Northumberland County Council’s Children’s Services have been rated outstanding overall by Ofsted.
The inspection report found that services to children who need help, support and care in Northumberland have improved since the last inspection in 2020 and “children benefit from high-quality social work practice that improves their lives.”
The upgrade from “good” to “outstanding” now places the council amongst the top 15% in the country.
The report also highlights Northumberland’s family hubs, describing them as “highly effective” and “committed to supporting families at the earliest opportunity, providing help within their communities.”
Overall effectiveness of the service is rated ‘outstanding,’ along with the impact of leaders, and the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection. The experiences and progress of children in care and the experiences and progress of care leavers are rated as ‘good.’
Audrey Kingham, Executive Director of Children, Young People and Education, said: “We are delighted with our outstanding Ofsted report, and I am very proud that it reflects the hard work and commitment that our teams show every single day.
“We do what we do for our children and young people, and it was brilliant to read that their message for us is: ‘keep doing what you are doing, you’re doing mint.’”
Read the full report here: Northumberland County Council Ofsted reports