Sector led improvement
Our Children's Services are rated 'outstanding' in all areas by Ofsted. Our Youth Justice Service was rated 'outstanding' in 2021 too.
We have a track record of working with local authourities across the country. This includes improving the quality of practice and the effectiveness of services to achieve positive outcomes.
Our approach is strengths-focused and built on relationship-based practice. It draws on our performance and learning culture, and prioritises the voice and experience of the child and those closest to them.
We are able to work with colleagues on a wide range of practice and leadership areas across the system.
As sector led improvement partners we have recent positive experience in:
- strategic oversight and governance
- partnership working
- policy development and implementation
- quality of practice and performance,
- service delivery.
And we have provided development support and impact evaluation in:
- Early Help and Family Help
- MASH and the Front Door
- children in need of care and protection
- Local Authority Designated Officer services
- edge of care
- Public Law Outline
- Fostering Services.
We offer peer review and support to develop the Virtual School.
At the request of the Department for Education, we have supported a local authourity in their Youth Justice Service.
Our support is varied and tailored to individual authority needs.
Areas of support and expertise
We can provide support to local authorities on:
- Early/Family Help
- Front Door and MASH
- Partnership working – at strategic/governance and frontline practice level
- practice model
- workforce development
- quality of practice
- performance management
- policy review
- placement management
- local authority designated officer service
- edge of care
- The Virtual School
- Youth Justice
Our methods include:
- service reviews and diagnostics
- peer support and action learning
- case-file audits and learning reviews
- thematic audits and improvement testing
- peer-to-peer mentor support
Inspection Reports
In November 2024 our Children’s Services were judged outstanding in all five judgement areas, as part of our ILAC inspection by Ofsted.
Our service for children in care and care leavers has improved since our last inspection.
North Tyneside is now one of only nine authorities nationally to be judged outstanding in all five areas.
We are proud as a service that Ofsted told us:
“An unquestionable strength in North Tyneside is that leaders have successfully created a culture where social workers can safely practice and do their best for children….…this authentic approach by leaders and valued investment in the workforce mean that staff want to stay and make a positive difference to children’s lives”.
Read the Inspection of children’s social care services.
Youth Justice service
In 2021 we were rated ‘Outstanding’ for our Youth Justice service (YJS). Inspectors said our “Youth justice staff have a passion for working with children”. They also said that children’s needs “are carefully balanced with the potential risk they may pose to others.”
Our management team were commended for “fostering an open, challenging and inclusive culture” and strong engagement across the teams in “innovative methods of working”.
Find out more about Youth Justice
Special Educational Needs and Disability
In 2021 our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services had a five day inspection from Ofsted.
The report found that outcomes for children and young people with SEND are strong.
It found there's a positive picture of:
- attendance
- exlcusions from school
- the number of young people with SEND who progress to further education, employment or training.
It adds leaders are “determined to know what is working and what needs changing and are looking at detailed information and identifying priorities that chime with the issues raised by children and young people with SEND and their families”.
Read the SEND inspection report.
Contact details
Vicky Wark, Improvement Manager