'Those of us who work alongside the children’s services team here in Blackpool know just how hard they work'

Children’s services in Blackpool have been rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Inspectors said Blackpool Council’s services for children in care and services for care leavers are both outstanding, that the impact of leaders on social work practice is outstanding, and that services for children who need help and protection are good.

This rating makes Blackpool one of just two local authorities in the north west to be rated majority outstanding for children’s services, alongside Manchester.

Blackpool Council has invested heavily across all areas of children’s services in recent years, including in early help, family hubs, adolescent services and targeted support. This, inspectors said, “is facilitating better engagement and responses to children and their families”.

In a report published today, inspectors said that “sustained improvements” mean “children and their families now benefit from consistently high-quality, innovative services that respond to and meet their needs effectively”.

Ofsted inspectors spent 10 days with the council’s team in June. Their report highlights how:

• Investment in services, particularly in early help, has paid off. This was seen across family hubs, adolescent services and targeted support, in the recruitment of foster carers, and in support for care leavers up to age 25 and beyond.
• Investment in workforce development is improving delivery. The department has an “extremely committed, motivated and engaged workforce” who are “confident in leadership”. This is especially evident in recruitment and retention of social workers. Since 2022, the department has halved its number of agency staff.
• Children’s voices are valued. Their wishes and lived experience are “meaningfully captured” and used to shape services. Young people told inspectors they “felt supported in being heard” and that they know their rights.
• Children enjoy long-lasting and “strong, trusting” relationships with the professionals supporting them. For children in care their social workers are a “consistent source of support”, and care leavers “benefit from strong, enduring relationships with [adults] who know them well”.
• Support is “timely and thorough” across the board. This was noted as such for child protection enquiries and investigations, in pre-birth assessments, with young carers, and in adoption placements
• Partnership working is “a real a strength in Blackpool”. These are particularly valuable for emergency or out-of-hours responses and for care leavers, where wide-ranging partnerships improve stability and permanence.
• There is a “genuine, caring culture” across the department. Leaders have “successfully inspired and exemplified” culture change, and embedded a “strong quality assurance culture” and “strong learning culture”.
• The ‘Blackpool Families Rock’ culture is deeply embedded. The “culture and model of practice principles (Head – how we think. Heart – how we behave. Hands – how we work.) are evident throughout the work of practitioners”.

Inspectors noted the challenges and deprivation faced by Blackpool, placing pressure on children’s services. But they praised how “the chief executive’s [Neil Jack] mantra is indicative of Blackpool’s approach: ‘Context is not an excuse but reinforces the need to deliver better outcomes.’”

They also noted how children’s services are positioned as a core priority across all council operations, thanks to a “strong political and cross directorate commitment”.

Cllr Jim Hobson, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This is a fantastic rating for our town, reflecting the care, determination and professionalism that goes into supporting children and families.

“Those of us who have the privilege of working alongside the children’s services team here in Blackpool know just how hard they work. Their work is so often transformational for families. I am thrilled that that has been recognised by Ofsted too. I can’t praise all involved in delivering this rating highly enough.”

Blackpool Council’s children's services department covers social care, support for vulnerable families, safeguarding, fostering and adoption, and special educational needs and disabilities.

The services support a wide range of young people - children in care and care leavers, children at risk of harm, families facing challenges such as poverty, domestic abuse or mental health issues, young carers, and those with disabilities.

The department is overseen day-to-day by highly experienced professionals alongside elected councillors. Its work is independently inspected by Ofsted, while social workers meet professional standards set by Social Work England and follow national legislation and guidance.

An Ofsted inspection report and rating offer an independent assurance of the quality of provision, signalling that the council is effectively protecting and supporting vulnerable children and their families.

Blackpool Council’s 600-strong children’s services team celebrated their success at a special thank you event in the Tower Ballroom last week.

The local authority is now acting on feedback to improve planning and reviews for children and young people, to more consistently identify and address where experiences or progress are not being improved in good time.