Watchdog’s praise for staff looking after Derbyshire’s most vulnerable children

Derbyshire County Council’s children’s services team, specifically those caring for children in need and on protection plans, have been praised by Ofsted. However, case loads remain too high for staff dealing with immensely complex cases involving vulnerable children and their families.

A report, which is now publicly available, says a visit carried out by inspectors on September 21 and 22 found staff work “tirelessly” to support children and families. Inspector Margaret Burke wrote: “Many families have been empowered to make positive changes and adjustments, enabling their children to make good progress.”

She continued: “Changes within Derbyshire’s political and senior leadership have not deflected the council from its commitment and responsibilities to children.

“Senior leaders have continued to build on the early signs of progress seen at the last full inspection of children’s services. Children in need or subject to a protection plan in Derbyshire now benefit from a stronger and more consistent service response.

“Children and their families are well supported by committed social workers and managers who know them well, have a sound understanding of their needs and what should happen to improve their lives.”

Ms Burke identified that social workers “have courageous and honest conversations with families as they seek and build open and trusting relationships with them”.

She continued: “They exhibit a high level of empathy for parental stressors without losing focus on the impact on the child. Social workers are generous with their praise and take pride in family achievements, from small advancements to big changes.”

Ms Burke says improvements have been made in the service despite “changes within Derbyshire’s political and senior leadership”.

She did identify that social workers currently have caseloads which are too high and involve cases that are increasingly complex. Ms Burke found: “While team caseload averages are low, caseloads are too high for many workers.”

She wrote: “Leaders in Derbyshire work hard to manage morale and well-being relating to caseload pressures, and currently do well in this regard. Workers spoke positively about being helped to prioritise tasks, and of practice supervisors and duty social workers stepping in with ‘hands-on’ practical support.

“They spoke about protected days and time off in lieu. Leaders know that high workloads put a strain on, and can negatively impact, families and workers. Leaders are not complacent; they have ongoing strategies and plans in place to address recruitment and workforce challenges, as they fully recognise the instability these challenges cause.”

A county council spokesperson said: “We’re proud Ofsted has recognised our commitment to children and young people across Derbyshire and praised our staff and leadership team for their tireless work in supporting families to lead safe and happy lives.

“The inspectors recognised our continued hard work in supporting families who in turn have made positive changes in their lives. Our strong multi-agency work was highlighted along with our commitment to staff training and support.

“We’ve continued to focus on recruiting high quality staff and have robust plans in place to further attract new staff, however, Ofsted recognise this is a national challenge.”