Outstanding practice in children's services highlighted by inspectors

Outstanding practice in children's services highlighted by inspectors

Children’s voices and perspectives are central to decision-making at Wigan Council and outstanding practice is making a positive difference, inspectors have said.

An Ofsted report published this week highlights services for children and care leavers across the borough have been strengthened since the previous inspection in 2022.

In particular, the council’s “exceptional support” for care leavers and the “outstanding service” for children in care is outlined.

The publication follows a full inspection visit in October with the watchdog grading Wigan Council’s overall effectiveness as Good.

Inspectors praised the council’s corporate parenting – a collective responsibility to ensure positive outcomes for young people - as a “significant strength”.

“There is a genuine sense that ‘these are our children’, shared across the council and its partners,” the report reads.

Councillor Dane Anderton, cabinet portfolio holder for children and families, said: “The dedication, skill and passion of our entire workforce shines through the pages of this report and I would like to thank our officers for delivering consistently high outcomes for children and families in our borough.

“The improvement journey the service has been on is something to be proud of and we will ensure - in line with our Progress With Unity values - that we continue to deliver excellent services and make further progress in areas where we know we have more to do.

“It confirms what we already know; that our borough is ambitious for its children, and we have a strong culture of kindness, inclusion and high expectations.”

The inspection team visited the borough for a fortnight in October.

The overall effectiveness of the services was graded as ‘Good’, with the experiences and progress of children in care, plus, the experiences and progress of children care leavers as ‘Outstanding’.

Inspectors also highlighted that Wigan Council operates five children’s homes, all judged to be good or outstanding.

The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families is graded ‘Good’, with the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection as ‘requires improvement to be good.’

In summary, the report reads: “The child’s voice strongly influences service development, contributing to sustained improvements in the support for children in care and care leavers.

“Outstanding practice is making a positive difference to the lives of these children and young people.”

The report adds: “Leaders have implemented an effective recruitment and retention programme that has resulted in a largely permanent workforce, providing a strong foundation for sustained improvement.

“Services for children in need of help and protection have also been strengthened…(and) managers oversee social work caseloads effectively, ensuring they are well managed, and enabling practitioners to build and maintain meaningful relationships with children, care leavers and their families.

“Senior leaders are ambitious for children and have fostered a strong, family-focused and child-centred culture.”

Colette Dutton, director of children’s services, said: “These achievements don’t happen in isolation; from social workers and early help practitioners to housing teams, health partners, education colleagues, we listen to children’s voices and never stop striving for better.

“Inspectors found that we have created a stable, skilled and motivated workforce underpinned by kindness, accountability and high aspiration and of that I am most proud.

“I’m delighted to say that the report reflects what we already know; that we’re consistently making a positive difference to children and young people’s lives and that the participation of children in decision making is a hallmark of good practice in Wigan Borough.

“There is of course always more to do but with the passion and ambition I see every day for children and young people in this borough, I have no doubt that as Team Wigan we will continue to develop our services to an even higher standard.”

The report adds: “Political and corporate commitment to children remains strong, with continued investment despite financial pressures. This has created a stable, skilled and motivated workforce underpinned by kindness, accountability and high aspiration.”

View the full Ofsted inspection report (external link).