Children's services Improvement Notice lifted by government minister following 'Good' Ofsted report

Article date: 26 September 2023

Earlier this month, the findings of the council's recent full children's services Ofsted inspection were published which saw the local authority move up two grades from Inadequate to Good overall effectiveness, with some Outstanding areas. 

Among the comments in the glowing report, there was a focus on a 'positive and aspirational culture in services for children' - while it was clear to inspectors that there had been 'a dramatic improvement in many service areas, including work with care leavers which was judged to be Outstanding. 

In a letter to St Helens Borough Council Leader, Councillor David Baines, to formally close an improvement notice, David Johnston OBE MP - Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing - praised 'the significant improvements made' since the last inspection in 2019 and has every confidence that the council will address areas of improvement as it works towards an overall Outstanding rating. 

"The pace of improvement over the last 12-18 months has been impressive and the focus and impetus has led to significant improvement in all areas," said Mr Johnston. "Over what has been a challenging period, to have improved services and achieve a Good judgement is a real achievement and means significantly improved services for the children, young people and families in St Helens. I was especially pleased to see that the experiences and progress of care leavers has been judged to be Outstanding." 

Mr Johnston added: "Leaders have developed a positive and aspirational culture in children's services and it is pleasing to see that Ofsted recognised leaders have credible and realistic plans for further improvement to services.  

"Based on the evidence of improvement and my confidence that services will continue to improve in the future, I have decided to close the Improvement Notice from 2019 (revised in 2020) on the understanding that children remain one of the key priorities for the Council. I look forward to hearing about further progress made over the coming months and years." 

Speaking of his pride, Councillor Baines said: "When I became council leader in 2019, the council's children's services were rated inadequate by Ofsted which simply wasn't acceptable. 

"Ever since, our number one priority has been to ensure all children and young people have the positive start in life - and the transformation during that time, with major challenges such as global pandemic, has been remarkable by all involved which I'm pleased to see has been acknowledged by central government in this way. 

"While a lot has been accomplished, there is more to do and we won't become complacent if we're to aspire to be Outstanding. This judgement gives us the confidence and reassurance that we are on that path and allows us to focus on the areas we need to continue to improve so that we can make even more of a positive difference for all children and young people in St Helens Borough." 

Councillor Nova Charlton, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, added: "We are delighted to see the hard work that has been put into transforming children's services has been recognised. Improving the standards of care for families and young people has been a key priority for us since the inadequate judgement and the support from our committed staff, partners and families has shown that together we have been able to improve. 

"It is great to see the voice of children is clear in all the work we do and that they are the focus so that our children are given the greatest chance to have a good start in life which builds better opportunities for our future generations." 

To read the report in full, visit: https://reports.ofsted.gov.ukprovider/44/80560