PROGRESS in BCP Council’s children’s services after Ofsted’s latest monitoring visit since it was rated inadequate is leading to optimism, an education expert says.

The watchdog carried out its fifth such visit following its damning report was published in December 2021.

Each visit sees inspectors carry out a ‘deep dive’ into different areas of the department.

On this occasion, inspectors looked at provision for ‘care experienced’ young people aged between 15 and 25.

The local authority provides personal advisors (PAs) to each child in this age range, working with social service until they reach the age of 18.

The report highlighted inconsistencies in how these PAs were allocated.

However, it noted that caseloads for each PA had been reduced ‘significantly’, which Cathi Hadley, director of children’s services, said was down to success in recruitment and retention in recent months.

“If you look at our caseloads, our caseloads now are about an average of 18,” she said. “That is better than some other local authorities.

“We have got more permanent and stable staff, and we have recruited an extra two over and above our establishment to support the developments. We’ve now got a permanent and really experienced service manager and that only recently happened.

“We’re on the beginnings of that runway to push forward.”

The report noted that The Hub, a facility for young people, was an ‘exemplar of good practice’, which Ms Hadley said the council was ‘very proud’ of.

She added that these visits are a ‘check and balance’ on how the council thinks progress is being made.

“We didn’t see, and we haven’t seen in any of the monitoring visits, anything we weren’t aware of,” Ms Hadley said.

“We’ve absolutely known ourselves very well and we know there’s more to do. We can see incremental progress as we go forward.

“If you begin to paint that whole picture, we are heading in the right direction.”

Cllr Richard Burton, portfolio holder for Children’s Services echoed Ms Hadley’s sentiments.

He was chair of the scrutiny committee when the initial report was released, and said he felt officers were caught by surprise by its findings.

“What I’m finding now, is a report like this one, there weren’t any surprises,” Cllr Burton said. “I have been told these things, what’s being done to improve.

“I’m also feeling officers are quite excited about the progress that we’ve seen. BCP is coming a place that people want to work at.

“When people are happy working in children’s services, they do a good job, we recruit people better, and it’s a part of the improvement journey.”

John Coughlan is the Department for Education’s improvement advisor for BCP Council.

He said the progress the council is making is ‘on track’.

“The service is led by quite strong, self-critical perspective, which is what’s needed, particularly when you’re in these kind of circumstances,” Mr Coughlan said.

“It is pie in the sky for an organisation in BCP’s situation to hope to get to good at the next full Ofsted inspection.

“It will be a year to two years before that inspection happens, and what you’ve got to hope for is a strong requires improvement judgement in Ofsted terms.

“I’m more optimistic now about BCP’s prospects than I have been in my two years working with them.”