Cabinet Member stays as Harrow children’s services failures deepen

Harrow Council’s children’s services have faced sustained scrutiny since 2022, culminating in an Ofsted judgement of “inadequate” and a formal government improvement notice. Inspectors identified serious weaknesses, particularly in services for care leavers, citing poor planning, inconsistent oversight and failures to safeguard vulnerable young people transitioning into adulthood. Although two areas relating to younger children were rated “good”, the overall judgement reflected the gravity of failings affecting care leavers.
Senior reports to councillors emphasised those “good” elements and suggested the outcome was unusual, but critics argue this framing risks minimising what amounts to a systemic breakdown. The department has undergone repeated restructures and significant leadership upheaval in recent years – including a period with a vacant director of children’s services post –  raising concerns about stability, oversight and long-term strategic direction.
The consequences have been tangible. In a recent nationally reported case, Harrow agreed to pay £15,000 to a care leaver after wrongly disputing his age, a decision that directly affected the support and protections he was entitled to receive. The case exposed serious flaws in professional judgement and added to a pattern of Ombudsman findings highlighting maladministration and injustice in children’s services.
Taken together, repeated fault findings by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Ofsted judgement point to structural weaknesses rather than isolated mistakes.
Opposition figures have openly questioned both the decision to retain senior political leadership and the strategic choices that preceded the collapse in performance. At a recent council meeting, Harrow Labour’s group leader argued that repeated restructures and budget decisions directly contributed to the “inadequate” rating and that meaningful lessons have yet to be learned.
Despite the inspection outcome, Ombudsman rulings and the ongoing improvement notice, the cabinet member responsible for children’s services, Cllr Hitesh Karia, remains in post. With council elections approaching in May, some are asking whether political stability and the desire not to unsettle key support ahead of the polls,  is being prioritised over visible accountability. For children in care and care leavers who rely on the system for protection and support, that question carries serious weight.