Children’s social care in Middlesbrough is continuing to improve with the Council receiving separate positive feedback from the Department for Education and Ofsted.
The Council’s Children’s Services will no longer be directly overseen by government following four years of scrutiny, support and challenge.
And the department’s work with care leavers has been praised after a focused Ofsted inspection earlier this summer.
The double announcement is an indication of the progress made by the Council since an inadequate Ofsted rating in 2020 and the appointment of a government commissioner.
In a letter to Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke, Janet Daby MP. Minister for Children and Families, said: “Based on the evidence of improvement for children and families in Middlesbrough, I have decided to revoke the revised Statutory Direction which was issued in 2022 on the understanding that children’s social care services remain a priority of the Council.”
Mayor Cooke said today: “To be formally removed from government intervention is a massive endorsement of the progress we’ve made in Children’s Services.
“Huge credit must go to all the Council staff who have worked so hard to make improvements to the way we serve children and their families.
“All Middlesbrough children matter and can all play their part in making us a successful and ambitious town. Under my leadership we will put children and young people first, fight their corner and do all we can to give them the best start in life.
“The separate Ofsted inspection report following the focused visit on care leavers is also really encouraging.
“Both verdicts send out a clear message that under the permanent leadership of Joe Tynan and Dawn Alaszewski, Children’s Services in Middlesbrough is improving all the time.”
Ofsted’s inspection of the Council’s work with care leavers – the latest of a series of ‘focused visits’ – finished last month.
The inspection report states the Council’s new leadership team and elected members have “demonstrated a tangible commitment to radically improve outcomes”.
The leadership team, the inspectors added, is “bringing much-needed stability and focus” alongside plans that are “realistic, ambitious and starting to gain traction.
Staffing levels now meet demand for this area of work and there are “credible plans in place” to address where social work still needs to improve.
Cllr Zafar Uddin, Executive member for Children’s Services, said: “Caring for the town’s children and young people is our most important responsibility and the news from both the Department for Education and Ofsted is incredibly encouraging.
“It offers reassurance about the strides the Council has taken and I’d like to praise all of our staff for their dedication and also thank the DfE and Ofsted for their guidance and support.
“I’m confident that our senior staff have a really strong sense of our strengths and also where we can still make improvements in the best interest of our children and young people and their families.”
Joe Tynan, Executive Director of Children’s Services, said: “This news is really positive and is testament to the passion and commitment of our staff.
“Since joining the Council last year I’ve been struck by the determination of our teams to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of children in Middlesbrough.
“The service has been on a long journey, our work has been heavily scrutinised and to be taken out of intervention is a big step forwards. Our hard work will continue for the children of Middlesbrough. We’re setting high standards and are ambitious for the future.”
The inadequate Ofsted rating following an inspection in November 2019 led to the government directly overseeing the department’s work. This involvement will now come to an end.
In May this year, a full inspection of the town’s Children’s Services upgraded it to ‘requires improvement to be good’.