Children's services were rated inadequate by Ofsted in September 2019 CONCERNS have once again been raised about the improvements within children’s services in St Helens, with one councillor describing the latest quarterly performance report as the worst he has ever seen. St Helens Borough Council’s children’s services were rated inadequate by Ofsted in September 2019, which came after a focused visit in the summer of 2018 that highlighted deep failings within the department. Following the inadequate rating, social services were placed in intervention measures by the Department for Education (DfE). A recent remote visit carried out by the watchdog in August found that the overall picture was improving, although concerns were raised by councillors last month over the pace of change.