Sefton Council's children's services are being placed under review after an Ofsted report was published earlier this week that outlined the below standard children's services offered by the council.
Following a joint area inspection in September 2019 and a focused visit in March 2021, it was noted there were weaknesses in child protection practices and management oversight. The report claims "the council and senior leaders have not sufficiently understood these failures or taken the necessary actions to improve services for children".
The report, based on findings between February 21 and March 4, noted a number of areas where children's services needed improvement but two points noted the lack of planning on response. The report said: "The response to child sexual and criminal exploitation is not consistently effective and does not always reduce risks to children. Action is taken to manage immediate risks, but social work support is not sufficiently proactive in connecting, understanding and supporting children in the longer term to be safer.
