Council announces Children’s Services Improvement Plan
Buckinghamshire Council has formally agreed a comprehensive Improvement Plan to strengthen services for vulnerable children and young people, following the latest Ofsted inspection of its Children’s Services.
The Plan was approved at today's Cabinet meeting (9 September) and sets out a clear roadmap to address areas identified for development in the inspection report published earlier this year.
Ofsted visited the council between 27 January and 7 February 2025 to assess services for children in need of help and protection, children in care, and care leavers. While the overall judgement remained “requires improvement to be good”, inspectors rated the experiences and progress of children in care as “good” and acknowledged significant progress since the previous inspection in 2021.
The Improvement Plan builds on this progress and outlines targeted actions to improve consistency, strengthen management oversight, and enhance support for care leavers and children at risk of neglect.
Ade Osibogun, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education & Children’s Services, said:
“We are committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for children and young people in Buckinghamshire. The Ofsted inspection recognised many areas of good practice and the positive impact of recent changes. Our Improvement Plan sets out how we will go further – ensuring that every child receives the support they need, when they need it, and that our services continue to improve.
“We are already well on the way with delivering the changes set out in this Plan, and we will keep building on the progress we’ve made so far.”
Key areas of focus in the Improvement Plan include:
- Strengthening management oversight and reflective supervision
- Improving support for children at risk of neglect
- Enhancing transition planning for older children and disabled care leavers
- Increasing engagement with care-experienced young people
- Improving the quality and consistency of pathway plans for care leavers aged 21+
The plan will be monitored through a robust framework of quality assurance and performance review, with progress reported regularly to Cabinet, the Children’s and Education Select Committee, and the Corporate Parenting Panel.