Lib Dems say: "Council must act now on Improvement Plan to protect Surrey's vulnerable children

The Children's Improvement Plan 2015 to improve Surrey's inadequate Children's Services was today published by the County Council. The plan was required following the Ofsted inspection report published in June 2015 that rated Surrey's Children's Service as "inadequate". Inspectors concluded that there were "widespread and serious failures that potentially leave children at risk of harm."

Commenting on the County Council's Improvement Plan, Cllr Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition on Surrey County Council said:

"The County Council has a huge challenge to turnaround Surrey's Children's Services to put right the 'widespread and serious failures' that Ofsted inspectors found. The Improvement Plan is a substantial report with a whole host of actions including better recruitment and retention of social workers, improved training for Children's Services staff, more thorough management oversight and more efficient procedures.

"The publication of the report is the first step on the road to recovery for Surrey's Children's Service. It is now time for action to make a real difference for Surrey's vulnerable children."

Cllr Hazel Watson will continue to work with the Conservative administration and representatives of other political groups to ensure that the Improvement Plan's actions are fully implemented. She is pressing the County Council to do much more to recruit and retain social workers in Surrey so that there are enough experienced staff to provide the best service possible for Surrey's children. The current vacancy rate is approximately 20% in essential social work teams in Surrey.

Cllr Watson concluded:

"Implementing the Improvement Plan to protect Surrey's children should be the top priority for the County Council and I will be holding the Conservative administration to account to ensure that it happens."

A link to the Children's Improvemen Plan can be found here - http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/67363/Childrens-Improvement-Plan-2015-090915.pdf