Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report presented by Julie Slatter, Head of Policy and Performance, which detailed how Inspectorates had published the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) Framework which would become effective from 1st April, 2009.

The report summarised the key elements of the framework including proposals on

what the assessments would look like, how evidence would be gathered and how the Comprehensive Area Assessment would be delivered. It also highlighted a proposed way forward on how the Authority and partners took forward the new framework.

There was still much work to do which would influence the first Comprehensive Area Assessment judgement in November, 2009.

As the prime focus of the area assessment was around delivery of outcomes and prospects for future delivery it was essential to ensure that the Council and partners were on track to deliver the priorities in the LAA and Sustainable Community Strategies.

Comprehensive Area Assessment represented a fundamental change in the way Councils and partners were assessed – moving away from focusing on past performance towards a forward looking assessment of the prospects for the future. The Council had an important role in ensuring that this ambition was properly understood at local level amongst Members, officers and partners.

Comprehensive Area Assessment would also place greater emphasis on the quality of local performance management data.  Therefore, it was important that there were effective performance management arrangements across the partnership and Council to ensure high quality data. In addition, there was clear expectation that partnerships undertook regular and rigorous self assessment. The framework also emphasised the two way relationship between scrutiny and Comprehensive Area Assessment, in that information from scrutiny reviews would provide evidence for Comprehensive Area Assessment and the findings from Comprehensive Area Assessment may also provide a focus for scrutiny review.

Comprehensive Area Assessment would place importance on citizen and customer views as it was essential that the Council and partnership could demonstrate effective mechanisms were in place to understand community needs, priorities and service delivery expectations and how the Council was responding to them. The partnership approach to community consultation and involvement (CCI) and the developing CCI database would be a key source of evidence.

It was proposed to raise awareness of the Comprehensive Area Assessment through a variety of briefings to various meetings.

Further information was provided on the additional costs that may be incurred by the Council in relation to the performance management arrangements and the risks and uncertainties that may arise.

It was noted that the IDeA publication "Measuring equality at a local level (September 2008)" highlighted the extent to which equality information was currently available.  It illustrated which of the National Indicators had underlying figures for each of the groups identified and work was currently ongoing between the Chief Executive's Performance and Quality Team, the Equalities and Diversity Team and Research Team to identify the extent to which equality information was gathered in Rotherham in relation to the new national indicators.  However, because this information needed to be developed further and may not be available in the next few months the IDeA were advising that local partnerships find ways to make the best use of existing data, including the information released on the Place Survey.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the content of the summarised detail relating to the Comprehensive Area Assessment Framework be noted.

(2)  That the proposals for ensuring the framework be implemented throughout the Council working with partners be approved.