Knowsley Council reports that its children’s social care service is making clear progress after being judged inadequate by Ofsted in November 2024. The authority says a sustained improvement programme, supported by the Department for Education (DfE), has moved the service beyond initial stabilisation and is now delivering measurable gains in leadership, safeguarding and workforce capacity.
Investment and workforce changes underpin improvements
Council papers and a recent review by the DfE set out a series of changes intended to stabilise and strengthen provision for vulnerable children. The local authority highlights increased recruitment and investment as central to progress: so far the council has committed £13.7m to the programme, including £2.9m used to create more than 40 permanent posts within the social care team.
- Ofsted found services inadequate in November 2024, prompting the improvement plan.
- DfE involvement includes an adviser and a review that concluded last month.
- The council reports measurable progress in leadership, safeguarding practice and partnership working.
Ofsted monitoring visits, together with the DfE review, have told the council that it is making tangible progress, although inspectors consider the improvement work to be at an early stage. The authority must still deliver consistency across teams, maintain workforce stability and ensure that the changes made result in better outcomes for children.
“Improving children's social care is not something that can be achieved overnight, but is a multi-year journey. However, we are seeing significant improvement at scale and at pace,”
The quotation above was given by the cabinet member for children’s services at a full council meeting, who added that partnership working across the police, health and education sectors has strengthened and that there is a shared determination to improve outcomes for children and families in Knowsley.
What the numbers show
The financial envelope and staffing changes are among the clearest, quantifiable actions the council has published to support its case for improvement. A summary of the key figures appears below.
| Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total investment | £13.7m |
| Allocated to new permanent posts | £2.9m (creates over 40 posts) |
Officials say this greater workforce capacity is complemented by a stronger emphasis on young people’s experiences and closer working with partner agencies.
Next steps and scrutiny
Despite the progress reported, inspectors and the DfE have both underlined that Knowsley must maintain momentum. Key priorities identified by monitoring visits include:
- delivering consistent practice across teams;
- securing workforce stability; and
- ensuring improvements translate into better outcomes for children.
For residents, the council’s challenge now is to convert investment and organisational change into sustained, everyday improvements in safeguarding and support. The DfE and Ofsted will continue to monitor progress, and future inspection outcomes will determine whether the service can climb from inadequate to good.
The improvement programme has reset leadership and placed partnership working at its core. The coming months will reveal whether the foundations put in place lead to durable change for Knowsley’s most vulnerable children and families.
