Council failings put children at risk, says Ofsted

Failures in a council's services are still putting children at risk, government watchdog inspectors have found as they recorded another "inadequate" rating.

Ofsted said delays had left children "potentially unsafe" alongside ineffective leadership at Trafford Council, and there were "unrealistic expectations" placed on children to keep themselves safe.

The watchdog has rated children's services at the council as "inadequate" since 2019. Inspectors carried out the inspection over two weeks in June.

Bosses at the Labour-run council have apologised, but opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors said the situation was "devastating" and "deeply concerning" respectively.

Ofsted found a "serious deterioration" in some service areas and said leaders had "not fully understood the scale and impact of this on children and families".

It added delays in initial "front door" responses had left "children in potentially unsafe situations for too long".

The report noted that some homeless teenagers, aged 16 and 17, had experienced "serious and significant delays" getting into care.

This meant some children were "left in unsafe circumstances" and suffered "significant harm", inspectors ruled.

Ofsted identified nine areas that the council needed to improve.

These included the "timeliness and response to children at risk of significant harm", safety planning, and leadership.

George Devlin, Trafford's executive member for babies, children and young people, said: "First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the children, young people and families who rely on our services.

"This report tells us that, in some important areas, we have not provided the standard of service they have a right to expect. For that, we are sorry."

He added: "We fully accept Ofsted's findings and recognise that some children have waited too long for support and protection. That is not good enough, and we are determined to put it right."

Inspectors had recognised leaders' "openness to challenge" and responsiveness to concerns raised during the inspection, Devlin continued, but added: "However, the report is clear that leaders did not fully understand the scale and impact of issues in some service areas."

"Our focus is now on strengthening oversight and accelerating improvement."

He said work had begun to implement "improvement actions".

Conservative leader of the opposition, Nathan Evans, said it was "one of the most serious reports" any council could receive.

He added that it was a "devastating failure for Trafford and, most importantly, for vulnerable children and their families".

Liberal Democrat leader Shaun Ennis said the report was "deeply concerning for families and young people".

He added: "Staff on the ground across our children's services are being tasked with the impossible.

"Trafford is a critically underfunded council."

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