Rotherham Council issue statement after Ofsted report

“Keeping children and young people safe remains our highest priority. We are sorry that we have let them down in the past, but we know that apologies simply aren’t enough. We are determined and committed to addressing all the issues raised in this report, and must demonstrate that we are doing so, if we are to rebuild trust and confidence in our services. The best way to serve children and young people now is to learn from those mistakes and look to the future.

The report talks about the importance of strong effective leadership and strong governance, about the need to hear service users’ voices and to ensure that the standards against which we will be measure are widely shared, understood and adhered to.

The appointment of a strong new leadership team – including our newly-appointed Director of Children’s Services Ian Thomas – is already helping to secure the change needed to ensure our organisation is fit for purpose. We are seeking to make further interim appointments within Children’s Services within the next week.”