article – Harrow Monitoring Group

Lawful but risky: Harrow’s interim children’s services leadership under safeguarding scrutiny

The operation of Section 18 of the Children Act 2004, and the safeguarding governance risks now associated with its routine use, is not a local or isolated issue but a matter of clear national interest. Harrow Council’s emergency decision to designate its Managing Director as interim Director of Children’s Services following the unexplained departure ofContinue reading “Lawful but risky: Harrow’s interim children’s services leadership under safeguarding scrutiny”

Harrow talks tough on violence against women – but the action still doesn’t match the message

[This article is written with reference to the Harrow Council website’s information titled Harrow speaks up about Violence Against Women and Girls] Harrow Council’s recent work on violence against women and girls shows good intentions, but the substance remains thin and the impact hard to see. Its most concrete achievement is commissioning Cranstoun to deliverContinue reading “Harrow talks tough on violence against women – but the action still doesn’t match the message”

Is Harrow really ‘putting residents first’ – or just leaving vulnerable children behind?

The administration-designed Harrow Council slogan, “putting residents first,” sits increasingly uneasily alongside the persistent problems in its children’s services. The departure of yet another Director of Children’s Services – requiring the Managing Director to assume the statutory role on an interim basis – underscores ongoing instability at a time when the service remains under aContinue reading “Is Harrow really ‘putting residents first’ – or just leaving vulnerable children behind?”

SEND in Harrow: local reflections of a national crisis

Provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) remains one of England’s most persistent education challenges. Despite multiple reforms, the system is still fragmented, under-resourced, and overly bureaucratic, with outcomes for pupils and families falling short of the Government’s ambitions for inclusion and equity.Our recent review, “Special Educational Needs: SupportContinue reading “SEND in Harrow: local reflections of a national crisis”