Councillors will this week be given an update on improvements made to the borough’s children’s services since they were rated ‘inadequate’ two years ago.

A report by council officers outlines the key areas they have been focused on as they look to achieve a ‘good’ rating for Barnet’s children’s services from education watchdog Ofsted.

The report says the council has boosted management positions in children’s services by recruiting two new heads of service in the duty and assessment team and intervention and planning.

Within the multi-agency safeguarding hub, there has been a “steady and consistent increase in work that is graded as good and a significant fall in the proportion of audits graded as ‘inadequate’ since November 2017”.

The report adds that social workers have been improving the quality of their assessments, and there is a “comprehensive training offer” for practitioners.

And the number of children subject to child protection orders has fallen to zero over the past two years.

Ofsted inspectors rated Barnet’s children’s services inadequate in July 2017 after finding “a legacy of widespread poor practice and ongoing systemic failures”.

The council put an improvement plan in place and in February this year Ofsted noted improvements in the quality of practice in the care leaver’s service after its final monitoring visit.

The latest update will be heard at a meeting of the children, education and safeguarding committee on Wednesday (May 8).

The meeting will take place at Hendon Town Hall on Wednesday (May 8) at 7pm.