COUNCIL bosses will discuss the work being done to improve Bradford's "inadequate" Children's Services at their first meeting of 2019.

The latest Ofsted judgement of the department will be discussed by the Council's decision making Executive when they meet on January 8.

A report to the Executive will discuss what has been done to turn the service around since Ofsted's damning report into the service, released in October.

A Statement of Action has been drawn up that outlines the key actions that the Council plans to take to make the changes identified by Ofsted.

The Council will now work with partner agencies, staff, and most importantly young people to finalise the statement before it is submitted to the Department for Education for approval in February.

Delivery of the Statement of Action will be overseen by a multi-agency improvement board. This has already been established with representation from the Department for Education, the police, health and the voluntary community. From January, the board will be chaired independently, and will also have input from staff and young people.

Councillor Adrian Farley, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “We are taking rapid and sustainable action to put a strong plan in place that puts children at the heart of all that we do. The plan will be subject to scrutiny by the Department for Education and Ofsted, and we welcome that. Together with the proposed additional investment, the plan will provide us with a strong foundation to improve what we do and provide services that children deserve.”