Decision

Revised direction issued to Torbay Council

A revised statutory direction issued to Torbay Council due to poor performance in children's social care services.

Applies to England

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Direction issued to Torbay Council

Details

This direction has now closed. A revised direction issued in May 2021 replaces it.

This revised direction requires the council to end, through mutual consent, the strategic partnership with Plymouth City Council and to continue to take steps to improve its children’s social care services by co-operating with a commissioner-led review to assess the capacity and capability of the council’s leadership to retain control of services.

This follows a previous independent report by the Commissioner for Children’s Services in Torbay which recommended that the council should enter into a contractual arrangement with Plymouth City council to deliver its children’s services.

An Ofsted report published on 24 August 2018 judged the overall effectiveness of those services to be inadequate.

This direction replaces the earlier statutory direction issued to the council in March 2018.

The above letter has been issued to Torbay Council. It outlines the principles which the Department for Education has agreed in response to a request for flexibilities from the local authority to enable it to deliver the requirements of its statutory direction, while responding to the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Published 6 December 2019
Last updated 11 May 2021 + show all updates
  1. This direction has now closed. A revised direction issued in May 2021 replaces it.

  2. Added letter from DfE relating to coronavirus (COVID-19).

  3. First published.