Derby City Council

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Children’s services are very much under pressure, and ever more so in the face of a cost of living crisis, adding to the numbers of potentially vulnerable children. There is an imperative to protect vulnerable children, the importance of early intervention and the changing relationship with schools – all under an intense media and now social spotlight. This award is intended to recognise the success of those councils that adopt a genuinely strategic approach to this vital service area in the face of extraordinary challenges. Entries can focus either on a specific aspect of the council’s work on children’s services or the entirety of its work on children’s services.

Derby City Council is uncompromising in its corporate and political commitment to safeguarding children and young people. Across all early help and children’s social care services, we have developed and embedded a strength based approach to delivery of services. Our journey has been judged by Ofsted to have achieved an overall Outstanding impact for vulnerable families, particularly throughout covid within areas of leadership and help and protection. Strong and mature early help partnership work with health, schools and local communities remain at the heart of our prevention strategy and this has been evidenced nationally through a BBC3 documentary.