Council must review up to 400 child protection cases

Gloucestershire Council must review nearly 400 child protection cases following an Ofsted inspection.

The inspectorate’s latest review of the council’s children’s services rated its safeguarding as “inadequate”. Ofsted said Gloucestershire must immediately ensure that risks in these cases are clearly identified and that child protection plans make clear the outcomes to be achieved, how they will be measured, as well as accountabilities and timescales.

Ofsted also said the council had to ensure that children and young people with child protection plans are seen in accordance with the frequency specified in the child protection plan and, where necessary, seen alone. Gloucestershire must also make sure historical information is fully taken into account when considering referrals and when carrying out assessments, the inspectorate said.

Councillor Paul McLain, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “What we need to do now is improve the experience of our most vulnerable children and families. We know we have more work to do in improving our services in this area and we’re investing more in targeted activities to support this.”

McLain said Gloucestershire had already taken on an additional 30 social workers during the past year in response to increased referrals to children’s services.

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