North East Lincolnshire Council’s children’s services were recently described by Ofsted as “unrecognisable” from where they were in 2021, when they were rated inadequate in all areas.
In a report following an inspection in July 2025, Ofsted rated the authority as good overall, and in relation to services for children who need help and protection, children in care and care leavers.
Key to the authority’s transformation was its leadership, which was rated outstanding.
Inspectors found that since the appointments of Ann-Marie Matson as director of children’s services in December 2023 and, subsequently, a highly experienced senior leadership team, the service had undergone “profound and positive change”.
“The outstanding success that these senior leaders have achieved in transforming children’s social care services in such a short timescale is impressive,” the report said. “From the outset, they had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve, and they have delivered this improvement at pace across the service.”
Investing in the workforce
Key to this achievement was their recognition that such improvement could not be delivered without a committed and stable workforce.One of the biggest barriers to North East Lincolnshire’s improvement had been an “unstable and unsupported workforce”, but this had now “changed beyond recognition”, said Ofsted.
Through “well-delivered investment” and a “supportive culture that [enabled] staff to practise safely and effectively”, the authority now had a “fully resourced and almost permanent” workforce, committed to supporting children, young people and families”.
Since the last inspection, there has been a steady reduction in caseloads, which has enabled more creative and impactful direct work with children and their families.
“Social workers told inspectors that they no longer feel like they are ‘fighting fire’ and can spend quality time with the children they support,” said Ofsted.
This had resulted in improved morale, with staff appreciating “the high level of support and constructive challenge they receive from their managers”.
“The workforce knows their senior leaders well; many appreciate them and many feel respected and cared for in return,” Ofsted added.
Inspectors also found there was good access to training, with leaders developing career pathways for staff, such as becoming practice leads or practice educators. As a result, social workers felt seen and invested in and “retention rates [had] improved significantly” the report said.
Social workers value children’s voices
The investment in the workforce has had clear benefits for children, young people and families, with Ofsted noting significant practice improvements across all service areas.Children in need of help and protection benefited from having permanent social workers who saw them regularly, knew them well and valued their voices, improving their lived experiences, said Ofsted.
Inspectors found that practitioners acknowledged families’ strengths and helped them identify safe and sustainable solutions to improve children’s experiences, based on “thorough and analytical assessments” and plans that were “of a consistently good quality”.
Children in care ‘feel seen, heard and valued’
Previously, children in care did not believe that social workers cared for, or about, them, due to having multiple changes of worker, but they now felt seen, heard and valued, said Ofsted.The report added: “A great deal of work has been undertaken to rebuild this trust with children, and many children in care now enjoy positive relationships with a worker they have had for a longer period.”
This had been accompanied by much greater placement stability, with most children living in settled placements or close to their communities, and progress in plans for permanence for many young people.
Care leaver service ‘unrecognisable’
Inspectors found the care leaver service to be “unrecognisable” from where it was at the last inspection.Ofsted said that personal assistants (PAs) had “worked tirelessly” to rebuild trust with young people who had had previous bad experiences with services, leading care leavers to be more open to seeking support when they needed it.
PAs also had high ambitions for care leavers and supported them to access education, training and employment, which had been “life-changing” for some, the report added.
Rebuilding trust with partners
Ofsted was also glowing about how senior leaders had rebuilt trust with partner agencies, with partnership engagement now a “real strength”.Domestic abuse contacts, for example, were managed well through a daily triage meeting with the police, health, education and social care, said inspectors.
“Senior leaders have fostered a shared approach and accountability across agencies to deliver high-quality help and support to children and their families,” according to the report. “Trust has been re-established between partner agencies and children’s social care.”
Commenting on the judgement, DCS Ann-Marie said: “The pride I feel is extremely hard to put into words. I want to thank all of those around me – the whole children’s services team, the council, all our partners, our commissioner and most importantly the children of our communities and their families.
“What we are doing here is for all those children and young people who deserve opportunity, deserve our support and deserve a bright future. We will not stop, this is just the beginning.”
Read the full report here.
Read more articles from North East Lincolnshire here.
