Navigating the complexities of social care amid Ofsted’s new rating framework
The introduction of the new Ofsted ratings marks a significant shift in the education sector. Paul O’Rourke, managing director of Next Stage Group, shares what the social care sector can do to prepare for this change.
Earlier this year, Ofsted announced its decision to move away from a one-word rating system, a welcome change as research shows fewer than 40% of parents and just 29% of teachers supported the previous one-word judgment system. While Ofsted has said that social care such as fostering would follow, it has not yet been implemented. However, with our knowledge from the education sector, agencies need to prepare for the change.
Uncovering complexities
Although Next Stage For Fostering received ‘outstanding’ ratings in its last two inspections, I welcome the change. Until now, the complexities of care environments have been overshadowed by reductive judgments like “Inadequate,” which fall on a sliding scale of minor procedural oversights right up to a holistic failure of service. The assessed environments are so intricate, that each layer contributes uniquely to young people’s outcomes. Therefore, the decision by Ofsted to move away from simplistic, one-word ratings marks a pivotal and positive shift in how educational and hopefully soon, how care environments are assessed.
The introduction of “areas of focus” in place of ungraded inspections represents a more balanced and constructive approach. This change offers greater flexibility, providing institutions with actionable insights rather than an overarching label that may not reflect their full impact. For the fostering industry and similar sectors, this is an encouraging development, enabling a focus on improvement where it matters most, without the disproportionate consequences of a singular headline rating.
A shared responsibility
By moving away from oversimplified judgments, Ofsted opens the door for foster care and other social care services to engage more collaboratively with inspectors. The new approach promotes shared responsibility, encouraging providers to work together with regulators to address challenges. This shared accountability will likely foster a culture of continuous improvement rather than defensive compliance. Foster care providers often face reputational risks and operational challenges due to an overly simplistic rating system, working collaboratively with inspectors will help to eliminate this. The new system will directly benefit foster carers, children and the sector at large due to more support and advice to improve services.
Opportunities for long-term success
All too often care providers find themselves focused on actioning short term changes motivated by the thread of reductive labels. Removing such labels and introducing a more comprehensive system will likely reduce that pressure and therefore allow care providers to focus on much needed long-term improvements.
This includes enhanced communication with key stakeholders such as local authorities, foster parents and social workers. With a clearer understanding of a provider’s performance, a new system can help stakeholders make informed decisions and better support the foster care system for the long term.
The human cost of oversimplification
While we are yet to see the full effects of the new system, many in the sector have felt failings of the previous. The tragic consequences of the one-word judgments, extend beyond institutions and into human lives. This was never clearer to see than with the devastating case of Ruth Perry, a headteacher who took her own life following an Inadequate rating is a reminder. She endured professional criticism and relentless community backlash, with accusations ranging from damaging property values to compromising students’ futures. This hostility infiltrated every aspect of her life, highlighting how oversimplified judgments often unfairly burden one individual, ignoring the collective responsibility of governors, staff and broader management teams.
A holistic approach to improvement Improving the rating system is a positive move, but with growing numbers of children entering care, more must be done. Government and sector efforts must focus on supporting families to stay together by addressing root causes like poverty, mental health, and access to early interventions.
The new Ofsted framework represents meaningful progress, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure it fosters improvement and delivers better outcomes for the children and families we serve.
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