Inspectors from Government watchdog Ofsted rated Hampshire children's services good or outstanding during their latest assessment of how the county looks after youngsters.
A report published on August 12 looked at the way Hampshire County Council children’s services department met the needs of the most vulnerable children and young people. Leadership and management of safeguarding services for the county’s 307,000 children and young people was rated outstanding, with inspectors finding “a strong sense of safeguarding being everyone’s business”.
Among the other categories rated outstanding was the council's work to protect children in schools, innovative practices in family support services, and working with partners. Ofsted found “a comprehensive understanding of need in local communities across the county and effective targeting of services to support vulnerable children, young people and families.”
The report said front line social workers handled around 3,000 contacts per month in relation to children and young people in need and those who are at risk of harm. This represent a significant level of demand that is well managed by experienced and qualified staff. Services for the 1,091 children within the authority's care were rated good with outstanding capacity for improvement, and outstanding leadership, ambition and prioritisation. The six residential homes in the county were all graded good or higher.
The authority's executive member for children’s services, Councillor Roy Perry, said: “This is a very tough inspection, which has severely tested many authorities. I am delighted and proud that we have passed it with such flying colours. I am especially pleased because it comes after what has been a very difficult period in which we have had to make some very hard financial decisions. This inspection strongly vindicates those decisions.
“Families in Hampshire can be assured that we will be continuing to ensure that the interests of children, young people and their families lies at the heart of all we do. We will not be complacent and I will be working closely with the officers to ensure we can learn the lessons from this inspection and that our action plans find ways in which we can improve still further. The County Council continues to regard safeguarding and care for the most vulnerable children as a top priority despite the challenging financial circumstances we are in."
The report was released on the anniversary of the death of Cllr Perry's predecessor in the role, Cllr David Kirk, and he paid tribute to his predecessor, saying: "The qualities recognised here by Ofsted have taken a long time to develop and I am first to acknowledge his great contribution. He would have been very proud.”
The inspection took place between June 27 and July 8, and was led by inspector Martin Ayres.
