Setting

Laurence Jones Strategic Director Social Care and Education Leicester City Council City Hall 115 Charles Street Leicester LE1 1FQ

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Focused visit to Leicester City Council children’s services

This letter summarises the findings of the focused visit to Leicester City Council’s children’s services on 17 and 18 March 2026. His Majesty’s Inspectors for this visit were Teresa Godfrey and Nabeel Hussain.

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Focused visit to Leicester City Council children’s services

Inspectors looked at the local authority’s arrangements for care leavers. This included:

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Focused visit to Leicester City Council children’s services

◼ Transitions and support into adulthood.

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Focused visit to Leicester City Council children’s services

◼ Quality and suitability of accommodation.

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Focused visit to Leicester City Council children’s services

This visit was carried out in line with the inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) framework. A range of evidence was considered, including electronic records, performance management information, case file audits and other information provided by senior managers. In addition, inspectors spoke to care leavers, social workers and leaving care advisers (LCAs).

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Headline findings

This is the first focused visit since the short inspection of children’s services in September 2024, when the quality and consistency of services for care leavers in Leicester were identified as an area for improvement.

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Headline findings

Following the last inspection, senior leaders have welcomed external scrutiny from a sector-led improvement partner and have continued to invest in the leaving care service. The council has made preparing for adulthood a strategic priority and there is a commitment to improving services for care leavers. This has included strengthening capacity at operational and management levels and investing in Ofsted

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Headline findings

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 Textphone 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.gov.uk/ofsted additional positions through the Department for Education funded Staying Close, Staying Connected pilot programme.

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Headline findings

Senior leaders have plans in place to address practice shortfalls and there is a focus on improvement which has ensured that practice has been strengthened in some areas. Despite this, progress has been too slow, and the quality of support and services to care leavers remains variable.

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Headline findings

Some young people’s needs are understood and met effectively by leaving care LCAs who know them well. However, others do not benefit from proactive responses to help them progress. This limited support, alongside a lack of effective management oversight, means that young people do not always receive the support they need to successfully move into adulthood and independence.

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What needs to improve in this area of social work practice? 1

◼ The quality and consistency of pathway plans to ensure that they are ambitious and aspirational for young people. (outcome 4, national framework)

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What needs to improve in this area of social work practice? 1

◼ The quality of support to care leavers over the age of 21. (outcome 3, national framework)

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What needs to improve in this area of social work practice? 1

◼ The quality and effectiveness of management oversight and supervision, including the identification and management of risk. (enabler 2, national framework)

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What needs to improve in this area of social work practice? 1

◼ The clarity of the overarching strategic plan for care leavers, to ensure a cohesive approach across aspects of improvement work. (enabler 2, national framework)

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Main findings

For most children aged 16 and 17 who are about to move out of care, their social workers know them well and speak about them with kindness and sensitivity. Social workers are aware of children’s needs as they move towards independence and make sure that this is kept in mind in their discussions and meetings.

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Main findings

Most pathway plans for children aged 16 and 17 are co-produced with them, contain their wishes and feelings and are contributed to by other professionals Plans are written with transition in mind but some are too long and do not clearly set out what needs to happen and why, to prepare children for independence. Children are encouraged to attend and contribute to their reviews and benefit from independent

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Main findings

1 The areas for improvement have been cross-referenced with the outcomes, enablers or principles in the Children’s Social Care: National Framework . This statutory guidance sets out the purpose, principles for practice and expected outcomes of children’s social care. reviewing officers who engage them and make sure that their plans reflect their views.

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Main findings

Not all children have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with their LCAs and do not benefit from carefully planned transitions to the care leavers service when they turn 18. There is an ambition to allocate a LCA when children turn 17 and for all children to benefit from a period of joint working between their social workers and LCA to support their transition to the leaving care service. This ambition is not realised for some children and, even when they do have LCAs allocated early, the point at which they start actively building a relationship with children varies.

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Main findings

Some LCAs have an in-depth understanding of young people’s life history and know them well. Most young people are visited regularly by their LCAs, who demonstrate an interest and professional curiosity in their day-to-day lives and living arrangements. Young people’s relationships with their family, carers and those who are important to them are encouraged by their LCAs. Young people told inspectors that they valued their relationships with LCAs and felt supported and respected by them.

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Main findings

The quality of pathway plans was identified as an area for improvement at the last inspection. Leaders are aware that insufficient progress has been made in this area of practice and the quality of plans for care leavers is still variable. Most plans acknowledge identity and cultural needs well and reflect young people’s social and family networks. For some young people, their plans contain too much historical information and do not accurately capture their current experiences, unique aspirations and the risks they are exposed to. Actions in pathway plans are not consistently timebound and this includes reviewing employment, education and training targets for young people.

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Main findings

Most children age 16 and 17 receive a form of education or training which reflects their interests and encourages their development. When care leavers have clear goals and aspirations, they receive support, guidance and effective signposting, and their LCAs work closely with other agencies to help them achieve their goals. Young people are well supported to attend university and there are a range of opportunities being developed for care leavers, such as apprenticeships and work experience.

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Main findings

When care leavers are not in education, employment or training (NEET), the quality of planning and support provided to them is not robust. Connexions liaises with the virtual school, and provides support and consultation for young people aged 18 to 25. These young people’s plans are not sufficiently aspirational or ambitious and do not identify focused or timebound actions to bring some structure and meaningful activity to their lives. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to strengthen the response to young people who are NEET.

