Sheffield’s Children in Care services have been awarded their first ever ‘outstanding’ rating in their recent OFSTED inspection.
Overall, the services were rated ‘good’ but were given extra praise for the ‘experience and progress of children in care’.
Councillor Dawn Dale, Committee Chair for Education, Children and Families at Sheffield City Council, said: “This is the most welcome news for us, and I congratulate everyone who had a part to play in this achievement.
“The Ofsted report highlights the strength of our leadership team in Education, Children and Families and our child-focused, stable, consistent, and skilled workforce.
“It’s an incredible achievement and I particularly thank the professionals who work to achieve high standards of service for our children and young people.”
This inspection is the first since 2019, when the outcome was ‘good but requires improvement’, showing significant efforts from the services in recent years.
A spokesperson for OFSTED, who addressed all children and young people from Sheffield in a letter, said: “ There are lots of great services in Sheffield that help children when difficulties arise.
“This means when families have small problems, they get help quickly so that they do not become big ones.
“This means that more children can continue to live safely and happily at home with their families.
“When children are at risk of serious harm, social workers act very quickly to make sure they are kept as safe as possible”.
Coun Dale added: “I am confident that we will continue to improve until all our services provide an outstanding service for children and families in the city.
“We are determined to do this and it’s reassuring for us to know we will be doing that based on this positive, well-received Ofsted outcome.”
