Kingston apologises for 'inadequate' child protection

The council's child protection services were rated "inadequate" by OFSTED. Credit: The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Kingston Council has apologised after a damning report on its child protection services.

OFSTED found the council "inadequate" in the way it safeguarded the protection of children.

Now, the borough's children's services are being taken over by the head of the same department at Richmond Council. Nick Whitfield has been appointed Joint Director of Children's Services for Richmond and Kingston.

Council Leader Derek Osbourne said: “Providing a service that is assessed as inadequate is simply not good enough for our residents. Kingston Council has a duty to provide the very highest levels of safeguarding for children and young people.

"We welcome the tough scrutiny that OFSTED apply to local authorities and we will respond with an equally tough set of improvement measures. Our response to this report will be to deliver a set of far reaching measures that will enable us to return to the excellent level of service that our residents have every right to expect.”