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Main findings

The health and emotional wellbeing needs of care leavers are well considered in their pathway plans. Young people are encouraged to access universal services, and most are registered with GPs and dentists. LCAs are alert to when young people may be struggling with their mental and emotional health and recognise when they would benefit from accessing specialist services. Some young people have received counselling or private therapy funded by the leaving care service. Other young people have accessed support provided by a specialist mental health practitioner based in the leaving care service funded as part of a pilot project. This has had a positive impact for some young people, but this project is due to end. Leaders are aware that for some young people access to specialist support is not always timely. Leaders are working with partners to strengthen the health support to care leavers.

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Main findings

The identification and response to vulnerable care leavers at risk is inconsistent. Pathway plans do not sufficiently identify young people’s vulnerabilities and safety needs and do not evidence how risks will be reduced. LCAs are not always alert to issues of exploitation. For exploited young people over the age of 18, access to targeted interventions or support is limited, even when risks are assessed as being high.

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Main findings

Support to care leavers in custody has been strengthened since the last inspection. There is an expectation that LCAs maintain regular, meaningful contact when young people are in custody. While all care leavers in custody are visited by their LCAs, the frequency of visits and quality of support is variable. Pathway plans for care leavers in custody are detailed but leave most actions to the prison service or family members. Plans do not reflect drive and ambition, or when appropriate, how young people are being prepared for release.

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Main findings

There is insufficient management oversight and supervision of young people at high risk. All care leavers are RAG (red, amber, green) rated by managers in line with their perceived level of risk. This risk rating does not always adequately reflect the complexity of young people’s needs. Managers have recognised that more needs to be done to ensure that there is robust oversight of these vulnerable young people at high risk, to assure themselves of their safety.

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Main findings

When young people are not ready to live independently, they are supported to stay with their former foster carers under ‘staying put’ arrangements. Some young people benefit from ‘staying close’ support, for example taking their laundry to their previous children’s home to be washed. This enables them to maintain important relationships with those who have played a key role in caring for them.

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Main findings

Most care leavers are living in suitable and safe accommodation. Leaders have continued to invest in housing options for care leavers and there are a range of accommodation options available. There is a strong local housing offer, and care leavers have priority banding for council housing. When housing issues arise, LCAs work hard to maintain young people in tenancies where this is possible or help them to move into alternative accommodation. Young people told inspectors that they were happy and felt safe where they lived.

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Main findings

The support for former children from abroad seeking safety when they leave care is strong. LCAs have a detailed understanding of the asylum process and are focused on supporting young people to achieve stability. Young people are encouraged to explore their culture and integrate into the local community. Most former children seeking safety from abroad are in employment, education or training and are living in accommodation which meets their needs.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, the council has revised and strengthened the local leaving care offer, enabling young people to access more opportunities. Now, all care leavers are exempt from council tax and for those that live away from the city, this is reimbursed. Young people are able to access gym membership, bus travel and driving lessons. LCAs are clear about what the local offer is and ensure that young people know about and access their entitlements. LCAs recognise when young people have particular needs or interests that might not be met by the offer and take steps to ensure these needs are met. Care leavers do not benefit from a dedicated space where they can drop in, spend time or meet their LCAs.

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Main findings

Most care leavers in Leicester cease to have a LCA when they reach the age of 21. Young people are advised to contact a duty worker should they have support needs after the age of 21. The rationale as to why young people no longer have an allocated LCA is not sufficiently recorded. For some young people, the decision is made to move them to the duty system even when they have requested continued support and this increases their vulnerability. For others who have disengaged from the service, their support needs are not known at the point their LCA is deallocated. When care leavers over the age of 21 approach the service for help, they are usually supported with the presenting concern or worry but are not quickly reallocated a LCA when this might be needed. As a result, some young people over the age of 21 are left in situations of unassessed need and risk.

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Main findings

LCAs report manageable workloads, enabling them to meet the needs of young people and have regular, meaningful contact with them. The frequency of visits and the quality of recording is, however, variable. This means that for some care leavers it is unclear how their LCAs are proactively engaging with them and what impact their work is having.

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Main findings

There is insufficient management oversight of decision-making for care leavers. This has led to plans for some young people not being driven forward effectively, risks not always being recognised, and to reactive rather than proactive practice. Supervision records, although detailed, are mostly completed by LCAs and do not consistently evidence reflection on young people’s circumstances, vulnerabilities and needs. Actions from supervision are brief and compliance focused, with an absence of management direction, challenge and reflection.

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Main findings

Quality assurance activity has been strengthened since the last inspection. Auditing gives a line of sight into the quality and impact of practice but has not yet helped leaders fully understand the quality and impact of support for this group of young people, particularly those aged 21 and over.

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Main findings

Leaders have started to implement a range of actions and initiatives to raise standards of services for care leavers. However, the absence of an overarching, cohesive strategy setting out Leicester City Council’s commitment to care leavers means that ambitions for care leavers are not currently captured or communicated effectively. There has been significant investment in the workforce, expanding the leaving care service and appointing dedicated senior management oversight to bring a sharper focus to care leavers’ needs and performance in this area of practice. LCAs describe managers as visible and available. They also describe access to support, supervision and training which helps them to develop in their role. Bespoke guidance and support have been provided to staff, and a management and leadership development programme has been commissioned. The impact of this for care leavers is yet to be seen.

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Main findings

Ofsted will take the findings from this focused visit into account when planning the next inspection or visit.

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