Setting

Sarah Newman Bi-Borough Executive Director of Children’s Services Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Kensington Town Hall Horton Street London W8 7NX

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services

This letter summarises the findings of the focused visit to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea children’s services on 14 and 15 July 2026. His Majesty’s Inspectors for this visit were Michele Henry and Monique Lindsay.

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services

Inspectors looked at the local authority’s arrangements for children in care, in particular the quality of matching, placement and decision-making for children in care, to include the experiences of disabled children in care.

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services

This visit was carried out in line with the inspection of local authority children's services (ILACS) framework.

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Headline findings

Since the last ILACS inspection, the local authority has built successfully on its strong foundations, delivering sustained improvements to services for children in care. Strong and visible corporate and political leadership, effective governance, experienced senior leaders and a stable workforce are all contributing effectively to positive experiences for children in care.

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Headline findings

Leaders in Kensington and Chelsea have a well-developed knowledge and understanding of their children in care population, enabling them to identify strengths and take appropriate action to drive improvements.

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Headline findings

Leaders make highly effective use of bi-borough arrangements to strengthen practice, share knowledge and expertise and maximise the use of resources across services. Collaborative working enables leaders to respond flexibly to emerging challenges and deliver improvements while maintaining a sharp focus on the needs of children. 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

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

◼ The quality and consistency of reflective and purposeful supervision that enables practitioners to progress plans effectively. (Enabler: the workforce is equipped and effective, national framework) ◼ Independent reviewing officer oversight of permanence for older looked-after children. (Outcome 4, national framework)

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Main findings

Meaningful and consistent support is helping children in care in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to overcome adversity and achieve positive outcomes.

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Main findings

Care is used appropriately and promptly to ensure that children are safeguarded when they cannot remain safely with their families. Most children live in stable homes with carers who respond well to their needs and individual circumstances, providing them with the quality of care they need to flourish.

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Main findings

Children in care told inspectors that they are happy and feel safe and settled in their homes. They value the positive relationships they have with those who care for them.

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Main findings

Children in care are seen regularly by their social workers, who visit them according to their individual needs. Children experience continuity of relationships with practitioners who know them well, understand their lived experiences and provide consistent and informed support.

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Main findings

Direct work with children is strong. Social workers work with creativity, thoughtfulness and commitment in engaging children, ensuring that their wishes and feelings are captured in meaningful ways. Children’s voices are evident in assessments, reviews and care planning. Their views are contributing positively to decision-making and reinforcing an active culture of participation.

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Main findings

Care plans reflect a good understanding of children’s histories and their needs, including any disability, and current circumstances. They are informed by relevant multi-agency information and identify suitable permanence objectives for children.

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Main findings

Children’s health needs are appropriately considered in planning arrangements and health professionals contribute effectively to assessments, planning and reviews.

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Main findings

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care receive tailored and responsive support. Their identity and cultural needs are well understood and considered in

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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. plans. Interpreting services are used to ensure that children fully understand and can engage with the support provided.

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Main findings

Kinship arrangements for children receive a high level of support. Family networks are explored thoroughly and proactively, creating opportunities for children to remain with their wider families and maintain important relationships. Family assessments are progressed promptly, helping to minimise delay and support timely permanence planning. Children’s support needs are identified and addressed swiftly to avoid disruption and ensure that children benefit from stable family arrangements when in kinship care.

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Main findings

Residential care is used appropriately when children’s needs make family-based placements difficult to identify or sustain. These care arrangements support therapeutic intervention and provide opportunities for assessment. For a small number of children, transition from residential care requires more proactive planning and support.

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Main findings

Children in care are placed in supported accommodation following assessment to determine whether this the most suitable option for them. These children receive structured and coordinated support. Regular key-work sessions and social work engagement provide opportunities to monitor children’s progress and meet their individual needs.

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Main findings

Independent reviewing officers (IROs) have improved their oversight of children’s care plans. They provide constructive challenge when needed and maintain effective engagement with social work teams.

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Main findings

Most children participate in their reviews, and review outcomes are communicated to children through letters that are often thoughtful, child-focused and informative. For a very small number of younger children, IROs need to strengthen opportunities to ensure their participation.

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Main findings

Since the last ILACS inspection, senior leaders have strengthened governance arrangements to improve scrutiny and oversight of permanence arrangements for children in care. A permanence board now provides the strategic oversight and ownership which helps to maintain a clear focus on ensuring timely and appropriate permanence for children. Permanence planning meetings are regular and well documented in individual children’s records. Meeting minutes provide a detailed overview of children’s circumstances and permanence plans.

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Main findings

IRO involvement contributes positively to decision-making and improved outcomes for children. However, IROs are not yet fully consistent in their oversight and management of permanence arrangements for older children.

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Main findings

Stable and strong leadership, a stable and experienced workforce, a reflective culture of learning, good partnership working and clear strategic direction are key strengths that have helped to maintain effective practice and drive improvements where they are needed.

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Main findings

Social workers spoke positively of their experiences working in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. They highlighted a well-embedded systemic approach that shapes and strengthens their practice with children and families. They spoke of senior leaders and managers who are accessible and who work alongside them, challenging their thinking and providing high levels of support to help them manage the emotional complexity of their work.

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Main findings

Social work supervision is regular and provides clear direction on actions to be completed. Records of supervision are mostly task-focused and lack reflective analysis or professional challenge, making it difficult to see how supervision has influenced decision-making or specifically addressed permanence for children in care. Senior management approval for significant decisions, for example the use of residential placements and changes to permanence plans, is not always identified on children’s records.

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Main findings

Corporate and political leaders continue to maintain effective oversight of arrangements for children in care. Senior leaders have a good understanding of service effectiveness and performance. They are committed to their corporate parenting responsibilities and to understanding the experiences of children in their care.

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Main findings

The local authority’s self-evaluation is comprehensive, showing confidence in their practitioners and the services provided. Regular audits and feedback provide a well- structured framework for reviewing social work practice and a strong evidence base for learning.

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Main findings

Senior managers in children’s services and across the council demonstrated resilient and effective leadership in responding to a recent cyber attack, making sure that children continued to receive the care and support they need.

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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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