In 2017, Ofsted judged Walsall’s children’s services as ‘requires improvement’.
Eight years later, we have undergone a remarkable transformation, resulting in an ‘outstanding’ judgement for overall effectiveness this July.
Walsall is now the only local authority in the Black Country to achieve this status.
Inspectors praised us for placing children at the heart of our work, which has been driven by a strong leadership team, professional practice, and a commitment to listening to children and young people.
Our journey began with acknowledging the challenges facing Walsall.
As the 19th most deprived local authority area in England, and with 29 of our neighbourhoods among the top 10 per cent most deprived nationally, we recognised the need for deep and sustained change.
Our long-term ambition was set: to become a child-friendly borough by 2040.
However, feedback from children revealed that 60 per cent did not believe Walsall would be a positive place to live by then. This, alongside learnings from our inspection, highlighted inconsistent outcomes for children, and we knew there was need for significant improvement.
In 2018, to kickstart this change, we launched our new vision: Walsall Right 4 Children. This centred on delivering the right support, in the right place, at the right time, and essential to this was placing children and families at the heart of decision-making.
We carried out extensive consultation, named The Big Conversation, talking to 400 families in 2021 and 500 in 2024, ensuring their voices shaped service delivery. Recognising we couldn’t do this alone, we set up the foundations for successful partnership working too, establishing a Children and Young People’s Alliance.
The impact of our relentless focus is evident.
Staff morale is high, with 84 per cent feeling positive about the organisation and 92 per cent confident in their training.
A strong senior leadership team, backed by political support and rigorous scrutiny, has driven progress as well. The Government selected Walsall as one of 10 pathfinder councils for the Families First for Children programme.
Our recent Ofsted report explained that children in care receive exceptional support, feel loved by their carers, and have strong relationships with their social workers.
We’ve expanded our own high-quality children’s homes, allowing more children to be cared for locally, and there is a robust offer for care-experienced young people, with a growing provision for vulnerable adolescents.
As well as celebrating our achievements, the report highlighted areas for better practice, and we’re already under way with those improvements.
As a service, we know inspections are hard work, and after the report was published, we were delighted to hold a staff conference to celebrate, reflect and plan the next steps of our journey. This is where our new motto was born: Better Never Ends.
What’s remained consistent is a clear vision, consistent priorities and long-term commitment to change. All of this has been informed by the views of staff, children, young people and their families.
We are so proud of the transformation we’ve made together, and what we have achieved with undivided focus, a culture of collaboration and a child-centred approach.