Dudley Council accepts Ofsted findings and commits to accelerating improvements for children and families

The report identifies significant areas where services have not met the standard children and families should expect and deserve. The council fully accepts these findings and is committed to addressing them with urgency.

Councillor Wayne Little, cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: 

"The report is clear that too many children, young people and families in Dudley have not consistently received the quality of help, protection and care they should expect and deserve. We fully accept these findings. 

"The safety and wellbeing of children must always come first and, where services have not been good enough, we must be honest about that and act with urgency." 

While the inspection outcome is disappointing, council leaders stress the challenges identified were already recognised internally and were being addressed before the inspection took place. 

Following the appointment of John Macilwraith as permanent director of children and young people in November 2025, the council has undertaken a comprehensive review of children's services, commissioned independent external scrutiny and developed a significant improvement programme to address long-standing weaknesses. Ofsted recognised leaders understand the areas requiring improvement, have been transparent about the challenges facing the service and have credible plans in place to deliver change.

Councillor Little said: "We are not starting from a position of denial. The issues identified by Ofsted are the same issues we had already identified through our own review work, and they are already reflected in our improvement programme. 

"The challenge is not whether we know what needs to change. We do. The challenge is ensuring the changes now underway deliver the consistent impact that children, families and residents rightly expect to see." 

The council has already approved significant investment to strengthen children's services, including additional frontline practitioners, increased management and leadership capacity, improvements to fostering services and investment in children's residential provision. The authority recently announced its strongest financial position in two years, providing greater capacity to invest in priority services, including support for vulnerable children and families  

The improvement programme includes: 

• Strengthening the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and front-door safeguarding arrangements with partner agencies 

• Recruiting additional social work practitioners to reduce caseloads and improve support for children and families 

• Improving assessment, planning and management oversight across services 

• Continuing the review and improvement of fostering services with external support 

• Strengthening quality assurance, governance and performance management arrangements 

The council also welcomed the report's recognition of areas where positive work is already making a difference. Inspectors identified effective early help interventions for some families, strong support through the Virtual School, effective arrangements for children missing education and positive support for many care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. 

Councillor Little added: "This improvement work is not simply a promise for the future. A comprehensive improvement programme is already underway, supported by stronger governance, additional investment, increased leadership capacity and workforce growth. 

"We have strong foundations in place, but we know foundations alone are not enough. Residents, partners, staff and, most importantly, children and families need to see real improvements in practice and outcomes. 

"We will not shy away from these findings. We accept responsibility, we are already acting, and we are determined to deliver lasting change. 

"Our focus is, and remains, ensuring that every child and young person in Dudley receives the support, protection and opportunities they deserve." 

The council is continuing to work closely with key safeguarding partners, including the NHS and West Midlands Police, to strengthen services, improve safeguarding arrangements and ensure vulnerable children receive the help and protection they need. 

Video message from Councillor Wayne Little, cabinet member for children and young people, outlining the council's response to the inspection findings and the action being taken to accelerate improvement. https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/care-and-health/safeguarding/ofsted-childrens-services-inspection/