Very serious matter that the Secretary of State has appointed an Adviser to provide advice to the Harrow Council, where the Council will work with the Adviser until some such time that the Secretary of State is satisfied that this is no longer required.
Normally, the appointment of the Improvement Adviser is when the ability to improve is less sure.
The Department for Education has issued the Improvement Notice to the Harrow council, following the Harrow’s children’s services being overall judged to be inadequate by Ofsted early this year.
It is of further concern how the council administration is trying to water down the gravity of the “inadequate” ruling in their reports to the councillors, public and media as well as a sloppy script for the portfolio-holder Cllr Hitesh Karia who should have resigned by now.
It is not a five minutes fix, drawing a rapid ‘action plan’ for the ‘inadequacy’ and propagating that the Ofsted judgement was only about the ‘standalone’ care for the Leavers.
The plan needs a wider ownership and the children’s services require a long-term process to improve its culture and ethos, the apparent inadequacy of which resulted in the inadequate care for the Leavers in the first place.
Well embedded procedures and practices are needed to sustain the required changes in the organisation and practice of the service, seemingly the undercurrent of the Ofsted report and the reason for the DfE Improvement Notice.
Care and concern for the vulnerable has not been a strength of the Harrow council Conservative administrations, which now gives a sense of being on the right.
In 2007, re adult care services to those with “critical” needs, the High Court ruled the council decision was unlawful because the council had not fully considered the need to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and others.
In 2024, inadequate judgement on Adult Social Care.
Given that the Harrow Council spends a significant portion of its budget, two-thirds (66%) or £135 million out of £203 million, on supporting vulnerable, including children, but still needs an Improvement Adviser to put things right, there is a big question about the value for public money.
Shadow Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services & Education, Cllr Stephen Hickman, said of the downgrading:
“After many years of “Good” ratings under Labour administrations, the recent inspections show that our public services are not in safe hands under the Conservatives.
Due to their failure to support care leavers, the Conservative-run Council have been handed an improvement notice by the Department for Education, calling for them to ensure the ‘ongoing corporate, political and financial prioritisation of children’s services.’ Over the next twelve months, I and Harrow Labour will be scrutinising their progress on this closely.”
Normally, the appointment of the Improvement Adviser is when the ability to improve is less sure.
The Department for Education has issued the Improvement Notice to the Harrow council, following the Harrow’s children’s services being overall judged to be inadequate by Ofsted early this year.
It is of further concern how the council administration is trying to water down the gravity of the “inadequate” ruling in their reports to the councillors, public and media as well as a sloppy script for the portfolio-holder Cllr Hitesh Karia who should have resigned by now.
It is not a five minutes fix, drawing a rapid ‘action plan’ for the ‘inadequacy’ and propagating that the Ofsted judgement was only about the ‘standalone’ care for the Leavers.
The plan needs a wider ownership and the children’s services require a long-term process to improve its culture and ethos, the apparent inadequacy of which resulted in the inadequate care for the Leavers in the first place.
Well embedded procedures and practices are needed to sustain the required changes in the organisation and practice of the service, seemingly the undercurrent of the Ofsted report and the reason for the DfE Improvement Notice.
Care and concern for the vulnerable has not been a strength of the Harrow council Conservative administrations, which now gives a sense of being on the right.
In 2007, re adult care services to those with “critical” needs, the High Court ruled the council decision was unlawful because the council had not fully considered the need to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and others.
In 2024, inadequate judgement on Adult Social Care.
Given that the Harrow Council spends a significant portion of its budget, two-thirds (66%) or £135 million out of £203 million, on supporting vulnerable, including children, but still needs an Improvement Adviser to put things right, there is a big question about the value for public money.
Shadow Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services & Education, Cllr Stephen Hickman, said of the downgrading:
“After many years of “Good” ratings under Labour administrations, the recent inspections show that our public services are not in safe hands under the Conservatives.
Due to their failure to support care leavers, the Conservative-run Council have been handed an improvement notice by the Department for Education, calling for them to ensure the ‘ongoing corporate, political and financial prioritisation of children’s services.’ Over the next twelve months, I and Harrow Labour will be scrutinising their progress on this closely.”
Harrow Monitoring Group 
If Incompetent Harrow Councillors Resigned then they would be missing out on their Attendance Allowance when it seems that they get Nothing of any Substance done while Residents , Services & Standards suffer as it seems often to be the case in Harrow! Disgraceful.
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