OFSTED today faced accusations that it is too concerned with protecting its own reputation and has lost public confidence.
In a stinging attack, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned the watchdog is “feeding people’s fears” over child safety, rather than acting as a voice of reason.
Inspectors are placing too much emphasis on highlighting weaknesses in child protection, and do not single out the good work done by councils, it said.
This has led to the police and health service professional becoming overly cautious when dealing with vulnerable children, and a rise in the number of referrals social workers are dealing with.
Applications to take children into care rose by 47% in the three months to September, 2009, and the number of children who were taken into care in the last year has risen by 9%, the LGA said.
