Child Care Solicitors

City of Wolverhampton Council has announced that Ofsted has judged its children’s services to be Good with the help and support available to vulnerable children, young people and families in the City ranked in the top 20% nationally.

The rating is the result of an in depth review into how the care and support provided by the City of Wolverhampton Council and its partners protects children and young people, supports families and improves their quality of life and future prospects.

The four-week Ofsted inspection took place from 16 January to 9 February 2017 and looked closely at the experiences of children and young people who need help or protection, including looked after children, children leaving care and those making the transition to adulthood.

Ofsted judged Children's Services in Wolverhampton as Good overall – meaning that children's services in Wolverhampton are among the best in the West Midlands, as well as being joint 23rd out of the 129 areas nationwide to have been assessed by Ofsted under the current single assessment framework.

City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Val Gibson, said:

“This is a very positive report, which not only recognises the fantastic work professionals at the City of Wolverhampton Council and our partners are doing day in day out – but also demonstrates the real impact it is having on improving the lives of vulnerable children, young people and their families. Inspectors have scrutinised our services in minute detail, highlighting the many areas where we are performing well – and identifying areas where we can and will do better.

“It is particularly pleasing that the inspection team has recognised that the major transformation underway within Children's Services is bringing real benefits to service users – indeed, inspectors interviewed a number of families who spoke very positively about the help they were given through our new Strengthening Families Hubs. While we are, of course, delighted to have been judged to be Good overall, we will not for one moment rest on our laurels – and will continue to do all we can to improve outcomes for people in Wolverhampton, wherever possible.

“We have developed a robust action plan to raise standards still further, have taken on board the recommendations made to us by Ofsted and are working closely with partners to address areas where we are not yet operating at as high a level as we could be.”

In his report, Lead Inspector Nigel Parkes found that senior managers, leaders and elected members at the City of Wolverhampton Council were “systematically driving improvements in services for children and families” and, through having a clear sense of vision and purpose and focusing on key priorities, were delivering better outcomes for children across a range of areas.

The council has also significantly reduced the number of children in care without compromising their safety – the number of looked after children reducing from 780 to 626 in 18 months, while most of those who are in care are “living in stable placements”, according to the report.

Duncan Lewis Child Care Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Child Care Solicitors can advise parents on a wide range of child care law and family matters, including parents’ duties under the Education Act 1996 and SEND.

Duncan Lewis can also advise on Section 38 enquiries, pre-proceedings meetings, children taken into Local Authority care and Court of Protection cases.

There are Duncan Lewis offices across England and Wales – and Duncan Lewis advises on family and child care matters under UK law and Islamic law, as well as being able to advise on cross-border family issues, such as child care arrangements, leave to remove and international parent-child abduction.

For expert legal advice on family and child care matters, call Duncan Lewis children lawyers on 0333 772 0409