Westminster Council children’s services awarded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted three times in a row

Children’s services run by Westminster Council have been given an “outstanding” rating by Ofsted three times in a row following an inspection in November 2024.

Westminster runs the service jointly with Kensington and Chelsea Council which received the same rating.

According to both councils, they are the first to receive an “outstanding” award three times consecutively over 10 years.

Inspectors said Westminster Council had continued to strengthen the service since an inspection in 2019. They said politicians and senior leaders meaningfully engaged with children, families and partners on a regular basis and said sustained investment had helped create a “highly effective, impressive” early help service.

However, the council was told to improve how it responds to allegations made against their workers.

Inspectors wrote of Westminster’s services: “Experienced, knowledgeable practitioners throughout children’s services are assisted in their work by highly developed local safeguarding partnership arrangements that provide much scrutiny and a visionary, innovative approach to improving practice for children. Children in care and care leavers benefit from outstanding support and exceptional learning opportunities.”

Bijal Shah, a front-line worker who was interviewed by Ofsted as part of the inspection, said: “When you get a message from a young person, they reach out to you to say thank you for that help, or Happy Christmas or Happy New Year, it makes you feel you’re really making a difference, which is what it’s all about. I’m so proud to have been part of this inspection and a part of this team.”

Westminster Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for children and public protection, Cllr Aicha Less, said she was “immensely proud” of the outcome, which she said reflected the dedication and commitment of staff.

“Receiving an ‘outstanding’ result for the third consecutive year, spanning 10 years, is an incredible achievement for the council, although we recognise that pressures on social care services have increased significantly in recent years due to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis,” said Less.

“We understand the importance of adapting to evolving needs and challenges and can assure you that we will continue to work with the community and local partners to identify how we can improve and achieve better outcomes for children and families in Westminster. We remain deeply committed to delivering family-focused services that are not only responsive to the needs of children and young people but are also informed by their voices and experiences,” she said.

According to Ofsted’s website, the local authorities received an Outstanding rating in 2015, 2019 and 2025.

Read the full Ofsted report. Families in Westminster can find support at Family Information Hub.

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