In January, North Tyneside’s Children’s Services were graded outstanding in all areas.
I’m often asked what makes our service so successful and, for me, it comes down to our culture.
We have a culture of support where children’s services does not exist on its own; it’s embedded right through the organisation and with our partners.
We have a framework of what we are trying to deliver for our children, which is ‘a safe, happy, healthy life and achieving in life’. But to achieve that for our children, we need to achieve that for our teams.
Our practice model places children and families at the centre by creating something that everyone can get behind and drive with passion. The team is relentless – never stopping and always looking for that next opportunity to do something better.
Even at our Ofsted celebration, teams were saying ‘what about if we did this’ and ‘could we try that’ – and that is everything you could ask for.
The line I’m most proud of from our Ofsted report is that inspectors said our teams “positively beamed” when they spoke about “their children”, demonstrating genuine affection.
The voice of children can’t be tokenistic – we need to see it in everything we do – and that passion for keeping children at the centre is a strength. We can’t always do what the children tell us, but we take the time to understand why they are asking for it, and provide answers and explanations.
We know that children in our care have a curiosity and drive for connection, and understanding their identity is so important. We work hard to identify and maintain networks for this very reason.
The impact of this is demonstrated by us having one of the highest levels of kinship care in the country, and we have focused on developing our amazing ‘life story’ work, which gives our young people an understanding of their own stories.
What we do, we can’t do alone, and we have strong relationships with health, education, policing and other organisations. We are told that we ‘don’t do to, we do with’; and that goes for everyone with whom we work and these partnerships are at the centre of that.
That approach exists corporately and politically, too. Our motto is that children are 20 per cent of the population and 100 per cent of the future, so a challenge in children’s services is a challenge for the whole organisation
The financial pressure is high. Market forces are driving the cost of care arrangements for children, and the North East has the highest rate of child poverty in the country and the highest numbers of children in care.
However, we have one of the lowest spends in the region, helped by things such as higher levels of in-house provision. When I started here in 2018, we had four children’s homes; we now have eight, and the political and corporate commitment to have at least two more.
There is not only an understanding of the pressures, but of the difference it makes to children if you can keep them local and maintain their networks, education and their community.
What we’re achieving in some areas is exceptional, but we know we have more to do, and our ambition ensures we keep moving forward.
For me, it comes down to the people and partners you have around you, and the passion, dedication and resilience of everyone involved.
- For more information, visit North Tyneside Council website.