Sunderland children's service jumps from inadequate to outstanding
Sunderland's children's services department is the first in the country to leap from an inadequate to an outstanding rating.
Sunderland's children's services department is the first in the country to leap from an inadequate to an outstanding rating.
It's also one of only 18 local authorities in England to have the top rating.
Ofsted inspectors said the social work was of a consistently high quality.
The services are run by Together for Children on behalf of council services on Wearside.
During an inspection of services between 28 June and 9 July, Ofsted found that children’s services have been ‘transformed’ and are ‘making a real difference to children’s lives.’
In a report outlining their findings, Ofsted said
"inspectors evaluated social work practice to be of consistently high quality and relentless in significantly improving the experience of children and young people."
They also highlighted that the improvement in quality "is even more impressive as it’s been achieved during the pandemic, as workers and leaders have worked ceaselessly to improve children’s lives."