Croydon Council’s ‘front door’ service, which is the first point of contact for assessing the needs of children and young people in the borough, has received a positive report from Ofsted following a focused visit.

Inspectors visited the service in February and found clear improvements in practice, quality assurance and performance management under the service’s new leadership. They highlighted that referred children are seen quickly with clear decisions about what needs to happen next.

Croydon has one of the largest under‑19 populations in London, and Executive Mayor Jason Perry is committed to protecting children and ensuring their safety. This latest review of the ‘front door’ service follows Ofsted rating Croydon’s children’s services as “good” overall in October 2024.

Ofsted also found that social workers demonstrate a strong understanding of the wide range of risks faced by children, both inside and outside the home – including exposure to domestic abuse. Safeguarding concerns are handled swiftly, with effective partnerships between the Council, Police, health providers and others to ensure children are protected.

The report also identified areas for improvement, noting that social workers in the Families Assessment Service were carrying high caseloads. This has affected the timeliness of some child and family assessments and the quality of management oversight and supervision. The Council is currently recruiting additional social workers to help address these issues whilst also looking at differing ways of providing support through strengthening partnership working.

“Protecting our young people and keeping them safe from harm is incredibly important to me, so I am delighted that our ‘front door’ service has received such positive feedback from Ofsted. This review shows the dedication and hard work of our teams who support children and families every day.

“I want to thank all our of staff for the vital work they do. We will continue to build on these improvements to make sure children and young people in Croydon get the best possible start in life.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon