Today we published updates to our inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) framework. These changes will apply to inspections and visits from 1 April 2026.
Removing the overall effectiveness judgementWe have carried out our commitment to removing the overall effectiveness judgement.
Since we introduced the ILACS framework in 2018, the overall effectiveness judgement has guided our future activity, influencing:
whether the local authority’s next inspection would be a standard or short inspection how many focused visits will we carry out whether, in the case of ‘inadequate’ local authorities, a programme of monitoring visits is neededWe will still make our three practice judgments (on help and protection, children in care, and care leavers) and our judgement on the impact of leaders.
A local authority judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ for the impact of leaders and at least two of the practice judgements will usually receive one focused visit and then a short inspection.
A local authority judged ‘requires improvement to be good’ for the impact of leaders or at least two of their practice judgments will usually receive two focused visits and then a standard inspection.
A local authority judged ‘inadequate’ for any practice judgement will receive monitoring visits and then a standard inspection.
This approach means that the inspections and visits local authorities receive are consistent with their experiences before we removed the overall effectiveness grade. We felt this was important while the sector is managing considerable change.
Previous inspection grades are not the only thing we consider when deciding when and how to inspect. Self-evaluation, data and intelligence play a role – the guidance on this in the framework has not changed.
We still want to discuss our inspection plans with you at your annual engagement meetings and encourage you to continue open discussions with your regional Ofsted contacts.
Children’s social care reformsThe other changes in the framework relate to the children’s social care reforms, which we know local authorities are working hard to implement. We have been working closely with the Department for Education to see how we can update ILACS so that the inspection process supports you on this journey.
We have taken account of recent updates to statutory guidance (Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Children’s Social Care: National Framework) and considered the Families First Partnership programme guide – designed to help local partners implement the reforms.
I was pleased to share our changes to the evaluation criteria with our new external advisory group, made up of representatives from local authorities, regulated providers, and children and families groups. I was equally pleased to hear them welcome the steps we have taken to align our inspections with the expectations of the reforms. It is important that we all have a shared understanding of what the reforms are trying to achieve, and I am confident these framework updates support that.
Most changes relate to the evaluation criteria for the experiences and progress of children in need of help and protection. A seamless family help service is a key pillar of the reforms, and you will see more emphasis on how you work with family networks to keep children with their families, wherever it’s possible and safe to do so.
The evaluation criteria now give more recognition to the fact that you are working in a multi-agency system. Ofsted cannot inspect the work of your partners, but we can better recognise the efforts you make to engage and challenge them to deliver the best for children and families.
Engaging family networks is also emphasised in our evaluation criteria for the experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers. The framework already recognises that kinship care can be an appropriate choice for children and that kinship carers need to be supported and respected just as foster carers and residential care staff are.
Inspectors will continue to recognise that decisions must be in the best interests of children, with due consideration of their wishes and safety. This can mean that contact with their family may not be possible. In these circumstances it is no less important that children are helped to build stable, loving and enduring relationships with people important to them, including their carers, and that they are supported to maintain these relationships when they leave care.
In our evaluation criteria for the impact of leaders, we have made it clear that the professional development of senior leaders is as important as that of their staff. The framework now better recognises that social workers collaborate with practitioners who have other qualifications and areas of expertise. Local authorities must have a learning offer that meets the needs of all leaders and practitioners, including professional development that prepares them to meet the expectations of the children’s social care reforms.
Ending the use of unregistered children’s homesMany children continue to be placed in homes that are not registered with or inspected by Ofsted, putting them at risk of harm.
We are very clear that using unregistered provision is unlawful. Under the updated framework, inspectors will challenge local authorities on their use of unlawful unregistered homes and how they plan to stop using them.
This is not just relevant to practice with individual children. Local authorities have a long-standing duty to secure sufficient accommodation that meets the needs of its children. Use of unregistered provision will be an important consideration when we evaluate and report on how well this duty is being met.
Ofsted has clear guidance on registering children’s homes in an emergency and we encourage you to work closely and at pace with providers to use this process when appropriate.
What has stayed the sameLocal authority statutory functions remain the same.
ILACS will continue to focus on what matters most: the experiences and progress of children.
When we developed ILACS, we worked closely with the sector to build a consensus about what ‘good’ looks like. Inspectors will continue to evaluate your work on that basis. These updates aim to better reflect changes in the way you are meeting children’s needs and to give local authorities and inspectors flexibility to apply the framework in a way that considers your individual implementation plan.
We know that all local authorities are on a journey in relation to the reforms. In the year ahead, each will be at different stages of planning and implementing when we visit. We encourage you to work with regional Ofsted contacts and inspectors during the pre-inspection period to help them understand where you are on your journey.
In all the practice evaluation areas where inspectors see that the experiences and progress of your children, children in care and care leavers are good, they will give that judgement accordingly.
What’s nextIn our earlier announcements we confirmed our intention to consult on a renewed children and families services inspection framework to be introduced in 2027. We will consult on this in summer 2026.
We want to make sure that our approaches to inspecting local authorities and providers through our social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) are better aligned and that our inspections support and challenge the sector to work as one in meeting children’s needs.
A single consultation on the principles of children’s social care inspection reform is the first step in this process. We are asking our external advisory group to challenge our thinking so that our proposals are informed by sector insights and experience from the beginning.
Our consultation will also explore how we can align even more closely with the reforms – many of which will become statutory duties in 2027 – and how we can bring more nuance and clarity to our inspections.
seen at 09:53, 20 March in Ofsted: social care.