Council welcomes continued progress in Ofsted monitoring visit

Cheshire East Council has welcomed encouraging feedback from Ofsted following its latest monitoring visit to children’s services.

It found that the quality of practice for care leavers has continued to strengthen since the previous inspection. 

The visit, which took place in April, focused on the quality, consistency and responsiveness of support, advice and guidance for care leavers. Inspectors also reviewed senior leaders’ quality assurance arrangements, performance oversight, and the effectiveness of management supervision. 

The newly published Ofsted letter highlights a more established and focused senior leadership team, driving improvements in practice and embedding new standards across the service. This builds on three earlier monitoring visits in 2025, which had already recognised the pace of improvement and the council’s commitment to change. 

Inspectors identified a range of positive developments, including: 

• Stronger co-production through the care leaver ambassadors. 
• Clear council commitment to children’s services, demonstrated through significant investment and increased capacity. 
• The positive impact of the two dedicated care leaver hubs. 
• A wider range of accommodation options, with improved oversight for those in unsuitable accommodation. 
• Independent reviewing officers providing trusted, consistent support to young people up to the age of 21. 
• Better identification of education, employment and training (EET) needs, with realistic plans in place and a proactive EET team making a clear difference. 
• Improved recognition and management of risk. 

The report also reflects the council’s clear understanding of where further progress is needed as part of its ongoing improvement journey. These areas include continuing to strengthen workforce stability and management oversight, ensuring earlier allocation of personal advisers (PAs), improving consistency in pathway planning and risk assessments, and enhancing support for care leavers in custody. 

Councillor Laura Crane, cabinet member for children’s services at Cheshire East Council said:

“This report shows the strong progress we’ve made since the 2024 inspection and recognises the momentum we are building. Hearing our care leaver ambassadors describe their role as life changing, and the difference they feel they are making to others, is incredibly powerful and inspiring. 

“We are proud of how far we’ve come, but we are equally clear that we are on a continuing journey. We remain fully focused on building consistency and delivering the high-quality support every care leaver deserves, and I want to thank our staff for their unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.” 

As part of its ongoing improvement journey, Cheshire East Council is continuing to recruit passionate and skilled staff in children’s services. The council is seeking permanent staff to fill key roles and make a lasting difference to the lives of children and families. 

Anyone interested in joining a supportive and committed team is encouraged to apply by visiting: 

https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/childrenssocialcarejobs