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‘Still more to do’ to improve Havering’s children’s services, council says

Havering Town Hall. Image: LDRS

Havering Council says it “still has more to do” to improve social care for children, following a drubbing from Ofsted.

(Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sebastian Mann)

The town hall’s services were branded inadequate by the regulator in December 2023 for a variety of reasons.

During a two-week inspection, officers found the majority of social workers in Havering had complex and higher than average caseloads, which the council said was due to “growing demand”.

This was coupled with “poor management and supervision,” which led to “widespread drift and delay for too many children”.

After ordering the town hall to improve, Ofsted inspectors returned to the borough in October.

They saw that a “significant amount of work had been undertaken,” councillor Gerald Ford said in a statement.

Cllr Ford, who serves as the cabinet member for children and young people, said: “It was noted that caseloads have been brought down to more manageable levels – albeit with some significant complexities – which is helping to improve staff morale.

“Staff are also positive about the piloting of AI tools which are helping them to work more efficiently.”

He said the town hall had also carried out a “large-scale reorganisation” of the department, splitting it into a ‘corporate parenting’ team and a safeguarding team. The reshuffle was completed last July.

However, the cabinet member said the council “recognised there was still more to do and we are only part way through our improvement journey”.

Cllr Ford said: “We also need to make improvements to our case management system to ensure that it is an enabler for good practice, and not a barrier.

“Improvement work in both of these areas is underway, including a partnership with Islington Council to review our case management system.”

Children’s services have become one of the biggest financial strains on the cash-strapped council, next to housing.

An extra £11million was poured into the department in 2024/25, and the improvement plan is projected to cost £5m in total.

Cllr Ford added: “Both Ofsted and the Department for Education recognised the commitment from the wider council in supporting the improvements, particularly in the midst of challenging financial circumstances.”

Havering Council has been allocated £40m in government funding for the coming year, up by £10m from 2024/25. However, this figure “sadly goes nowhere” responding to the increasing challenges, Cllr Ford said.

He added: “Although there was a slight increase, we are acutely aware that it will not be enough to meet all of our financial pressures and we are continuing to lobby the government to resolve the wider issue of inadequate funding across all council services.”

Last February, the cabinet member said the “unprecedented increase” in Havering’s child population made it the fourth fastest growing 0-14 population in the country. That also included a “significant increase” in the number of children with special educational needs.

He said then: “This has led to a significant rise in demand for our services with no increase in government funding. This is coupled with a chronic shortage of social workers nationally and difficulties attracting new staff locally.”

The town hall’s financial woes have only worsened in the past twelve months.

After teetering on the edge of bankruptcy last year, it is now facing a £75m budget deficit for 2025/26. Included in that eight-figure sum is a £35m government bailout, known as a “capitalisation direction,” which it will need to pay back over the next 20 years.

The budget for the coming year will be signed off next Wednesday (5th February).

Categories: Social care Social services

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