Ofsted has published the findings of its latest monitoring visit of Children’s Services at Liverpool City Council.
Ofsted found that there has been a significant improvement in the quality and impact of work with children in the front door and assessment teams since the last inspection of these areas in May 2023.
The visit, which took place in September 2025, focused on the council’s response to contacts and referrals, child protection enquiries, child and family assessments and the Designated Officer for the Local Authority (LADO).
They report that “work to streamline processes, reduce workloads, and develop partner engagement has led to a reduction in delays and an improvement in the application of thresholds for working with children.”
They also note that strategy decisions made following a referral “are proportionate and the right ones to protect children.”
The report also highlights that “child protection enquiries are completed without delay and consider a breadth of partnership information” and “the overall quality of assessments is much improved since the inspection and monitoring visit that took place in 2023.”
Social workers told inspectors how much has changed for the better over the last two years and highlighted how processes have been improved.
Social workers also reported that “reduced caseloads mean that they are much more able to spend time doing quality work with families”, and that they feel positive about working in Liverpool, saying they “feel safe and settled in their roles and that they are proud to work in Liverpool.”
The report does highlight some areas which require further improvement, such as consistency in the quality of assessments and the response to domestic abuse. However, Ofsted reported that “leaders are fully sighted on these areas and the plans to address these issues are well underway.”
This is the 6th and final monitoring visit to be carried out by Ofsted in Liverpool since its last full inspection of children’s services in Liverpool in 2023. Monitoring visits are not graded like full inspections. The council expects another full inspection sometime next year.
The council is also looking to recruit more experienced social workers as they continue to implement improvements over the coming months and years. To find out more, book a chat with Harriet Cadman by emailing harriet.cadman@liverpool.gov.uk.
The full report can be found on the Ofsted website.
Councillor Liz Parsons, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services at Liverpool City Council, said:
“This is our sixth and final monitoring visit, and I’m pleased to say the report highlights the significant progress we have made over the last two years.
“While some areas require further improvement, inspectors can see that we’re aware of those issues and have established plans to continue our improvement journey.
“Our staff are absolutely committed to delivering the very best services for children and young people in Liverpool, and I would like to thank them for their hard work which is making a positive difference to the lives of the most vulnerable every single day.
“Improving Children’s Services is a journey that takes time, and our ambition is to get to a position where we are delivering an outstanding service, as well as becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City putting young people at the forefront of decision making. I firmly believe we are on track to achieve both.
“Our staff retention has significantly improved in the last 12 months and experienced social workers can see the progress we’ve made and are returning to work for us.”
Jenny Glennard, Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services, said:
“I am delighted with the progress that we have made here in Liverpool. We have always been determined to create the conditions for social work to flourish.
“Everyone’s hard work is paying off and this means that the children and families who use our services will be experiencing improved outcomes. However, we are not complacent, there is always more to do and we must continue to improve so that we offer consistently good services to an increasing number of children and families.”
