The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the Council's response to a recent Ofsted inspection of its Children's Services, which rated the overall effectiveness as Inadequate . The committee noted the report and the actions being taken to address the identified shortcomings, particularly concerning care leavers.

Council Response to Ofsted Inspection of Children's Services

The committee received and noted the Council's response to the recent Inspection of Local Authority Children's Services (ILACS) report, which found Harrow Council's Children's Services to be Inadequate in Overall Effectiveness . Despite this overall rating, the services for children under 18 were rated Good in two categories, with one category rated as Requires Improvement .

Councillor Paul Osborn, Leader of the Council, expressed disappointment with the overall rating but highlighted it as an opportunity to improve services for care leavers. The Strategic Director of Children's Services, Parmjit Chahal, detailed the immediate actions taken following the inspection, including reviewing all closed cases for care leavers aged 18-21 and increasing the capacity of personal advisors to support older care leavers. A statutory requirement to maintain contact with older care leavers up to the age of 25 has been implemented, with cases now remaining open unless a young person opts out. A weekly drop-in hub has also been established to provide support for care leavers aged 18 and over, with colleagues from housing, employment, and social care in attendance.

During the discussion, councillors raised concerns about the prioritisation of training for personal advisors and the challenges of providing adequate housing for care leavers, particularly in light of London's housing crisis and a £350 million overspend on temporary accommodation across the capital. Harrow Council itself had overspent by £10 million on housing. The committee was assured that while there is a national shortage of housing, care leavers are offered suitable alternative accommodation, including semi-independent and supported living.

Concerns were also raised about care leavers going missing. It was reported that two unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people had gone missing, with one still unaccounted for. The council is working with the Home Office and has implemented a weekly missing meeting with the police to track and discuss all missing children and, now, adults.

The committee inquired about the impact of the inspection findings on staff morale and retention. It was stated that the findings were shared with the workforce with a no blame culture, and while staff were disappointed, they remained committed to improvement. The council has not experienced significant staff turnover and has, in fact, recruited additional permanent staff and personal advisors.

Regarding the deterioration of support for care leavers since 2020, it was suggested that the merging of departments might have been a contributory factor, though not the sole cause. The committee requested an organisational chart of the service to better understand its structure. It was confirmed that there are no single points of failure within the service.

The committee was informed that a progress report, which is not a council document but rather from the Department for Education's improvement advisor, might be shared if the department has no objection.

Ultimately, the committee resolved to note the report, acknowledging the significant efforts being made to address the issues identified by Ofsted and improve services for care leavers.