Tameside Council Children’s Services

Following a second Ofsted inspection in December 2023 - within a five-year period, which rated Tameside children’s services as inadequate, the Children’s Minister commissioned a Children’s Commissioner to undertake a review into the capability and capacity of the council to deliver Children’s Services.

The Children’s Minister is due to publish their decision and recommendations of support for Tameside Children’s Services following receipt of the Children’s Commissioner report and recommendations of July 2024.

Making the substantial and sustainable improvements needed to our Children’s Services is our absolute priority. We are committed – as a whole organisation - to taking swift and positive action to provide the quality of care and support that our children and families deserve.

Recruitment and retention of social workers remains a significant challenge, and demand is at unprecedented levels, but with our dedicated workforce and partners, and the significant financial investment into Children’s Services, we are confident our ambitious plans can be delivered.

We have started to put in place the key building blocks needed and we have an ambitious improvement plan in place which will be supported by the ongoing involvement of a Children’s Commissioner as a strategic partner.

We are looking for someone to join Tameside Council to make a real difference to the future of our children. If you have the vision, commitment and experience to make a lasting difference to Tameside, our children and families, we want to hear from you.

Tameside Council

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council is one of ten authorities in Greater Manchester. Together they form the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

During the 2024 local elections Labour retained control of the council. Tameside Council is comprised of 57 elected members, 48 representing the Labour Party, 7 representing the Conservative Party and 2 representing the Independent Party. The Executive Leader of the council is Cllr Gerald (Ged) Cooney.

Parliamentary representation

Tameside is currently covered by three Labour constituencies: Ashton-under-Lyne – Angela Rayner (crosses into Oldham), Denton and Gorton – Andrew Gwynne (crosses into Stockport area) and Stalybridge and Hyde – Jonathan Reynolds.

Demographics

The Borough of Tameside lies to the East of Greater Manchester, stretching eastwards from the urban hub of Manchester to the moors of the Peak District. Tameside shares borders with Oldham, Manchester, Stockport and the Derbyshire Borough of High Peak. Tameside is well connected to the region and beyond by the M60 and M67 motorways and quality rail links to Manchester and Yorkshire.

  • Tameside has a total estimated population of 234,666
  • There are 104,975 dwellings on the valuation list in Tameside
  • Tameside was ranked as the 28th most deprived borough in England in 2019
  • 5.3% of working age residents claim out-of-work benefits
  • 59% of pupils (55% of boys and 64% of girls) met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2 in 2023/24 compared to 60% nationally (57% of boys and 64% of girls).
  • 65.4% of pupils (63% of boys and 67.8% of girls) achieved a standard 9-4 pass in their English and Maths GCSEs in 2022/23, compared to 61.3% nationally (57.2% of boys and 65.6% of girls).
  • Life expectancy at birth was 80.2 years for females and 76.3 years for men (2020-2022)

Further Demographics, Census information, Schools Data and Labour Market Statistics can be found on the Tameside’s Demographic Information webpage.