Birmingham childrens services face threat of takeover - TopicsExpress

Birmingham childrens services face threat of takeover Birmingham City Council childrens services could be taken over by the Department for Education if watchdog Ofsted do not see an improvement when they undertake an inspection later in the month, the BBC has reported. The department has been rated inadequate by inspectors since 2009. There have also been a string of high-profile child deaths in the city in the last few years, such as the death of Keanu Williams in 2011. Peter Hay, director of childrens service at Birmingham, said he believed there had to be a role for the council in safeguarding the citys children, and said there were no easy answers during an appearance on BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Responding to the possibility of a takeover, Mr Hay said: I think theres got to be a role for the city council because it can bring the relationships and the money and the investment. But it cant do what it has always done and I absolutely respect the Secretary of State has got a very difficult decision because there are no easy answers here to these long-term problems: staffing, investment and change to bear on the lives of children in this city. A spokesperson for the DfE said: We have warned Birmingham that unless Ofsted identify signs of improvement in their next inspection, we will take further action. Officials are due to carry out a further review within the next few weeks and if progress has not been demonstrated, officials will take over the running of the children services, the BBC reported. Birmingham is the second most populous city in Britain and has 1.1 million people living there. The department is one of the biggest in the country. Last month, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw branded Birmingham City Councils record at protecting children a national disgrace. At the time, a spokesperson for the council responded: We are already on record as saying that we have failed to meet the basic expectation of keeping vulnerable children in this city safe. This is a long-standing problem which we acknowledge and the leader has said that improving childrens services is his number one priority. “We must work with Ofsted on this and we repeat our determination to improve the safety of children in this city as the highest priority for this council.” independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/birmingham-childrens-services-face-threat-of-takeover-8938526.html