• Improvements since last visit in 2022 have been sustained
• Partnership response to sharing information is ‘impressive, pioneering and well-defined’
A report published today (28 February) by Ofsted has commended Newham Council’s Children and Young People’s Service describing the team as ‘highly effective’ and ‘impressive’.
Inspectors visited the council on 24 and 25 January to look at arrangements and support for young people in care aged 16 and 17 moving into adulthood and for care-experienced young people aged 18 to 25.
The visit focused specifically on; quality of preparation and support into adulthood, quality and suitability of accommodation and young people with specific needs, for example those at risk of criminal exploitation and serious youth violence and those in and out of custody.
Since the last visit in 2022, inspectors found improvements had been sustained and the service remained highly effective.
Key findings in the report include:
- Staff enjoy working in Newham and feel well supported by visible and caring managers and senior leaders.
- Care-experienced young people are actively involved in shaping service improvements through their representation at the corporate parenting board, the care leavers’ forum and their contact with senior leaders.
- Care-experienced children and young people receive help from teams of highly committed and determined staff who know them well and work diligently with partners, providing effective practical advice and help when needed.
- The partnership response to sharing information in relation to serious youth violence is impressive, pioneering and well defined.
- There is strong and effective support for young people with specific additional learning needs.
- Inspectors praised The Cove, a dedicated meeting space and workspace for care experienced young people, that offers an extensive range of activities and support as well as the opportunity to meet with peers.
Councillor Sarah Ruiz, lead member for children’s services said: “I am very proud of our Children’s Services team. This is an incredible result which demonstrates that our staff have continued to build on their success following our ‘Good’ Ofsted result in 2022. Our staff face tough and unique challenges so it is encouraging to see through the report that they enjoy their work and are determined to improve the lives of some our most vulnerable young people. Working together, we will continue to ensure our young people have access to all the support and opportunities they need to thrive.”
Full report can be found here