"WE will not rest on our laurels" - Dudley's children's services boss has promised after a fourth monitoring visit from Ofsted.

Councillor Anne Millward, Dudley Council's cabinet member for children's services, said she was "delighted" with the positive feedback following the fourth visit by the regulatory body since the authority's children's services department was rated "inadequate" in April 2016.

In a letter to Dudley Council - government inspector Pauline Higham said the authority's improvement plan was resulting in "positive progress" and she added: "Social work practice continues to improve and this means more children, particularly those in need of help and protection, receive an improved service."

Cllr Millward said the comments made after the visit, which took place on October 11 and 12, demonstrated the authority was "continuing to move in the right direction to transform services".

The council was praised for its positive working environment and strong learning culture, giving managers the skills they need to support social work staff.

Both managers and social workers were complimented on the pride they had in their work, their dedication and commitment to improving services for children in Dudley.

The authority was also recognised for its emphasis of the importance of professional development - and praise was also given to the council’s work with the multi-agency safeguarding hub, with processes to manage and assess cases being dealt with clearly and effectively.

The letter, however, said although "rates of staff turnover are reducing, sustaining a stable workforce continues to be a challenge" and it adds: "Just under a third of children’s social workers are agency staff. "The recruitment and retention of team managers remain particularly challenging, and this means that in a small number of children’s cases management oversight and decision-making are not consistently effective or timely."

It says in all cases seen children are safe and receive appropriate levels of support and protection but adds: "A very small number of children have waited too long to have their needs assessed, and some are not seen regularly by their social workers. The local authority is aware of this and has taken appropriate action to ensure that visits are undertaken and recorded in a more timely way."

The inspector, however, notes: "The local authority remains steady and methodical in its approach to address the actions in its improvement plan, and this work is beginning to make a positive difference to children."

Cllr Millward said: "I’d like to praise the dedication, commitment and professionalism of social work staff, which was also recognised by inspectors.

“Since the inspection last year, we have worked extremely hard to make real changes.

"We are pleased inspectors have recognised the dedication and commitment of staff, and the positive and supportive management culture which are together helping to ensure children are safe and receiving appropriate care and support.

“Although we are making positive steps, we will not rest on our laurels. We know there are still areas where improvements need to be made and we have plans in place to address these as we move forward.”

Ofsted inspectors will continue to visit the authority at regular intervals over the coming months as the council continues with its improvement programme.

A full copy of the latest Ofsted letter can be viewed online - https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/local-authorities/Dudley