An Ofsted inspection of Bromley’s Children Services has concluded that children in the borough receive “exceptionally strong services”, with an outstanding rating in all categories.
The outstanding rating in all areas is the highest rating Ofsted can give and means that Bromley’s Childrens Services are amongst the very best in the country. Since Ofsted’s new inspection framework was introduced in 2022, which includes the new judgement for care leavers, Bromley is only the third local authority to have received outstanding in all areas of social work. In total, Bromley is the eighth local authority to have received an ‘outstanding’ rating, including those under the previous criteria.
Councillor Kate Lymer, Deputy Leader of Bromley Council and the Executive Member for Children, Education and Families said:
“This outstanding result is testament to the hard work of so many people. Reading words or phrases in the report such as ‘impressive, high quality, highly effective, successful and excellent service in our multiple service areas underlines what is being achieved. I want to thank our hardworking staff for their passion, dedication and brilliance and that of our police and health partners too. This work literally impacts on future generations. We want to see all our children reach their full potential in as many ways as possible which is why we remain ambitious for our children and we will remain resolutely focussed on this.”
In all four inspection areas of Children’s Services, Ofsted have graded the council as outstanding, with the overall effectiveness rating also being outstanding.
- The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families – Outstanding
- The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection – Outstanding
- The experiences and progress of children in care – Outstanding
- The experiences and progress of care leavers – Outstanding
- Overall effectiveness – Outstanding
