Posted on Tuesday 27th January 2026
The county council has committed to investing an additional £5.5 million in children services, funding the equivalent of 119 new full-time positions in the next two years.
Ofsted inspectors have praised ‘significant’ improvements in Staffordshire’s children services.
The re-inspection focused primarily on the ‘Integrated front door’, the initial contact point to raise concerns, and the response regarding adults in positions of trust who may pose a risk to children.
It followed criticism in 2023, when Ofsted said the children’s service ‘required improvement to be good’.
Inspectors praised ambitious, driven leadership; improved management oversight of what is happening on the front line; successful tackling of problems identified in the last inspection; and the council’s new commitment to appoint another 120 front-line staff.
Nick Lakin, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Children and Young People, said:
“Our children are the beating heart of the county, the future of Staffordshire, and a top priority for this administration.
I am pleased that Ofsted have recognised that the new political administration recognised the need for improvement and that we have made a strong commitment to strengthening services for children in Staffordshire
"Front-line work in children’s services is demanding and unrelenting.
“Accordingly, it takes a great deal of sustained effort to deliver lasting improvement, so this judgement is credit to those involved.
“The well-being of Staffordshire children is a priority for this council. There is more to do but I am pleased that we are well-placed to keep moving forward.”
The report also highlighted positive relationships with parents and children, good recognition of children’s needs and the ability of the out-of-hours fostering service to step in quickly.
It was pointed out that some workers’ caseloads are too high, some are handling cases beyond their skill and experience levels, and management oversight needs to be better in a ‘small minority’ of cases – all issues being addressed by the council.
The New Political Administration and the County Council have committed to investing an additional £5.5 million in children services, funding the equivalent of 119 new full-time positions in the next two years.
Priorities include investing in front-line staff to reduce caseloads in social care and special educational needs, and to focus on early intervention to keep families together where it is safe to do so. That includes supporting families though schools, family hubs and community-based services.
As well as delivering better long-term results for children, the preventative approach saves the cost of providing long-term care.
Nick Lakin said:
“Every week our front-line staff have thousands of interactions with Staffordshire families, all crucial, all with the capacity to change someone’s life for the better.
“We are committed to ensuring the structure and resource to provide a stable platform for them to do their job to the best of their ability.”
The report can be viewed on the
Ofsted webpage.