Concerns for children's services in Oxfordshire

3.34.00pm GMT Wed 11th Mar 2009

Liberal Democrats on Oxfordshire County Council are disappointed at the slow improvement in services for children. While the Audit Commission this week announced that it rated Oxfordshire as a "good" (three star) Council, the area which was rated as deserving only two stars ("adequate") for the second year in a row is one of the most important - children's services.

Cllr Zoé Patrick, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: "I am concerned that the improvements promised by the Conservative administration last year for children have not materialised. In 2005, when the Conservatives took control, Children's Services held three stars ("good") and it has slipped back since then to two."

Cllr Jean Fooks, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on children, said: "The Audit Commission make some serious criticisms of the Council's services for children and young people. Too many children and young people are not achieving as well as they should. I hope that we shall see the Cabinet tackling the deficiencies rather than trying to pretend that no improvement is needed, which has too often been the case until now."

Although the 2008 GCSE results showed an improvement over those examined for this assessment, Oxfordshire still performed less well than most comparable authorities.

The Audit Commission's Corporate Assessment Report, April 2008, which has been used to produce yesterday's overall assessment of the Council's services says (paragraph 133): "Outcomes for children and young people in Oxfordshire are adequate. Overall, children and young people are healthy, although teenage conceptions remain too high. Most children are safe but arrangements to monitor the safety of the most vulnerable are inadequate. Educational achievement is adequate overall, but a significant number of children and young people do not make the progress that they should."