OFSTED has published the outcome of its first monitoring inspection of Bradford’s children’s services since the establishment of the Bradford Children and Families Trust.

The Trust was set up due to failures by Bradford Council to improve children’s services fast enough following an 'inadequate' Ofsted rating in 2018.

The service has been in a state of crisis for several years - beset by senior management resignations, reliant on expensive agency staff and rocked by a series of scandals, including the tragic death of Keighley toddler Star Hobson.

A report from Children’s Commissioner, Steve Walker, said the Council was unlikely to be able to improve the service by itself.

Ofsted visited the Trust on July 18 and 19 and in its report said: “Overall, staff are positive about the change, and recognise that there have been some improvements and greater engagement with the staff.

“It remains early days for the Trust to have had a significant impact on the quality of services for all children.”

The report said the Trust’s approach to new referrals “is assisting in most children receiving an appropriate and timely response to their needs”.

However, Ofsted said there are delays in “multi-agency” plans being formulated for some children due to inconsistencies and planning.

Inspectors said a joint solution is needed to tackle the high number of Police Protection Notices “which have not been triaged by the police”. This is placing “undue pressure” on the 'Integrated Front Door' - the service that provides the initial response to safeguarding and child-in-need requests for children.

Charlotte Ramsden, CEO of Bradford Children and Families Trust, and Eileen Milner, chair of the Trust Board, said: “Lots of work has gone into setting up the Bradford Children and Families Trust, so it is very welcome news that Ofsted acknowledges that we have made progress in some key areas in such a short space of time.

“We know that there is still a huge amount of work ahead of us but, as Ofsted has recognised, the staff and Board at the Trust, our Council colleagues and our partners are committed to making sure the services we provide for the children and families of our district improve.”

Marium Haque, Strategic Director of Bradford Council’s Children’s Services, said: “It is a positive outcome from Ofsted’s visit that they recognise there has been a smooth transition of services from the Council to the new Trust.

“Inspectors have seen that staff are positive about the change. There is no room for complacency, but we have a clear action plan in place overseen by the Improvement Board and we’re committed to working together to ensure that progress continues and the Trust is fully supported in delivering improvement.”