Setting

Alison Sutherland Executive Director, Children’s Services Hartlepool Borough Council Civic Centre Vicotria Road Hartlepool TS24 8AY

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Focused visit to Hartlepool Borough Council children’s services

This letter summarises the findings of the focused visit to Hartlepool children’s services on 19 and 20 May 2026. His Majesty’s Inspectors for this visit were Jane Ayres and Lisa Walsh.

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Focused visit to Hartlepool Borough Council children’s services

Inspectors looked at the local authority’s arrangements for care leavers aged 18 to 25, with a particular focus on:

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Focused visit to Hartlepool Borough Council children’s services

◼ care leavers with specific needs (for example, unaccompanied asylum seekers, young parents or those who have had contact with the criminal justice system) ◼ disabled care leavers and those with specific physical or mental health needs, including those who misuse alcohol or drugs ◼ care leavers at risk of specific types of abuse or exploitation.

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Focused visit to Hartlepool Borough Council children’s services

This visit was carried out in line with the inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) framework. Inspectors considered a broad range of evidence, including discussions with care leavers, practitioners, managers and leaders. They also looked at young people’s case records, local authority performance management and quality assurance information.

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Headline findings

Since the ILACs inspection in March 2024, when children’s services were judged to be ‘outstanding’ overall and the experiences and progress of care leavers were judged to be ‘good’, services for care leavers have continued to improve. Vulnerable care leavers and those who need additional help, such as young people in custody and those who are parents, benefit from consistent and effective support from dedicated and tenacious practitioners. The vast majority of care leavers live in suitable and safe accommodation, and they have their emotional and physical health needs met. 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 The newly formed leadership team has maintained strong and visible oversight of the quality and impact of practice for care leavers. Leaders are highly ambitious in their drive to improve services for all care leavers, and their vision is clear. This ambition is supported by wider corporate commitment to further enhance and improve the lives of care leavers in Hartlepool. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to increase the number of care leavers who are in education, employment and training (EET), and ambitious and realistic plans are underway. It is too soon to see the impact of these plans for some care leavers.

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

◼ The number of care leavers who are in employment education and training. (outcome 4, national framework)

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Main findings

Since the ILACS inspection in March 2024, leaders have made solid progress in strengthening services for care leavers aged 18 to 25. Despite significant recent changes in the senior and political leadership, the newly formed leadership team has maintained stability and visibility, ensuring continuity in service delivery and oversight of services to care leavers.

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Main findings

Care leavers benefit from strong corporate and political support, with the care leaver service being prioritised across the council. The corporate parenting board provides appropriate oversight and challenge, holding leaders to account for the quality and impact of the care leaver service.

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Main findings

Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to hearing and responding to the views of care leavers. Young people’s feedback is increasingly influencing service development, including enhancements to the local offer, involvement in recruitment processes, and the refreshing of corporate parenting arrangements.

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Main findings

Leaders have strengthened the care leavers service through investment in stable staffing, relational and trauma-informed practice, and opportunities for participation. The dedicated care leaver team and Pathfinder Hub provide focused and responsive support for care leavers, particularly by: maintaining contact, facilitating access to accommodation, developing independence skills, and signposting a range of practical entitlements.

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Main findings

A comprehensive performance management system and quality assurance framework provide leaders with a clear line of sight to practice. While auditors understand what constitutes good practice, the consistent incorporation of care

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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. leavers’ views into audit activity is not yet fully embedded. This is a missed opportunity to hear directly from young people about the impact services have for them.

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Main findings

The local offer is well developed, clearly communicated and understood by practitioners and care leavers. This enables care leavers to access financial and practical support, including council tax exemption, setting-up-home grants and welfare benefits.

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Main findings

Care leavers’ health needs are well supported, with good access to universal and specialist services, including dedicated mental health provision. Young people are appropriately supported to attend appointments and engage with services. This means care leavers experience improved physical and emotional wellbeing. They are encouraged to develop the confidence and skills to manage their own health needs independently as they transition into adulthood.

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Main findings

Most care leavers live in safe, stable and suitable accommodation and receive the right level of guidance to develop their independence. The Staying Close service is a particular strength, providing a relationship-based approach that promotes stability, resilience and improved transition into adulthood for care leavers. Care leavers are encouraged to access community-based activities and maintain important relationships with family and friends, which contributes positively to their sense of belonging and emotional stability.

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Main findings

Targeted support for vulnerable care leavers is effective. A bespoke specialist custody personal adviser (PA) provides a valuable drop-in offer for care leavers within local prisons. This ensures that advice and help is quickly available, particularly during periods of heightened need or crisis. PAs are persistent in engaging with care leavers, maintaining high levels of contact even when young people are caught in cycles of offending or high-risk behaviour.

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Main findings

The unaccompanied asylum-seeking specialist social worker has a strong and positive impact on outcomes for care leavers who were formerly unaccompanied asylum- seeking children. Through the use of trauma-informed, culturally competent and legally informed practice, these young people are helped to achieve their ambitions and manage issues they may face as a result of their histories.

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Main findings

Care leavers who are parents receive an effective and caring service that helps them to meet their own and their children’s needs. Responsive multi-agency planning and the strength of relationships between PAs and young people ensure that care leavers who are parents are supported on a practical and emotional level.

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Main findings

The offer to care leavers over the age of 21 has been strengthened since the previous inspection. The response for these care leavers is flexible and responsive, with young people appropriately consulted and encouraged about continuing to receive support. When care leavers choose to step away from the service as they turn 21 or older, the local authority regularly reminds them of available and accessible support should they need it in the future.

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Main findings

Leaders are ambitious for care leavers to engage in EET, and some young people achieve positive outcomes, including attending university and securing employment. However, this ambition is not yet consistently realised, and some care leavers are not participating in EET when they could be. Leaders had recognised that there is more to do to ensure that all care leavers are helped effectively to achieve their ambitions and to raise the overall EET rates for care leavers. It is too early to see the impact of their ambitious and wide-ranging plans for many care leavers.

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Main findings

Written pathway plans generally reflect young people’s needs, views and risks, and include contributions from partner agencies. Most plans are regularly reviewed. It is not always clear that young people receive copies of their plans, and written plans are not always explicit about what needs to be achieved. Due to the dedication and commitment of practitioners, the variability in written plans does not negatively impact on the quality and impact of work with care leavers.

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Main findings

Leaving care workers report a positive working culture in Hartlepool, with manageable caseloads and accessible leadership. Supervision of practitioners is regular and mostly reflective, with a focus on risk and young people’s experiences. This helps to ensure that care leavers receive effective support when they need it.

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Main findings

Care leavers have strong and trusting relationships with their PAs, who know them well. PAs visit young people frequently, in line with their individual needs, and demonstrate persistence in maintaining contact with them to help them through periods of instability or crisis. This contributes positively to young people’s sense of safety and emotional wellbeing.

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Main findings

Care leavers speak highly of their PAs and value the consistency and quality of support they are offered. One care leaver described their PA as ‘mint’, such is the value they place on the support they receive.

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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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