Suffolk County Council’s leaving care service receives high praise from Ofsted

Suffolk County Council’s leaving care service has received high praise from Ofsted after a recent visit.
Published: 03 Mar 2022

Ofsted inspectors assessed the local authority’s arrangement for care leavers as part of a focused visit to the service. The visit follows on from the Outstanding rating received by SCC’s Children’s Services department in 2019. The services for children in care and care leavers was the only area at the time to be rated ‘Good’ and therefore was an area of priority for the council.

At the recent visit inspectors concluded that care leavers are successfully helped to transition to independence and reach their full potential. The service was seen to have a culture that is “determined, ambitious and creative” with practitioners who build trusting relationships with care leavers. Practitioners were seen accessing a wide range of specialist expertise to provide services to care leavers that are individualised and responsive.

Inspectors also said that “Many care leavers achieve well, exceeding their own expectations. All are valued and their achievements are celebrated. Persistent efforts are made to reach out to those who are difficult to engage.”

James Reeder, Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services said:

I am absolutely delighted to receive such high praise from Ofsted. This report really demonstrates the hard work that staff in the leaving care service deliver day in, day out. I would like to thank them for the great work that they do for our care leavers.We are committed to delivering the highest quality service for our care leavers in Suffolk. All young people have the right to the appropriate level of support they need to aspire and achieve. I am committed to ensuring that this is the reality for all of Suffolk’s young people, including our most vulnerable.

The full report can be found here: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50178373