Bradford Children's Trust can be a fresh start, says chief exec

The chief executive of Bradford's new Children and Families Trust says she hopes it will mark a "fresh start" for the city's young people.

The trust, which came into force at midnight, has taken over the running of children's and social care services from Bradford Council.

Ofsted rated the authority's provision inadequate in 2018 and 2023, saying children in the city were at risk of harm as a result of its shortcomings.

The council has welcomed the change.

Charlotte Ramsden said she was honoured to be the new body's first chief executive.

"It enables us to make a fresh start as a new organisation, with the clear vision for all children and young people in Bradford to be safe and able to realise their full potential."

She said there would not be "big changes overnight" with staff working to ensure developments did not disrupt frontline services as their "first priority".

The trust was focused on providing the services families and children "need and deserve", she added.

This move may sound extreme but comes after Ofsted identified "widespread failures in all areas".

Bradford Council accepts the need for change and will be hoping the new Trust can deliver just that.

Since 2010 the Government says that of the 51 council it has supported all have been lifted out of intervention and, more importantly, stayed out, including eight underperforming children's departments.

Although owned by the council, the Trust in Bradford will be run independently by a board of directors - with an improvement plan agreed with the Department of Education.

Pointing to a similar intervention, the government says this model can make a real difference and quickly.

Sunderland's children's services were placed into a voluntary trust in collaboration with Sunderland Council in 2017 having been rated "inadequate" by Ofsted since 2015.

By 2021 the department had been rated "outstanding".

Bradford Council, in welcoming the new Trust, will be hoping they can replicate the improvements seen in the north east.

The decision to strip Bradford Council of control of its children's services came in January 2022, following recommendations made to the then Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.

The announcement came just a few weeks after two women were jailed in relation to the 2020 murder of toddler Star Hobson in Keighley.

A report into her death described the council's children's services as being "in turmoil" at the time and, as a result, said family concerns had been "disregarded".

Meanwhile, in January, an Ofsted report found "widespread and serious failures" across all service areas, saying that since its 2018 inspection "the experience... of many children" had declined.

Kersten England, the council's outgoing chief executive, said she welcomed the new body and the authority looked forward "to working with them to drive improvement".

"We know that children's social care services need to improve. It is why we took the decision in January last year, along with the Department for Education, to set up the Bradford Children and Families Trust," she added.

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