Agenda item

Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager, Resources Directorate, and Chris Seekings, Service Improvement Officer, Resources Directorate, to report. 

Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager, and Chris Seekings, Service Improvement Officer, reported that the Department for Education had published a consultation document on proposed national and local safeguarding performance indicators for local authorities.  The draft data set had been informed by the final report of Professor Munro’s review of child protection along with other work carried out last Autumn.

The consultation looked at 3 specific areas – the detail of the national data items, how data was published and how the locally held information was used. 

The consultation concluded on 16^th April, 2012.  It was anticipated that a response would be received late May/early June.

The document had been shared with operational officers within CYPS; their views would form part of the response.

The Commission considered the questions, having listened to the officers’ responses, and made the following additional comments:-

Question 1

In general will the suggested national items, alongside the local information items, provide the key information required by local areas to understand changes in concentrations of children’s need and trends over time, inform service planning and development and inform service improvements?

Why was Health and Education not included?

At local level partners were working well together but nationally there needed to be a more coherent approach

Question 2

In general will the suggested national items enable the Department to monitor the national impact of system changes and policy development, fulfil international obligations, support the effective administration of funding, and support the evaluation of economic, social and environmental trends?  This is to inform future policy development and to support accountability and transparency

There was no measurement of a child’s journey through their life

Nationally, the items covered the bare minimum and there was a distinct gap in how Early Help was integrated and prevented a child being subject to more significant harm

Absence of the child’s views

Question 3

Is there anything missing from the dataset?

Reluctance of the Police to release certain information e.g. prosecutions, police involvement, number of prosecutions investigated/upheld, sexual offences – need for closer working relationship

No mention of the voluntary sector.  Quite often families chose to engage with the voluntary sector rather than the local authority and all had different systems capturing that information

Clarification required on Indicators 25 and 29

Question 4

Are any of the information items superfluous?

Nothing to add to the officers’ comments.

Question 5

Do any of the national information items, taken alongside the local items, provide perverse incentives to staff?

Nothing to add to the officers’ comments.

Question 6

Is the suggested data source for each item e.g. Children in Need census, National Minimum Data Set for Social Care, the best way to collect the information item(s)?

Suggest should continue to be measured

Voluntary sector not mentioned

Question 7

Do you have any concerns about collecting any of the new information items?

Work of the front line practitioners will increase

Question 8

Is it helpful for Government to link related data items when presenting the national dataset?

Agree

Need to include Common Assessment Framework, Early Help etc. and look at different thresholds across local authorities.

Question 9

Is it helpful for Government to include a data definition and commentary giving guidance and interpretation to individual data items?

Needed to be more prescriptive and defined

Formula for areas of need?

Question 10

How could local areas make use of the local performance information?

Nothing to add to the officers’ comments

Question 11

How can information be shared between local authorities to support sector-led improvement?

Involvement of Elected Members

Question 12

How can information be shared between partners and agencies to support sector-led improvement?

Support the strategic partnership and governance arrangements - Safeguarding Board integral

Resolved:-  (1)  That the consultation response incorporate the above comments and submitted in accordance with the Department for Education 16^th April deadline.

(2)  That the full response be shared with the Select Commission following the close of the consultation.