Dorset Council Children’s Services rated ‘outstanding’

Children in Dorset receive exceptional services: this is one of the headline findings from Dorset Council’s latest full Ofsted inspection, which has rated its Children’s Services as ‘outstanding’ in its overall effectiveness. 

Following an inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) in March, the report published by Ofsted today confirms that the authority is ‘outstanding’ in three of the four graded areas, ‘good’ in the fourth, and outstanding overall. 

Councillor Clare Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills said: “We work hard to put children, young people and families at the centre of everything we do because we want Dorset to be the best place to be a child. I am therefore delighted that this report recognises the progress we have made, although we always strive to do more and to do it better.

“The report reflects how our fantastic staff and partners come together to deliver the best services we can, and I am particularly pleased that Ofsted commended the strong participation and involvement of our children, young people and families. Their voices are vital in shaping decisions both about their own lives and about the services we provide as a whole.”

There were many positive highlights in the report including: ‘children continue to be placed at the heart of Dorset local authority’, and ‘practitioners’ relentless dedication to ensure children, families and care leavers receive the support they need shone through in this inspection’. 

Welcoming the news, Paul Dempsey, Executive Director of Children’s Services at Dorset Council, said: “Being judged ‘outstanding’ is a fantastic reflection of the hard work of so many people, and not just those within Dorset Council. 

“We could not have achieved this result without having a great staff team, fantastic foster carers and adopters, and incredibly close partnership working, particularly with the police, the health service, those in our education settings, the Dorset Parent Carer Council, and all our valued partners in the voluntary and community sector who have worked so incredibly hard alongside our own colleagues.

“I also want to thank our families for their part in making us an outstanding service. They have worked closely alongside us, giving us feedback and telling us how we can best meet their needs.”

Acknowledging that there are always things that could be improved, Mr Dempsey continued: “It’s great to be judged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, but we recognise that there is always more we can do, and we continue to be ambitious for all children. Ofsted identified just one area for improvement, in relation to the detail and clarity of our offer for care leavers, and we are already working on actions to address this. 

Writing on behalf of Ofsted, in her summary report to children and young people, His Majesty’s Inspector, Sarah Canto, thanked children and young people in Dorset for their involvement: “We saw that children and young people are very involved in the corporate parenting board and other events, and the positive difference you make. We spoke to several children and young people during our inspection. Thank you so much to those of you that met or spoke with us. It really helped us to have a good understanding of what services help you and what could be better.”

The full report is on the Ofsted website.