Care Inspectorate Wales concludes assurance check of Caerphilly County Borough Council children's services

We have recently completed an assurance check of Caerphilly County Borough Council's children's services.

Key strengths identified

• Leaders and practitioners model a person-centred and strengths-based approach, promoting independence and the voice of people. The use of tools such as 'social stories' and 'What Matters' reflects a structured approach to capturing individual voices and tailoring services to children’s and families’ needs.
• Leadership within children's services is visible and effective at all levels, with practitioners reporting that managers are supportive and approachable. Most practitioners feel valued and supported, with supervision described as reflective and helpful.
• Early intervention and preventative approaches are embedded across the service and are a notable strength. Practitioners identify emerging needs promptly and work proactively with families to prevent escalation.
• Partnership working is strong, with clear governance structures and a shared ethos of safeguarding and promoting children's wellbeing. The local authority is proactive in seeking and responding to feedback from partners, children, and families.

Areas requiring further development

• The local authority must continue to monitor the timeliness and effectiveness of sexually harmful behaviour strategy discussions to ensure that all safeguarding concerns are addressed without delay.
• The local authority should strengthen its approach to ensure each child's voice, particularly for very young children and those in larger sibling groups, is captured and informs person-centred care and support planning.
• The local authority should work with partners to strengthen consistent engagement, so all agencies are fully involved in service delivery, review, and monitoring of safety plans.

Next steps

We expect the local authority to consider the areas identified for improvement and take appropriate action to address and improve these areas. We will monitor progress through our ongoing performance review activity with the local authority. Where relevant, we expect the local authority to share the positive practice identified with other local authorities, to disseminate learning and help drive continuous improvement in statutory services throughout Wales.

The Assurance Check follows the statutory responsibilities outlined in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and helps determine how effectively local authorities support and sustain improvements for people and services.