A COMPANY once tasked with running children’s services on behalf of Worcestershire County Council is to be struck off.
Worcestershire Children First – wholly owned by the council – was set up in 2019 to provide children’s services in the county.
The Department for Education had told the council to find a new way of delivering children’s services after it was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in 2016.
But by 2024 Worcestershire Children First was no longer required and children’s services, which had by now been rated ‘good’ – were moved back in-house by the council.
All of Worcestershire Children First’s employees, property, assets and contracts transferred back to the council on October 1, 2024 and the company ceased to operate as its contract had expired.
With Worcestershire Children First being effectively dormant, the council is now planning to bring the company’s corporate existence to an end through a process known as a voluntary strike-off.
This will see the company formally dissolved and means the filing requirements at Companies House will no longer need to be undertaken.
Councillors will be asked to approve the strike-off of Worcestershire Children First (WCF) at a full council meeting Thursday (May 14).
Agenda papers state: “Any existing debts owed to WCF have been assigned to the council to enable them to collect them and the council keeps any funds recovered.
“WCF has appointed external auditors to inspect the 2025/26 accounts which will be the final accounts for WCF.
“It is expected that the statutory process to strike off the company from the Register of Companies will commence in summer 2026.”
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Two years ago, then-cabinet member for education Tracey Onslow said: “Bringing children’s services back to the council is the right thing to do.
“The company was set up at a time Ofsted deemed children’s services to be inadequate. Thanks to the dedication of our officers we have seen this rating rise.”
Justin Bowen, the current cabinet member for children and families, is set to act on behalf of the council during the process of striking off Worcestershire Children First.
