Wigan Council's Children's Services were rated as 'Requires Improvement' by Ofsted last year
Almost one year on from a damning Ofsted report about their Children’s Services, inspectors say Wigan Council are learning lessons.
“Systems and processes have been strengthened and risk of harm is recognised promptly, which ensures that the majority of children receive an appropriate level of support at the right time,” the Ofsted report, published on June 9 said. “There is continued strong corporate and political support for children’s services in Wigan, including substantial financial investment.
The council claimed that underfunding and staff shortages were the cause of the ‘Requires Improvement’ grade - which is why they have since invested heavily in the service. Despite the council raising taxes in order to reduce their budget deficit, a £37.5 million programme to continue to overhaul the council's children's services department was included in the financial plan going forward.
Giving examples of staff feedback from the report, Ms Dutton highlighted: “Staff were unanimously positive when speaking with inspectors about working in Wigan…they are well-supported by managers and leaders at every level’ and that ‘they feel valued and listened to and told inspectors that senior managers collaborate with them to find better ways to improve outcomes for children.”
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