Ofsted Rate Herts Children’s Services as ‘Outstanding’

Following a recent inspection, Ofsted has judged Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services to be Outstanding in overall effectiveness, placing it among the best in the UK.

In a report published today, Ofsted found that children and young people in Hertfordshire benefit from consistently high-quality, excellent care and support.

Inspectors described Hertfordshire’s social workers and practitioners as experienced and skilled, and praised their commitment to children, noting the positive relationships they have with children. They noted that social workers enjoy working in Hertfordshire, find their work rewarding and that those new to the authority feel welcomed and supported.

Cllr Fiona Thomson, Executive Member for Children Young People and Families at Hertfordshire County Council, said: ‘I am so pleased that Ofsted have recognised the fantastic work our children’s services teams do to support young people and their families. This ‘outstanding’ rating puts us among the best in the country, and it’s all down to the amazing work of our staff. They really are outstanding and I am delighted that the inspectors have seen their commitment and professionalism, and recognised that the county council is a great place to work.’

This result has only been possible because of the hard work and dedication of the people working in Hertfordshire’s children’s services teams. The county council is always looking for people who are passionate about making a real difference to local children and families to join the Children’s Services team in a wide variety of roles across Hertfordshire. Details are on the county council’s website at Work with children and families (hertfordshire.gov.uk).

Ofsted, the government organisation responsible for inspecting and regulating services that care for children and young people, carried out a formal, unannounced inspection of Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services. The inspection took place between 16 to 27 January 2023, with a focus on council’s services for children in need of help and protection, children in care, care leavers and leadership and management.

The new judgement is an improvement on the council’s previous Good rating. The rating of Outstanding for overall effectiveness is the highest score that can be achieved.

Other findings in the report include:

• Assessment work for children in need is of a high quality, thorough and timely.
• Children in Hertfordshire receive the right level of support at the right time.
• The team is proactive in its duty to safeguard children.
• The multidisciplinary work in the family safeguarding teams is strong, leading to improved outcomes for children.
• Separated migrant children have greater consistency of support.
• There is excellent joined-up working between professionals, adopters and foster carers providing children with positive experiences.
• Children live in stable, long-term homes which meet their individual needs and support them to flourish. Where possible, children live with their brothers and sisters.
• Children experiencing exploitation are supported by dedicated and experienced workers who are persistent in their attempts to engage, support and protect them from harm.
• Leaders of the virtual school work exceptionally well with schools and a variety of professional services to achieve the best possible outcomes for children in care.
• Leaders are ambitious for Hertfordshire’s children.

The full report is available at Children’s social care | Hertfordshire County Council.