Ofsted confirm effective sensitive support for Central Bedfordshire Children and Families

The latest news from Central Bedfordshire Council

Ofsted report published 26 March

Central Bedfordshire Council has received welcome feedback for the social care services it provides to children and families, following a focused visit in February.  

The visit is part of the Ofsted framework for inspecting local authority children’s services (ILACS) which evaluates their effectiveness, focused on ‘Children in need, including those children subject to a protection plan’. These visits do not include a graded judgement.  

In the report published today (26/03/24), Ofsted has credited the Council for further strengthening the support and management oversight for children in need of help and protection, since the last inspection in 2022.   

And inspectors highlighted that, children in Central Bedfordshire benefit from dedicated, passionate and skilled social workers who know them well and who work with purpose. Leaders and managers were praised for being forward-thinking and ambitious, with a clear plan to further improve services for children and families.   

Cllr Hayley Whitaker, Executive Member for Families, Education and Children said, “The Ofsted report really validates the good work children’s services do day in day out.    

“Congratulations to everyone involved, and thank you for what is challenging, but vital work in supporting some of the most vulnerable families in Central Bedfordshire.”  

This focused visit, builds on the previous ‘Good’ Ofsted ratings from 2017 and 2022 for the service.  

You can access the full Ofsted report on the Ofsted website.