A Harold Hill children’s centre has been praised for its “highly-skilled workers” and success in supporting families in need.

The Ingrebourne Children’s Centre, in Ashbourne Road, received the glowing report from Ofsted inspectors after their latest visit.

The centre was rated good for its overall effectiveness and satisfactory for it capacity for sustained improvement, leadership and management.

The inspectors looked at access to early childhood services by parents, prospective parents and young children and the benefits of those services.

The lead inspector Michael Kubiak said the centre was “a good centre as it understands and serves the needs of the local community well.”

His report said the centre has some outstanding features including the quality of its provision and safeguarding arrangements.

It said: “The centre has built excellent links with partner agencies and community resources and this is an outstanding feature.”

It also said staff are committed to improving the life chances of the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach families in the community.

Mr Kubiak noted that families overcome many barriers to success as a result of the targeted outreach work provided by the centre as well as groups and activities that run from the centre and in the community.

The report said the centre’s provision was exemplary and the outreach work was “highly successful in supporting families most in need, including those from target groups including teenage parents.”

The inspectors were impressed with the staff taking services out to the community and the trusting relationship staff have with parents and their children.

Children were kept safe through “early identification and excellent preventative work” and praise was given to “highly-skilled centre workers” and their “excellent intensive support.”

Inspectors suggested a number of improvements including improving the self-evaluation by involving families, agencies and the Children’s Centre Local Advisory Group.