Peterborough Children's Services improving at pace - but Ofsted says there is 'still more to do'

Peterborough City Council continues to make significant progress in improving its children's services since being judged inadequate in November 2023. A recent visit by His Majesty’s inspectors on 15 and 16 July 2025 highlighted several key areas of progress.

During the visit, which was the fourth since the authority was judged as inadequate, inspectors reviewed the council’s children in care service with a particular focus on permanency and reunification plans, as well as children missing from care.

They stated: “Leaders have a good understanding of current performance and continue to drive improvement with rigour and pace. Financial investment in placement sufficiency has led to an increase in local foster carers, the creation of a House Project for young people and the development of a clinical service to support placement stability.”

Inspectors found that service leaders are ambitious for children and are informed by an accurate and detailed self-evaluation of the current effectiveness of services for children in care. They also noted that corporate parenting is actively promoted across the council, with events such as Corporate Parenting Fortnight helping to raise awareness and develop opportunities to support children in care and care leavers.

The report said: “Skilled social workers are compassionate when supporting parents whose children have a plan for adoption. Parents are sensitively supported to meet adopters. Children’s case records of the event are written thoughtfully with care and warmth.”

Whilst recognising the progress that has been made, inspectors noted that there is more to do and an ongoing need for corporate and partnership support and investment to improve the lives of Peterborough’s most vulnerable children.

The report said: “When some children become looked after, they do not receive timely initial health assessments. This means that for some children, any unknown health concerns are not identified quickly enough. Progress to resolve this issue since the inspection in 2024 remains slow.”

They added: “For some social workers, the frequency of supervision is not in line with policy and the quality of recording is not consistent.”

Councillor Katy Cole, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "I am pleased with the outcome of this latest monitoring visit which acknowledges the progress we are making to achieve better outcomes for all children. We have made great strides with helping children in care, becoming the first authority in the East of England to launch its very own House Project earlier this year which is improving the experiences, outcomes, and lives of young people leaving care.

“I want thank all of the children and families, as well as our practitioners and staff for their hard and continued dedicated work for children and their families. However, as the Ofsted inspectors state, there is still much work to be done. Our administration is fully focussed on working collaboratively and effectively to continue to improve this vital service.”

You can read the full inspection report at https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50284337