Harrow Council's children's services department has made some progress since being rated 'Inadequate' in January 2025, but capacity pressures and lengthy wait times for mental health assessments mean some families are still not getting the support they need promptly, according to a recent Ofsted monitoring report.
Third monitoring visit highlights improvements
The education watchdog conducted its third monitoring visit in June, focusing on the experiences and progress of disabled children supported by the service. The report acknowledged that the leadership team has become "more stable" and has developed a clear understanding of the areas requiring improvement, implementing "well-considered plans" to enhance outcomes for disabled children and their families.
Harrow's children's services currently support 71 children subject to child in need or child protection plans, or in care, alongside 70 additional children receiving support packages who do not require a social worker. Inspectors noted that social workers "spoke with warmth and passion" about the children and shared a "genuine pride" in the progress they have made.
Capacity pressures and delays persist
Despite these positive signs, the report raised ongoing concerns about "capacity pressures" within the service, resulting in some children experiencing delays in getting support and not always receiving "the right help at the right time." Additionally, waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) assessments "delay the identification of need and access to appropriate interventions," meaning some families are waiting longer than they should for necessary support.
Further issues were identified, including a lack of child protection plans and delays in transition planning for children moving into adulthood. Care plans are not always updated promptly to reflect children's current circumstances, reducing their effectiveness as working documents.
Specific concerns raised by Ofsted
The report highlighted that very few children supported by the disabled children's team are subject to child protection plans. While no children were identified as living in harmful situations, the limitations of most current assessments mean practitioners may not always have a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of children's wider safeguarding needs.
Social workers have not received recent training in key safeguarding themes, including neglect, domestic abuse, parental substance misuse, and parental mental ill health, which may reduce their ability to recognise and respond effectively to emerging risks. Transition planning into adulthood is not consistently initiated early enough, limiting opportunities for a well-planned transition to adult services.
Council responds
A spokesperson for Harrow Council said: "It is encouraging to see Ofsted recognise the progress being made. This gives us confidence that the work underway is moving us in the right direction. While our focus remains firmly on continuing to improve support for children, young people and families, we are grateful for the continued commitment, care and professionalism of our staff."
The council was issued with an Improvement Notice following the 'Inadequate' rating in January 2025, and the Department for Education instructed it to improve. Political leaders are said to "remain committed to improving the service and continue to invest in the service to support sustainable change."
