Work to enhance children’s services in Peterborough is delivering ‘promising signs of improvement’ for young people, according to a recent Ofsted monitoring visit.
Peterborough City Council is continuing to make significant strides in improving its children's services since being judged inadequate by Ofsted in November 2023. A recent visit by His Majesty’s inspectors on 21 and 22 January 2025 highlighted several key areas of progress.
Inspectors stated that the service’s new leadership team, led by an experienced and determined director of children’s services and supported by the improvement board and the cabinet member for children’s services, is providing drive and direction to improve outcomes for children.
They said: “The pace of change is gaining momentum and while there is much still to do, and a need for ongoing corporate support and investment, there are promising signs of improvement for children in Peterborough.”
During their visit, inspectors reviewed the Peterborough Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) which was set up by the council in August 2024 as part of priority areas identified for improvement. The MASH supports joint working and decision making for children and families.
Inspectors found that the MASH is functioning effectively, supported by clear and appropriate processes. Inspectors said this was an “impressive achievement in a short time frame”, adding that the authority carries out effective practice audits and quality assurance processes.
They also noted that service leaders have reviewed and refreshed policy and procedures, ensuring that foundations for effective operational systems and processes are in place to support multi-agency practice. As a result, the majority of referrals are screened promptly by experienced and confident senior practitioners.
Councillor Katy Cole, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: “We are fully committed to improving children’s services in Peterborough and quite simply we owe it to every young person in the city to achieve this. I’m delighted that our hard work so far has been recognised by Ofsted Inspectors and I want to say a big thank you to everyone involved. I want to especially 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, we will not rest on our laurels as we still have room for further improvement which we are focussed on delivering. The progress we have made clearly shows that this administration’s collaborative approach to working is making positive change happen in Peterborough.”
The report also identified areas that the council needs to continue to improve, citing delays in services for a small number of children referred for additional targeted support. Inspectors also stated that the quality of interim safety plans for children at risk of harm need to be consistent.