do” with findings from the inspection used to shape improvement plans.
Despite immediate capacity changes being tackled, including the recruitment of 44 social workers, caseloads remain too high and staff “unable to deliver the quality of practice they aspire to.”
The wide-ranging report said too many disabled children are not well enough supported owing to vacancies in the department, with others experiencing too many changes to their social worker. This has impacted their ability to develop and maintain trusted relationships.
In a startling line from the report, it was revealed by Ofsted how interim director Ms Joyner raised concerns with police regarding the response to sexual harm following a formal challenge raised through the service’s safeguarding partnership. The issue of capacity appears to be a running theme throughout the service, according to education officials, who said there was also “insufficient range and breadth of provision to enable all children to live in placements in line with their assessed needs.”
Senior managers were criticised in the report, particularly around the robustness of oversight of “specifically vulnerable children.” Officials highlighted how assessment of the small number of children living in unregistered children’s homes had not been “consistently rigorous” to ensure that these children are safeguarded effectively.
It was said while those in senior positions were aware of service weakness, there was not a sufficient understanding of how risk was not being responded to robustly enough. The assessment said: “There is insufficient auditing activity to identify and address these shortfalls in practice.”
Social workers reported how well supported they felt by first-line and service managers, but they described feeling disconnected from senior managers, as contact with them had been limited. Supervision by team managers was described as “not regular enough” to act swiftly on changes in children’s circumstances, including increased risks, so that these are recognised and mitigated.
The report said: “Despite workload pressures, some are working creatively with their children and young people. Senior managers recognised that the current social work model is not having the necessary impact for children, and work has started on implementing a new practice model.
“Social workers welcome this new approach, which is more aligned to their values and beliefs.” Cllr Cashman said: “It is shocking to read a report stating that there are serious failures to safeguard our children.
"The council senior team needs to take a long hard look at themselves and reflect on how they can turn this around as quickly as possible.”
Cllr Liz Makinson, Liberal Democrat deputy leader and spokesperson on children and young People, added: "The council was put on notice in May 2018 to improve the way it looks after our children. Instead of improving, things have got worse.
“When the words ‘drift, delay and deterioration’ are frontlined in the report, it is obvious that there are serious and institutional failings. It is beyond shocking that children are being harmed and put at risk of harm due to this council’s inadequacy.
“There is a lack of a child centred approach and children are at risk of significant harm.”
Join the Liverpool ECHO's breaking news and top headlines WhatsApp community
READ NEXT
Two teenagers drown as warning issued over open water
Men punched and kicked to ground in 'despicable' attack
Accountant turned drug dealer breaks down in tears after judge's question
Fight in the street leads to petrol being poured over vehicle
Frankie Bridge looks 'flawless' in £46 New Look dress 'perfect for a wedding'
