Improvement plan proposed for Northamptonshire children's services
The Government is taking swift action in Northamptonshire to make sure that vulnerable children and families receive the support they need.
The Government has proposed to appoint a commissioner to oversee improvements at Northamptonshire children鈥檚 social care services, following concerns raised by existing commissioners and Ofsted about how the council supports vulnerable children and families.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire have written to the leader of Northamptonshire County Council in a move designed to take swift and early action to improve its children鈥檚 services.
They have today confirmed they are 鈥榤inded to鈥� appoint Malcolm Newsam CBE as a children鈥檚 services commissioner, following Ofsted鈥檚 that the quality of services have deteriorated.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:
We must make sure that vulnerable children and families are kept safe and instead of waiting for failure, we can prevent it by acting quickly to intervene where concerns have been raised about the quality of care.
Appointing a commissioner for Northamptonshire鈥檚 children鈥檚 services will help stabilise and improve the support for the children and families who need our protection.
Secretary of State for Communities Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:
Keeping vulnerable children safe is one of the most important duties local authorities carry out. Ofsted鈥檚 report highlights serious concerns about the current performance of children鈥檚 services in Northamptonshire and this cannot continue.
We are taking action today by recommending a children鈥檚 commissioner joins the existing commissioner team at the Council. This will help to stabilise and improve the service so each and every child receives the protection they deserve.
The proposal to appoint a commissioner for children鈥檚 services is part of the Government鈥檚 children鈥檚 social care strategy to spot early warning signs and take action quickly to support councils to make the necessary improvements where there a risk of failure.
Malcolm Newsam CBE is an experienced director of children鈥檚 services and has worked with many underperforming councils to oversee improvements with successful results. He was awarded a CBE in 2017 for services to children鈥檚 social care.
Two commissioners, Tony McArdle and Brian Roberts, were appointed in May to oversee council services in Northamptonshire, following the discovery of serious failings and financial problems. The appointment of a children鈥檚 commissioner would build on their initial work and provide additional support and expertise to tackle Ofsted鈥檚 concerns, working with Lincolnshire County Council, which is providing peer support to the council as one of the Department for Education鈥檚 Partners in Practice.
Through the work of this team, local government services in Northamptonshire could undergo a reorganisation and the new commissioner would look at how children鈥檚 services could be delivered in the future. Findings will be reported back to the MHCLG and DfE Secretaries of State next year.
Since May 2010, 44 local authorities have been lifted out of intervention and have not returned 鈥� including Doncaster and Rotherham which were both rated 鈥楪ood鈥� by Ofsted this year.
Northamptonshire County Council will now have the opportunity to make any representations to the Government on the appointment of a commissioner before a final decision, expected later this month.