WARRINGTON is still failing to make satisfactory progress on half the recommendations of an action plan developed in the wake of the damning Ofsted report on the safeguarding of children in care published more than four months ago.
A report to go to the borough council’s children and young people’s scrutiny committee next week shows that of 60 recommendations in the action plan, good progress is being made on 30.
There are 28 recommendations where progress is “not as expected” and two where there are “significant issues” likely to result in a failure to deliver objectives.
It was last November that Ofsted published a report and recommendations following an inspection of Warrington’s arrangements for safeguarding children in care during September and October.
Overall, services were judged to be adequate but in some areas they were said to be inadequate.
A formal notice to improve was issued by the minister and monthly monitoring started by the Government Office for the North West and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
The Warrington Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) has been taking urgent action to deal with the issues raised and an action plan was developed.
Scrutiny chiefs will be asked consider progress made so far at their meeting next Wednesday (March 17).
The two recommendations where there are “significant issues” relate to improving the quality of care plans, where staff capacity has been hit by sickness and people leaving the authority, and WSCB budget negotiations where a 27 per cent increase is required but a review of police contributions to the partnership has still to be resolved.
1 Comment
Not Good Enough! It’s a disgrace that Childrens Services should have been failing in the first place, to be dragging their feet in putting things right is even worse!