Bedford Borough Council’s children’s services remain under “significant pressure”, with social workers handling far higher caseloads than the national average, according to a new performance report.
Average caseloads locally now stand at 23.6 children per social worker, compared with the national average of 15.9.
The Performance and Improvement Report, presented to the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (October 20), says that although there has been progress since Ofsted downgraded the service to “Requires Improvement” in July 2025, workforce shortages and placement pressures continue to hold back progress.
The report warns that if workloads are not reduced, “the quality of work will not improve.”
To ease pressures, the council is seeking funding for extra staff and piloting a digital recording tool called Magic Notes to cut administration time. Business processes are also being reviewed to improve efficiency.
Since the Ofsted report, the council has established a new governance board, chaired by an independent Director of Children’s Services, to drive improvement and increase accountability.
Behind targets
Some improvements have already been recorded. The number of unregistered placements has fallen to 10, and adoption timeliness now means children are moving from care entry to placement in an average of 149 days, faster than both regional and national figures.
However, there are areas of concern. The rate of referrals and assessments remains significantly above average, while assessment timeliness has dropped to 75 per cent, down from over 90 per cent the previous year.
Visits to children are also falling behind targets, with 72.8 per cent of children in need and 75.2 per cent of those on child protection plans seen on time.
The report said that additional commissioning support has been provided, which is “proving effective”.
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In care-leaver outcomes, 48 per cent of young people are in education, employment, or training, well below the England average of 61 per cent.
The report added that improvements in governance, oversight, and partner engagement with health and police are underway. The next Ofsted visits are expected in 2026 and 2027, with a full inspection due in 2028.
If services fail to improve, the report warns, the council could face government intervention, “leading to significant reputational and financial cost.”
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
