|
Inspectors have confirmed that children in Staffordshire are safe and feel safe.
In a recent inspection of council, health, police and community services across the county, a team from Ofsted met with a wide range of professionals, parents, carers and young people to make a judgment on local Safeguarding and Looked After Children services.
The full inspection report was published on Friday 7 August 2009.
The report states that overall, Staffordshire's Safeguarding and Looked After Children's Services are adequate and that services are meeting the required standards for Staffordshire's children to be safe and feel safe. It identifies some areas for service improvement and highlights other areas that are good or outstanding.
Particular praise was given for the involvement of young people in making decisions about the services they receive and in enabling looked after children to take part in positive activities in their communities.
Deputy Leader of Staffordshire County Council and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Ian Parry said: "Staffordshire is the first county to experience the new heavyweight inspection process that was introduced following the tragic death of Baby P."
"I'm sure I speak on behalf of all the organisations involved when I welcome the external endorsement that we are keeping Staffordshire's children safe."
"We are now in a good position to reflect on the inspection report and work with our partners via Staffordshire's Children's Trust and Safeguarding Board to continue to improve outcomes for young people."
Dr Judith Bell, Director of Public Health at NHS North Staffordshire, said: "The inspection was a thorough and challenging exercise that scrutinised all levels of the services offered to vulnerable children. The resulting report has highlighted many areas of positive performance within the health sector and, in particular, praised strong partnership work which lies at the heart of good practice. NHS North Staffordshire has made the safeguarding of children a key priority for this year and work will continue to strengthen our performance in this vital field."
Yvonne Sawbridge, Director of Quality and Nursing, South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) said: "Ensuring that services for children are equitable, easy to access and of a high quality is a key priority for South Staffordshire PCT."
"Whilst we recognise that there are still areas that need to be addressed, we are committed to working with our partners to take forward the recommendations of the inspectors, to ensure that children in South Staffordshire are safe."
Superintendent Neil Hemmings, Head of Public Protection, said: "Staffordshire Police welcomes the findings of the inspection report and is committed to working with partners to ensure that children remain safe in Staffordshire. It is particularly pleasing that the report highlights the strong relationship between schools and the police and also recognises the emphasis placed on protecting children from domestic violence. We will be using the findings of the inspection to focus our joint working with partner agencies to ensure even closer working arrangements and practices."
|