Following our recent article examining the blunt use of legislation to appoint an interim Director of Children’s Services in Harrow, attention must now turn to a wider safeguarding concern: whether the structural design of the Director of Children’s Services (DCS) role itself provides sufficient independence, challenge and accountability within the system. Safeguarding failures do notContinue reading “Who holds the challenge in Harrow’s children’s services governance?”
Tag Archives: Harrow children’s services
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”
Another blow for Harrow: Ombudsman exposes failures in children’s services
Harrow Council’s crisis-hit children’s services have been dealt another blow after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) found serious fault in the way it handled a family’s complaint about respite care. The ruling, published in July 2025, comes amid continuing fallout from Ofsted’s “inadequate” judgement and a government improvement notice that has placedContinue reading “Another blow for Harrow: Ombudsman exposes failures in children’s services”
Harrow children’s services still in recovery
Harrow’s latest HMI monitoring visit paints a picture of a service on the mend – but not yet out of intensive care. Inspectors found that the Leaving Care Service has made “significant progress” since January, with leaders showing honesty, determination, and a renewed focus on caring for their young people. Yet beneath the optimism liesContinue reading “Harrow children’s services still in recovery”
Harrow Monitoring Group 