Herefordshire Children’s Services Still Facing Significant Challenges, Commissioner Reports

A commissioner has indicated that Herefordshire Council continues to face difficulties in resolving persistent issues within its children’s services department. Eleanor Brazil was appointed in 2022 to examine the department’s shortcomings and recommend solutions, following an “inadequate” rating from Ofsted. Her most recent report concludes that “there has been some positive progress from a very low base, although too little to make the degree of change needed”. She stated in her report, “The council consistently failed to address issues at pace and with clear direction and leadership, so everything has taken too long.” Ms Brazil also noted that assistance from the government and other local authorities, alongside additional funding, had yielded “varying impact and success,” whereas the “recruitment and retaining of staff remains a major concern.” The report specified that the county’s number of children in care is now more aligned with comparable authorities, and projected savings in agency staff and placement expenditures have been realized. According to Ms Brazil, advancements in special educational needs provision “is more positive, driven by greater leadership, focus and direction.” She commended the “greater rigour and drive” introduced by Tina Russell, who was appointed in spring to succeed the departing service head, Darryl Freeman. The release of her report coincides with the most recent Ofsted monitoring visit report, which marks the fifth such visit since the department received its “inadequate” rating. This visit focused on the council’s methods for safeguarding vulnerable children from “extra-familial risk,” and inspectors identified “early signs of improvement” under a new strategy being implemented by Ms Russell. Inspectors concluded that the responsible departmental team “works effectively and reduces risks for many children who are vulnerable to or at risk of exploitation,” although some intricate cases “experience delays in effective intervention.” Ivan Powell, the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, commented: “We’re really pleased that both reports acknowledge positive signs of improvement.” He added, “We recognise that we still have some work to do but we are in in a considerably better place than we were two years ago.” This report was compiled by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an organization that covers local councils and other public service bodies. For more updates, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.