Southwark Council’s adoption services and work tackling female genital mutilation have been commended by the education watchdog.
Ofsted rated the council’s services for children families as ‘good’ in its latest report. This puts Southwark in the top 28 per cent of the 146 local authorities inspected so far.
Inspectors were particularly impressed with the council’s adoptions services, which they found to be ‘outstanding’ – and its work addressing female genital mutilation was described as “particularly strong”.
Southwark was also commended for its strong work helping young people at risk of other issues such as honour-based violence, child sexual exploitation, involvement with gangs and knife crime, and homelessness.
Inspectors reported seeing examples of “high-quality” work with young people facing risks from gangs.
And they praised sensitive community engagement with at-risk communities and social workers addressing cultural sensitivities carefully, while remaining risk and child focused.
The report highlighted the strength of the engagement across health, schools, the voluntary sector, and all the many agencies that work in partnership to keep children safe in Southwark.
Commenting on the outcome of the inspection, Cllr Victoria Mills, Southwark Council’s cabinet member for children and schools, said: “I am delighted to see recognition of the monumental efforts of our social workers, foster carers, adopters, and all of those who work tirelessly for the protection, and the future of the borough’s most vulnerable young people.
“We all have a part to play in being ambitious for children and this report makes clear the commitment and leadership in Southwark to ensure every child is protected from harm and every young person is set on the path to achievement, fulfilment and happiness.”