Ofsted's fourth visit since Harrow's inadequate rating praises leaders and the safeguarding hub. Help for homeless 16 and 17 year olds is still inconsistent.

Ofsted says Harrow’s children’s services now have “a strong and cohesive leadership team that knows its service well”. That is a sharp change from February, when inspectors said leadership changes had left staff “less confident and unheard”. The service remains rated inadequate, the grade it was given in January 2025.

The finding is in a monitoring letter published on 29 October, after inspectors visited on 29 and 30 September. It was their fourth visit since that rating.

The letter does not lift the grade. Monitoring visits are check-ins between full inspections, so inadequate stands until Ofsted inspects in full again.

Two weaknesses remain, and one goes back to that 2025 inspection. Responses to homeless 16 and 17 year olds “remain inconsistent”.

What inspectors looked at

This visit covered the first point of contact for anyone worried about a child. That means the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH), the assessment team and the out-of-hours emergency duty team.

What they praised

The strongest language is about the hub. The letter calls its response to contacts and referrals “timely, child-centred and highly effective”. Other findings:

  • Management oversight is “a particular strength”, with clear direction for social workers at the start of each assessment.
  • Assessments are “comprehensive, analytical and informed by direct work with children and families”.
  • Partner agencies attend daily hub discussions well, and multi-agency working “is a strength”.
  • Child protection enquiries are “thorough” and informed by visits to families.
  • The emergency duty team gives “an effective and timely out-of-hours response”.
  • Staff were described as committed and working “with care and compassion”.

What still needs work

Inspectors name two areas for development, and record some smaller concerns:

  • Homeless 16 and 17 year olds. Leaders are working with housing colleagues on a joint protocol covering children’s rights, entitlements and access to advocacy. Inspectors say “further work is needed” before all these children get a consistently effective response.
  • Written safety plans. Their quality is “variable”. They do not always say how family networks will help keep a child safe, or spell out the concerns clearly.
  • Waits for targeted early help. Families wait up to four weeks for an allocated practitioner. They get keeping-in-touch calls meanwhile, and Ofsted calls the position an improvement since the last inspection.
  • The language in some records. A small number of records called physical abuse “physical chastisement” and domestic abuse “parental conflict”. Inspectors say this “risks minimising the nature and impact of harm”.
  • Audits. There is “some variability” in their quality, which leaders recognise.

How that compares

The homelessness finding has a long history. The January 2025 inspection said homeless 16 and 17 year olds “do not receive the services necessary to support their well-being”, and called the responses to them “inconsistent”.

The tone on leadership has changed much faster:

Visit What it covered What Ofsted said about leadership
February 2026 Children in care Senior changes “created instability, leaving practitioners feeling less confident and unheard”
June 2026 Disabled children The leadership team “has become more stable”
September 2026 Hub, assessment and out-of-hours teams “A strong and cohesive leadership team”

Each visit looked at a different part of the service, so the table does not show the whole service improving. A strong finding on the front door says nothing new about care leavers, the area the 2025 inspection rated inadequate. Our report on the June visit has the detail on disabled children.

What it means for you

If you are worried about a child in Harrow, this letter is about the team that takes your call, and inspectors found it works well. Contact the council’s children’s social care service.

If you have been offered targeted early help, a wait of up to four weeks is what inspectors found. Tell the service if things get worse while you wait. Cases that escalate go to weekly step-up meetings.

If you are 16 or 17 and homeless or about to be, or you support someone who is, this is the weak spot. The new protocol is not yet in place, and the letter gives no date for it. Ask children’s social care directly, and ask about advocacy.

Everyone else can read each letter on Ofsted’s Harrow provider page. The test of real recovery is a full inspection, and the letter gives no date for one.