Rotherham Borough Council in line for national social work award

The authority — heavily criticised in the Jay and Casey reports of 2014 and 2015 — has been praised for its work with vulnerable children.

A recruitment drive and incentives for staff have seen more social workers help with the recovery following the CSE scandal.

Deputy leader Cllr Gordon Watson said: “Three years ago this praise would have been unheard of here in Rotherham. This really is such a tremendous turnaround for us.

“Staff retention is higher than average. We still have all of our 22 newly-qualified social workers who came in last year.

“And we have been told by Ofsted in recent monitoring visits that we are have a positive organisational culture.”

Rotherham’s children’s director Ian Thomas added: “Green shoots of recovery have definitely started to emerge. Being shortlisted like this highlights the positive steps we are taking.”

James Rook, managing director of the awards’ headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care, said: “All finalists have proved themselves to be outstanding employers.”