The Ofsted report highlighted the council’s effective leadership, strong partnership work, and positive impact of its services on children’s lives

Enfield Civic Centre and (inset) Abdul Abdullahi, cabinet member for children’s services

Enfield Council’s children’s services team offers good levels of support, education watchdog Ofsted has confirmed.

Following a comprehensive inspection carried out in July, Ofsted has awarded the borough’s children’s services a ‘good’ rating, with some areas also being recognised as ‘outstanding’ by the inspectors.

Although the government confirmed this week that it would be scrapping the single headline Ofsted judgements for schools with immediate effect, the rating for Enfield Council remains in place.

The Ofsted report highlighted the council’s effective leadership, strong partnership work, and the positive impact of its services on children’s lives. Particularly noteworthy was the outstanding help provided to children in care and the significant improvements made since the last inspection in 2019.

The report said: “Children who are in care in Enfield receive outstanding care and support from social workers and carers who know them very well. Consequently, most children, including those who are placed outside the borough, make significant and tangible progress.”

Inspectors also praised Enfield’s early help services, the quality of social work practice, and the positive outcomes achieved for care leavers.

In terms of criticisms, Ofsted reported that the pace of the restructure of the council’s out-of-hours service needed to improve, as well as the advocacy support to children aged 16 and 17 at risk of homelessness and their understanding of their rights and entitlements, and care leavers’ understanding of their rights and entitlements through the local offer.

Abdul Abdullahi, Enfield Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We are immensely proud of the report from Ofsted. It is a clear reflection of the dedication and hard work of our children’s services team. Our priority has always been to ensure that every child and young person in Enfield is given the best opportunity to thrive.

“This inspection reaffirms our commitment to supporting our young people and families, and we are determined to continue improving our services to achieve even greater outcomes in the future.”

The report emphasised the stability and commitment of the staff team, which has been a cornerstone of the council’s success. The inspectors acknowledged the positive working environment created by the council, which has enabled social workers to deliver consistently good practice.

Tony Theodoulou, executive director at the council, praised staff for their exemplary work and added: “The positive observations from Ofsted are testament to the extraordinary efforts of our staff who have gone above and beyond to ensure the wellbeing of children and families in Enfield.

“Their commitment and passion have been instrumental in achieving this result, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. We will continue to work tirelessly to provide the highest standard of care, protection and support to children and families who live, work or study in Enfield.”

Read the Ofsted report in full:
Visit files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50256007

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