Today (Friday 17 March), the report from Sir Alan Wood, the Children's Commissioner, has been published by the Department for Education. You can read it here: Commissioner's report.
In response to the report, Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, said:
“We welcome the findings of the Commissioner’s report on children’s services in Solihull, and fully accept the recommendations he has made.
“I am pleased that the Commissioner has highlighted that Solihull is at the threshold of having in place the capacity to oversee improvement. He has seen the improvements we have made over the last few months, and our full commitment to make further necessary changes.
“A new leadership team is in place in children’s services, and we have reset our improvement plan. We have recruited more social workers to meet the rising demand from people contacting us with concerns about children, and this has provided us with the capacity to ensure there is a dedicated social worker for all the children that are assessed as needing one.
“I have also established a regular meeting of senior leaders at the Council, Birmingham & Solihull Integrated Care Board and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to have strategic oversight of the improvement work that is underway. It is crucial that as leaders we have a handle on the challenges facing our organisations and can provide the necessary support and direction to provide better outcomes for children.
“We have also just appointed a high-quality Independent Scrutineer who will review and challenge progress across the safeguarding partnership.
“Investing in children’s services is our top priority, and following my recommendation, the Council has recently approved over £25 million of additional funding for children’s social care.
“I am grateful for the valuable advice from the Commissioner and would like to thank him for his work over the last few months. He has set us a clear agenda for improvement, and we will now work at pace to establish a strong relationship with a regional partner, who will support us on this improvement journey.”