‘Outstanding’ Ofsted three in a row for Leeds’ Children and Families services

The rating has been announced today following a rigorous and thorough inspection of the services the council provides for children in need of help and protection, children in care and care leavers.

Ofsted inspectors rated the council as ‘Outstanding’ for the impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families, for the experiences and progress of children in care, and for the experiences and progress of care leavers.

The council was rated as ‘good’ in relation to the experiences and progress of children who need help and protection.

The overall rating was therefore ‘Outstanding’.

The council first achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating for its children’s services in 2018, having transformed from 2010 when it was rated inadequate.

Despite the challenges faced by children and their families during the covid pandemic, in 2022 the service was able to retain its ‘outstanding’ grading.

By achieving ‘outstanding’ once again in 2025, Leeds is the first of the UK’s core cities – a group of 12 major cities outside of London - to achieve the inspectors’ highest possible grading for three consecutive inspections.

The latest report states that ‘children in Leeds continue to benefit from effective services that improve children’s outcomes. An extensive range of well-established early help services meet the needs of many families and prevent concerns from increasing. When children are identified as being at risk, there is an effective response to children.’

Inspectors said that senior leaders and members of the council ‘have a determined vision for improving the lives of children in Leeds. Leaders are ambitious and are delivering service excellence through highly effective partnership working.

‘Political and corporate support remains strong, which is evidenced in the council’s continued investment in services for vulnerable children. Leaders understand the complex and diverse needs of children in the communities and what this means for children’s life chances and outcomes. These insights inform well-defined strategies and planning to respond to children’s changing needs.”

The report states:

·       ‘Leaders are ambitious for children and delivering service excellence’, with an organisational culture ‘that has an unwavering focus on promoting positive outcomes for children’.

·       ‘Safeguarding risks to children are identified quickly and are appropriately considered in strategy meetings, which are well attended by relevant partner agencies that share information and agree actions to reduce risks to children. Child protection enquiries are thorough, child-focused and lead to appropriate outcomes’.

·       ‘Social workers are highly ambitious for children and encourage them to have goals and dreams that children are motivated to achieve’.

·       ‘The new archway hub is an impressive well-resourced facility for care leavers to meet and access a range of support services and activities’.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families said: “Achieving a rating of ‘outstanding’ following three consecutive Ofsted inspections is a truly remarkable achievement and is something we are incredibly proud of.

“This achievement is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff that we have not only been able to maintain such high standards, but to also make improvements, against a backdrop of significant challenges. This includes continuing to address the ongoing financial pressures we face as a local authority, alongside the inequalities that continue to be highlighted post-pandemic and the rising cost of living.

“In Leeds, our teams are committed to providing the best outcomes for all of our children and young people, and the best possible support to their families. These wonderful efforts have been recognised with our third ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating in a row, and I would like to thank all of our staff, alongside our partners, for all of their efforts.”

Julie Longworth, Leeds City Council’s director of children and families, said:

“The inspection outcome reflects the dedicated hard work of our passionate and committed front line staff, their managers, the wider council, our multi-agency partnership, and our wonderful Child Friendly City. 

“We are working in unprecedented times with increased demand for our services, children, and families with the most complex of needs, and significant financial challenges. 

“Yet our teams continue to rise to these challenges by putting children and young people at the heart of all that they do. We remain ambitious for the children and families of Leeds, and are steadfast in our determination to help them achieve better outcomes through our ongoing service development. 

“I want to thank our incredible staff and partners for all that they do, day in and day out to make a positive difference to the lived experiences of children and their families.”

Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director of regulation and social care, said: “Leeds City Council’s ‘outstanding’ inspection outcome reflects the continued determination of its leadership team, managers and frontline staff, as well as the wider council and its safeguarding partners.

“This is a magnificent achievement, and the council should be proud of the sustained positive difference it has made for the children and families of Leeds over time.”

The full report is available on the Ofsted website: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50284438