A COUNCIL chief has pledged to continue to battle for improvements to ensure every vulnerable child in the county has a positive start.

Councillor Anne Burns, Cumbria County Council's children's services boss, said staff would not stop until the department was ranked as outstanding by Ofsted.

Her comments came just hours after the government watchdog awarded a "requires improvement" rating to children's services in the county - lifting it out of special measures for the first time in four years.

An action place is now in place to help secure more improvements ahead of further inspections.

Cllr Burns said no-one would become complacent because of the "requires improvement" ruling.

"We are absolutely ambitious. Ambitious for every vulnerable or looked after child in Cumbria to make sure they get a good start in life.

"I'm not elated today, but I'm pleased the improvements the whole team has worked so hard to secure have been recognised.

"We know there's still a long way to go and we won't be complacent.

"We're not stopping here. Requires improvement is a step on the ladder towards making children's services in Cumbria outstanding."

The Ofsted rating, published today, followed a crunch inspection in November.

The service was plunged into special measures after it had been rated inadequate during three consecutive inspections - in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

It then became subject to intense government scrutiny with regular interim inspections and monthly audits.

The inspection report states: "All local authority services for children have significantly improved and overall effectiveness now requires improvement to be good.

"This is an achievement, as it follows three inspection ratings of inadequate."

But it goes on to highlight a number of areas that are not yet working at a sufficient level.

John Macilwraith, CCC's corporate director for children and family services, took over in 2014.

He said: “This is a welcome report that highlights the progress we’ve made.

"It is difficult to ‘turn around’ a service that has not been performing and this judgement reflects a huge change in our performance and our culture.

"This is a different service now.

"I am committed to ensuring all our services are, at least, of a ‘good’ standard for the children of Cumbria, and I know all my colleagues, and our partners, share that commitment.

"We now have a platform to build on and I am confident that our positive progress will continue.”


Improvements welcomed

The improvements to children's services in Cumbria were given a cautious welcome by MPs in the county.

Carlisle's MP John Stevenson said: "Overall, it's positive that the department is making improvements.

"It's still disappointing that we haven't got a good service in Cumbria but we have to recognise the hard work of the staff to secure the improved rating."

Sue Hayman, MP for Workington, added: "It's good to see things are moving in the right direction and the council is making sustained efforts to improve this service.

"I do think the Government needs to recognise the difficulty of providing children's services in Cumbria, particularly in view of the increased cost."

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “I’m really pleased to hear that improvements are being made in such an important area.

“I deal with lots of cases every week where the children rely on these services, so I know how important it is that we get these right.

“Although the report shows that there’s still a lot more work to be done, this is a big step in the right direction.”


Special measures formally lifted

GOVERNMENT minister Nadhim Zahawi has formally lifted sanctions against Cumbria's children's services department.

The parliamentary under secretary of state for the Department for Education wrote to Cumbria County Council leader Councillor Stewart Young over the issue today.

Mr Zahawi congratulated staff involved in the improved Ofsted rating.

He also confirmed he was lifting the directions notice imposed upon the authority while it remained in special measures.

Mr Zahawi said: "This latest judgement marks a sustained effort to improve services for children and families in Cumbria since Ofsted's last inspection of 2015 and I congratulate all staff at all levels of the council and its partners, who have contributed to this outcome.

"As a result of the improvement you have delivered to date, the statutory direction issued to CCC in November 2015 is now lifted and the council is no longer subject to statutory intervention."


Timeline of inspections

April 2012: Ofsted inspectors rate Cumbria’s children’s services department as inadequate and order it to improve.

May 2013: Inspectors return to check progress but issue a further inadequate rating to the authority.

May 2015: The council is branded inadequate for the third time in four years in successive Ofsted inspections, sparking some uncertainty over whether it will retain control of its own children’s services department.

January 2017: An interim monitoring visit concludes improvements are taking place, but that the standard of practice across Cumbria remains inconsistent.

November 2017: Ofsted inspectors begin a detailed, month-long inspection of children's services.

January 2018: The department is rated as 'requires improvement' overall with the adoption process and leadership achieving good.


How did each part of the service rate?

Children who need help and protection - Requires improvement

Children looked after and achieving permanence - Requires improvement

Adoption performance - Good

Experiences and progress of care leavers - Requires improvement

Leadership, management and governance - Good

Overall - Requires improvement