Isle of Wight children’s services have been praised by Ofsted following a focused visit, with inspectors highlighting clear improvements in support for care-experienced young people and identifying areas of strong practice across the service.
The 2‑day visit, carried out last month, examined the council’s arrangements for care leavers aged 18-25, including accommodation, transition into adulthood, and the support available to disabled young people and former unaccompanied asylum‑seeking children.
In their report, inspectors noted that standards have improved since autumn 2023, commending staff for their ‘relentless’ efforts to strengthen the service and maintain what was already judged to be a good level of support.
A newly revised, young‑people‑friendly local offer was singled out for praise, along with determined multi‑agency work that has made “a positive difference” to young adults who experience complex lives.
Personal Advisers were described as creative, dedicated and effective in building trusting relationships with the young people they support.
Most care experienced young people were found to be living in suitable and stable accommodation, and Ofsted highlighted the “particularly strong” support in place for disabled young people moving into adulthood.
However, inspectors also reported that more work is needed to address the experiences of a small number of care experienced young people who continue to live in unsuitable accommodation.
The report also calls for greater opportunities for young people to influence service planning and development.
Despite this, the overall tone of the findings is positive, reflecting a service that is improving and increasingly ambitious for its young people.
Ashley Whittaker, the council’s director of children’s services, said:
“I’m incredibly proud of our young people and of the teams who support them every day.
“This report reflects the passion and determination of our Personal Advisers and partners who go above and beyond to help care experienced young people feel heard, supported and able to thrive.
“We know there is more to do, especially around housing, and we are fully committed to addressing this.
“But it’s heartening to see Ofsted recognise the strong progress we have made and the clear strengths of our service.”
Councillor Paul Brading, who chairs the council’s children’s services, education and skills committee, said the findings showed the service was moving in the right direction:
“This is a really encouraging report and shows that our focus on improving support for care experienced young people is paying off,” he said.
“I want to thank everyone involved in delivering these improvements, particularly our hardworking staff.
“We remain absolutely committed to ensuring every care experienced young person on the Island has the best possible start to adulthood, and this report gives us real confidence as we continue that work.”
The full report can be read on the Ofsted website.
