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Herefordshire Council’s Children’s Services has been rated ‘Good’ overall by Ofsted, with each specific service area receiving a ‘Good’ judgement and the ‘Impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families’ judged as ‘Outstanding’.

Key strengths identified by Ofsted include:

• Families benefiting from effective early help and family support delivered by a multi-agency network of professionals.

• Across the services Ofsted found “well considered, comprehensive assessments by social workers, that are informed by the views of children, families and other professionals, and that demonstrate an understanding of the strengths in families, balancing this against presenting risks and needs” with additional recognition that assessments for children with disabilities and complex needs show workers understand needs that are responded to well.
• Appropriate thresholds for care and protection being applied effectively with strong management oversight at all tiers, demonstrating evidence-based rationale for further action.
• A workforce of staff who are committed to building relationships with children and young people through creative and individualised direct.
• Effective support in place delivered by “skilled practitioners” to keep children living with their families, or return to their care, where it is in their best interests.
• For those children and young people at risk or experiencing exploitation Ofsted found an established and impactful multi agency service that reduces risk to children.
• Thorough assessments and tailored support for foster carers, including kinship carers, who are well supported and have improved training opportunities.
• A strong service to care leavers with a clear and comprehensive ‘Local Offer’ delivered by persistent and creative personal advisors who are committed to understanding the young people’s lives and helping them achieve their aspirations.