Ofsted Raises Concerns Over Safeguarding in Ealing
Council promises action after 'significant gaps' found in children's services
Ealing Children’s Integrated Response Service is based in Perceval House. Picture: Ealing Council
August 5, 2026
Ealing Council has pledged swift improvements to its children’s services after Ofsted issued a sharply critical assessment of the borough’s safeguarding arrangements, identifying “significant gaps” in how children at risk of harm are protected once concerns are raised.
The focused visit, carried out on 24 and 25 June and published on 31 July, examined the council’s “front door” response to referrals made to the Ealing Children’s Integrated Response Service (ECIRS). Inspectors found that, while initial identification of risk is “appropriate and timely for most children”, the quality of follow-on work in other teams is inconsistent, leading to delays, missed opportunities to intervene and, in some cases, children left in situations of unassessed risk. Ofsted warned that strategy meetings are sometimes delayed or not convened at all, and that child protection enquiries are not always completed when required. The letter states that “urgent action is needed” to ensure timely strategy meetings, effective assessments, stronger managerial oversight and appropriate help for children at risk.
The report highlights particular weaknesses in responses to domestic abuse and sexual abuse. While some families benefit from strong specialist support, others experience delays, inconsistent risk planning and premature decisions to step cases down to early help. Inspectors also noted that some children who go missing or face extra-familial harm are not visited regularly enough, and that their lived experiences are not always fully understood. Management oversight, although regular, was described as lacking sufficient focus on children’s safety, with actions not consistently followed through.
Councillor Blerina Hashani, cabinet member for a fairer start, said the council had moved quickly to respond. “During a recent focused visit, Ofsted found some areas where our help for children and young people is not yet as consistent as it needs to be. We take these findings extremely seriously and we have acted immediately to address the issues identified. We have reviewed cases and put an improvement plan in place, with extra resource and strengthened management oversight,” she said. Cllr Hashani emphasised that Ealing’s overall Ofsted rating remains “good”, and noted that inspectors also highlighted examples of strong practice, including specialist support for families experiencing domestic abuse and collaborative work with partners. “We will keep working to make sure every child who needs help receives it at the right time, and that we provide a consistently high-quality response at our front door.”
The Liberal Democrats described the findings as a “damning indictment” of Ealing Labour’s leadership. They also pointed to the closure of ten children’s centres across the borough, arguing that this has reduced access points for families needing support.
Lib Dem leader Councillor Gary Malcolm said the report revealed “a lack of leadership and complacency” within the administration. “Liberal Democrats say these delays in addressing the urgent safety of children at risk, together with lack of a consistent, coordinated and joined-up approach across the council and its partners exposes the lack of leadership and complacency of Ealing Labour, who have been in power for over sixteen years. Ofsted’s explicit mention of a lack of leadership is damning. This shows that the words of Ealing Labour do not translate into action rather they are empty and hollow at the expense of our children and their future,” he said.
Ofsted has referred the matter to the Department for Education and instructed Ealing Council to submit an action plan within 70 working days, with an early draft expected within 20 days. Inspectors noted that while leaders acted quickly during the visit to address concerns in specific cases, the borough’s quality assurance processes had not previously identified the full extent of the failings.
The findings will be taken into account when Ofsted plans its next inspection, and the council now faces a period of intense scrutiny as it works to demonstrate that improvements are being delivered.
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