Report to:

People Scrutiny Committee

Date of meeting:

11 March 2024

By:

Director of Children’s Services

Title:

Inspection of East Sussex local authority children’s services

Purpose:

The report sets out the outcome of the Council’s Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services in December 2023

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

The People Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

1) welcome the findings of the inspection of the work of ESCC for children and young people which was published on 6 February 2024; and

2) note the action plan which is being developed to address the areas for improvement.

 

1          Background

1.1       East Sussex County Council was inspected by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) under the framework and evaluation schedule for Inspections of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) from 11 – 15 December 2023.

2          Supporting information

2.1       The outcome of the inspection was published 6 February and is attached at Appendix 1.  The Council’s Children’s Services has been judged to be good overall and outstanding for the experiences and progress of children in care. This is a good outcome for the service and for the Council which has made keeping vulnerable people safe, a priority outcome. It is a very welcome recognition of all the hard, determined, and high-quality work we have done since our last inspection, through a time of pandemic, its continuing effects, and cost of living pressures. The judgement for each area of the inspection is set out below.

 

Judgement

Grade 2018 inspection

Grade 2023 inspection

The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families

Outstanding

Good

The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection

Good

Good

The experiences and progress of children in care (and care leavers 2018)

Outstanding

Outstanding

The experiences and progress of care leavers (introduced in January 2023)

N/A

Good

Overall effectiveness

 

Outstanding

Good

2.2.      The inspectors spent most of their time with frontline staff, and the inspection outcome reflects the difference staff make to the lives of children and young people in East Sussex.

2.3       The report notes:

‘Children in East Sussex continue to receive consistently strong and effective support that helps them to improve their lives. Since the last ILACS inspection in 2018, the authority has responded well to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing numbers of families experiencing financial hardship and the growing number children with complex needs who require help.’

2.4       The report highlighted key strengths including:

2.5       Ofsted provided a child friendly summary to inform children and young people about the inspection outcomes. This is attached at Appendix 2.  

2.6       The report identifies three areas for improvement:

2.7       The draft post-inspection action plan in response to the report is attached at Appendix 3. The final action plan will be shared with Ofsted by 17 May 2024.

3          Conclusion and recommendations

3.1       East Sussex has maintained a focus on the key priority outcome of keeping vulnerable people safe and responded well to the impact of the pandemic, increased demand and the challenging financial context for both families and the council. The People Scrutiny Committee is asked to note the contents of the inspection report and the draft action plan.

 

ALISON JEFFERY

Director of Children’s Services

Contact Officer: Amanda Watson

Tel. No. 01273 481339

Email: Amanda.watson:eastsussex.gov.uk

 

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

 

Appendix 1 – Ofsted Report

Appendix 2 – Ofsted’s child friendly summary of the inspection outcomes

Appendix 3 – draft action plan