Mixed Ofsted report on support for care-experienced young people in Swindon

A new Ofsted monitoring visit has found that Swindon Borough Council is making progress in improving support for care-experienced young people.

Ofsted also identified areas where further improvement is needed.

The visit was requested by the council as part of its stated commitment to independent scrutiny of the support and services provided to young people leaving care.

Care-experienced young people are young adults who have spent time in the council’s care and receive support as they move towards independent adult life.

Inspectors found that care-experienced young people are actively helping to shape services, while strong relationships between Pathway Advisers and care leavers were highlighted as a key strength. 

They also noted that the council has expanded the support available to care leavers up to the age of 25. 

The report further recognised positive work to help care leavers access education, employment and training opportunities.

At the same time, Ofsted identified areas where more progress is needed, including improving the consistency of pathway planning, ensuring suitable accommodation is available when needed, strengthening support for some young people with complex mental health needs and improving multi-agency responses for some vulnerable care leavers.

The council has already begun work to address the areas identified in the report and will continue working with partners and care leavers to strengthen services and improve outcomes for young people.

As part of the ongoing improvement work, the Department for Education’s Children’s Improvement Teams (CIT) programme is providing additional support to councils, including Swindon. 

The programme helps local authorities strengthen services for children and families by sharing expertise, promoting best practice and supporting national reforms.

Swindon Children’s Services has been matched with Achieving for Children (AFC), an organisation that delivers children’s services for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Over the coming year, the partnership will focus on strengthening leadership, improving the quality and consistency of services, enhancing performance monitoring and helping more children stay connected to their families and communities by living in suitable homes closer to where they belong.

Cllr Kate Tomlinson, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Education, said: “We requested this visit because we wanted independent scrutiny and a clear assessment of where we are and where we need to improve further.

“The report recognises several positive developments, including the stronger voice that care-experienced young people now have in shaping services, the commitment of our staff and the support available to help care leavers move into adulthood successfully.

“Ofsted confirmed the areas for ongoing work to strengthen support and outcomes for care leavers including housing, mental health support and ensuring every young person receives consistently high-quality pathway plans and support.

“Our focus remains on delivering the best possible outcomes for children and young people. This visit has provided valuable challenge as well as assurance on the progress being made and we will continue to act on the findings to strengthen support for care-experienced young people.”

The full monitoring letter is available on the Ofsted website.