Doing the right thing for children

In Ofsted’s most recent focused inspection, inspectors highlighted that "children needing help and protection in Lewisham experience warm, trusting relationships with practitioners who know them well." The report also notes that, “workers write poignant records, full of care, kindness and comfort for the children they support.” 

Following their visit in December 2023, Ofsted's latest inspection in May 2025 found that the service has not only sustained its good standards but has also significantly strengthened its practice in several key areas.  

The report highlighted that needs of children and families subject to child-in-need or child protection plans are understood well, and most children’s circumstances are improving because of the carefully planned work being undertaken on their behalf. 

As a Department for Education Families First for Children Pathfinder authority, Lewisham is playing a crucial role in developing and testing national reforms.

The ongoing significant transformation of services, through a piloted, designed, and tested new structure, is proving effective. “Bespoke, well targeted family help and edge of care work is helping to stabilise children in their family networks,” and “multi-agency teams are diverting children from child protection plans.”

Practitioners in Lewisham are positive about the pathfinder reforms and believe that these changes will benefit families. 

Lewisham Council's flexible approach, where practitioners and managers are not afraid to try different methods or change their minds, is working. Relational practice shines through at all levels and leaders are described as being ‘bold.’ 

The inspection pointed to family group decision-making running through the core of services for children, and joint working, both with families and partner agencies, is well developed, with children benefitting from this joined-up approach with positive outcomes. 

Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, said, “This report highlights Lewisham's commitment to safeguarding and supporting its most vulnerable children and families. As a trusted partner to develop and test national reforms, it’s really pleasing to see that despite this transformational change to our processes and systems, we are delivering a service that is not only consistent, but warm and compassionate, to families and children who need it most”. 

Councillor Edison Huynh, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "We are incredibly proud that Ofsted has recognised not only the sustained quality of our services but also the significant strides we have made in strengthening our child protection practice.

"This report is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams, who consistently go above and beyond to safeguard and improve the lives of children and families in Lewisham. We remain committed to continuous improvement, and it’s great to see Lewisham recognised as playing a nationally leading role as a Pathfinder authority ensuring that every child receives the best possible support and protection." 

While acknowledging its strengths, the report also identified minor areas for continued focus, including frequency of recorded supervision and some children waiting too long for the process to start. However, leaders have already successfully strengthened tracking and oversight for children within the pre-proceedings phase, leading to quicker progress.  

Inspectors noted that any areas for improvement identified were already known to the leadership team and were being actively addressed through detailed action plans and quality assurance activities.

• read Ofsted's report

Key findings

• stronger child protection plans - the needs of children and families subject to child-in-need or child protection plans are now understood exceptionally well, with robust and regularly reviewed plans that are leading to improved circumstances for most children
• timely statutory processes - leaders have successfully improved the timeliness of statutory child protection processes, addressing previous minor delays and ensuring children receive prompt support
• effective pre-proceedings - pre-proceedings arrangements are largely effective and improving, with swift decisions to escalate when children's circumstances are not progressing
• embedded family group decision making - joint working with families and partner agencies is well-developed, with family group decision making at the core of services, leading to positive outcomes for children
• targeted family help and edge of care work - bespoke and well-targeted family help and edge of care work are successfully stabilising children within their family networks and supporting successful reunifications
• comprehensive quality assurance - senior leaders have implemented a comprehensive quality assurance framework that accurately reflects children's experiences and translates into clear, effective improvement plans
• addressing disadvantage and inequality - practitioners and managers demonstrate a nuanced understanding of disadvantage, actively addressing racism, poverty, and inequality, with work consistently informed by families' history, culture, and diversity
• inclusion of male partners and fathers - male partners and fathers are visibly and actively included in work with families and in ongoing assessments
• effective response to domestic abuse - practitioners show very effective skills in analysing and responding to domestic abuse, understanding children as victims and employing targeted work and powerful language to change perpetrator behaviour and enable safe relationships
• proactive support and escalation - practitioners carefully consider children's needs to prevent escalation, making sensible decisions to escalate and consider risk at initial child protection conferences when progress is limited