Ealing Liberal Democrats have called for “full, public scrutiny” of Labour-run Ealing Council’s children’s safeguarding services following concerns raised by Ofsted.
Opposition leader Councillor Gary Malcolm and Councillor Adam Keenan, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for children’s services, have written to Ealing Council leader Councillor Peter Mason and cabinet member for a fairer start Councillor Blerina Hashani seeking answers over the council’s response.
Their letter sets out five questions, including what immediate action is being taken, how the council will measure whether improvements are working and whether it has apologised to people affected by the failings identified by Ofsted.
The Lib Dems are calling for “a full open and transparent scrutiny process accountable to residents”.
The move follows an Ofsted focused visit earlier this year which found that too many children were being left in situations where the risk of harm had not been assessed, while some serious allegations of abuse were not being appropriately investigated.
As previously reported by EALING.NEWS, Ofsted also raised concerns over management oversight, an area where inspectors had identified improvements were needed during the council’s full inspection in 2024.
Councillor Keenan said: “I am shocked at the complacency of Ealing Labour leaving vulnerable children at risk for over two years despite being aware of issues raised by Ofsted.
“Many residents and myself are frankly appalled that little or no progress has occurred in this vital area of safeguarding.”
Ealing Council said it had already taken action following the latest Ofsted visit and had submitted a draft action plan addressing the issues identified by inspectors.
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “Protecting the borough’s most vulnerable children and families and improving their outcomes is our absolute priority. We took immediate and urgent steps to address some of the issues raised during the visit and have now submitted a full draft action plan which addresses the issues in detail.
“Our focus is on delivering at pace the improvements identified by Ofsted and ensuring every child and family receives a timely, effective and high-quality response when they need our support.
“The inspection agency found strengths in several areas of our service, including our initial response to safeguarding concerns, partnership working and the commitment of our workforce. The council’s overall Ofsted rating remains Good.”
