County council to keep control of West Sussex children's services
It comes three years after Ofsted rated parts of the service 'inadequate'
Last updated 31st Mar 2022
Services for vulnerable children in West Sussex will remain in county council control and not be moved into a standalone trust as previously announced.
The move had been mooted following a highly critical report from Ofsted in 2019, which rated parts of the services as 'inadequate' and found 'widespread and serious weaknesses'.
Since then, the Department of Education has been working closely with the inspectorate and West Sussex County Council to ensure improvements are made.
In the announcement, Minister for Children and Families Will Quince acknowledged that teams are making 'significant strides' to improve the service.
Those include the completion of the Council’s ‘Reset and Reboot’ governance programme, a report from the Children’s Services Commissioner for West Sussex, and the Council’s commitment to put children first.
The decision is pending a reinspection by Ofsted which is due to take place in the coming months.
Deborah Urquhart, Deputy Leader of West Sussex County Council, said:
“We welcome the news that the Department for Education has taken the decision to allow Children’s Services in West Sussex to remain under the control of the County Council.
“The decision shows that the Council has demonstrated the ability to make the necessary progress and that it is in the best interests of vulnerable children and families for services to remain under our control. It is also a testament to the quality of our managers and staff, their incredible hard work and dedication and their commitment to improvements even during the pandemic.
“We do not underestimate the work still needed to raise the standards to the best they can be for our children, young people and families and we remain focused and committed to continuing our improvement work.”