Response to OFSTED Report on Medway Council's Children's Services
The news that OFSTED finds Medway Council's Children's Services to be "inadequate" with many areas having "deteriorated since the single inspection of services in 2015" is very disturbing. The report's findings stress that whilst frontline staff are not to blame - and are dedicated to the children they support - there is poor oversight at a senior level. These are very serious shortcomings, and ones that senior leaders and portfolio holders did not know about as the OFSTED team highlighted a very high number of cases where children were not being protected from harm. OFSTED are unequivocal that structures put in place by Senior Council Officers have clearly not worked as they have overseen a 'serious decline', and that is a failure of leadership at the highest level. Liberal Democrats demand better as our most vulnerable children are being let down and Medway's Children's Services have a vital role to play in supporting our most vulnerable young people. The "inadequacies" contained in the report need to be addressed as rapidly as possible to remedy the situation. Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for investment in our local health and care services. | |