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Inspection of children's services London Borough of Waltham Forest September-October 2003

The inspection evaluated the effectiveness of council services for children in need, including those who were looked after, those on the child protection register and those receiving family support services. Waltham Forest was a zero star rated Council and on Special Measures. A performance Action Team (PAT) was engaged to support improvement. Inspectors concluded that Waltham Forest was on a steady road to recovery and management information systems were in place to measure performance. Performance indicators were improving and safeguarding children was a key priority corporately and with partner agencies. The three-year financial strategy was not robust and planning arrangements needed to be strengthened. Commissioning was at the very early stages of development. Attention to equality issues at strategic and operational levels was poor. This report addresses key areas of strengths and areas for development for social services. Twenty-six recommendations to improve the service were made.