More children’s services in west London have been rated highly by government inspectors.
Ofsted was impressed with the quality of service provided to vulnerable youngsters following inspections at Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster.
It comes after children’s services in Kensington and Chelsea received the top rating by Ofsted inspectors.
The three boroughs share their children’s services as part of the a tri-borough agreement but the Ofsted inspection looked at the individual work being carried in each.
It awarded an outstanding rating to children’s services in Westminster, and said it is made up of “well-trained and impressive social workers” who are “patient, tenacious and respectful” and make a “vast difference” in keeping children safe from harm. The council is a “highly ambitious corporate parent” and looked after children in Westminster see “exceptionally good outcomes”.
H&F’s services was rated as good overall with several outstanding features. The way services to help young people are managed was highlighted as outstanding by inspectors, as was the adoption team.
The report praised the fact that the needs of vulnerable groups are addressed, including effective initiatives to tackle radicalisation, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour-based violence.
Summing up, inspectors said: “Good-quality social work flourishes and a culture of compassion is evident. This leads to improved outcomes for the majority of children and young people.”
Councillor Danny Chalkley, head of children and young people at Westminster said: “I am delighted to see the staff who work so tirelessly to protect Westminster’s children being recognised for their care, compassion and dedication.
'Nothing more important than supporting and protecting children and young people'
“Westminster City Council has always strived for excellence and nowhere is this more important than in the work we do to keep the city’s most vulnerable young people safe.”
And Steve Miley, director of family services at H&F, welcomed the report and said Ofsted recommendations to improve further would be taken on board. He said: “There is nothing more important among the work Hammersmith and Fulham Council does than supporting and protecting children and young people.
“We’re not resting on our laurels and are constantly looking for ways to improve our service even more. We’ll be looking to incorporate the Ofsted recommendations into this process.”
