An East London borough’s Children’s Services has received the highest possible rating by Ofsted, seven years after getting the worst grade. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets received an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating following an inspection which took place from November 11 to November 15, 2024.
In a report published on Monday (January 13), inspectors praised the service for providing ‘high-quality support’ for young people leaving care and said children and their families are supported by a committed, stable, skilled and permanent workforce. The rating means the service is amongst the top 20per cent across local authorities in the country.
Tower Hamlets Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with this Outstanding Ofsted result for our services to children and families. This achievement is a testament to the compassion and hard work of our staff, who go above and beyond every day to support children and families in our community.”
Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel
(Image: Tower Hamlets Council)
He added: “It reflects our unwavering commitment to supporting children and young people to get the best possible start in life and protecting those who are most vulnerable.”
Inspectors said vulnerable children consistently receive good, and in some areas, exceptional support and praised leaders for being ‘creative and persistent’ when it comes to developing a culture and environment where social workers learn and flourish. They also found disabled children were well supported by the service, and said social workers are skilled and knowledgeable, having formed strong relationships with the children and families they support. Inspectors said children are seen regularly by their social workers and are sensitively spoken to, and said a wide range of approaches are used to help children explore and share views about their lives.
Children who care for others receive valuable support through young carer groups, meanwhile vulnerable children who go missing from home are well supported by the exploitation team who work alongside the service’s social workers. The service was given an Outstanding rating in two key areas: the impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families; and the experiences and progress of care leavers.
The other two key areas: the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection; and the experiences and progress of children in care, were rated Good. Inspectors listed two areas that need to improve which were:
- Focus and in-depth understanding of the impact of family culture on a child’s lived experience
- The impact of plans when parental engagement is inconsistent and children are subject to longer periods of child protection planning
The service was rated Good five years ago, and prior to this was rated Inadequate in 2017. Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth, and Lifelong Learning, said: “Our teams have shown incredible resilience and innovation, but this result reflects the dedication of everyone in our community who helps to build a brighter future for children in Tower Hamlets – from our foster carers to our family group experts and all of our partners who have helped us on our journey to Outstanding. This result will not make us complacent. We will continue to build on this success to deliver even greater outcomes for our young people.”
Last week (January 8), Mr Rahman announced plans for a school uniform grant which could see thousands of Tower Hamlets children who are entering their first year of primary or secondary receive money off their new school uniform if their families have household incomes of £50,350 or less.
In 2023, Tower Hamlets was the first local authority in the country to introduce universal free school meals for both primary and secondary school aged children.
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