Agenda item

Implications of New Multi-Agency Framework

-        Presentation by Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager

Minutes:

Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager gave the following powerpoint presentation:-

 

Inspection of Services for Children in need of Help and Protection, Children Looked After and Leaving Care

 

A Single Inspection Framework encompassing

-          Early Help

-          Child Protection

-          Looked After Children (previously in SLAC)

-          Fostering

-          Adoption

-          Care Leavers

-          LSCB

 

It would be announced and include 4 judgements

-          Overall effectiveness

-          The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection

-          The experiences and progress of children looked after and achieving permanence (including Adoption and Care Leavers)

-          Leadership, management and governance

-          There would also be a review and grading of the effectiveness of the LSCB

 

Methodology

-          4 week inspection, 7 Inspectors

-          Week 1 (onsite 3 days)

·           Set up

·           Key documents and full case list supplied within 24 hours

·           Evaluation of ‘Front door’

-          Week 2 (Inspectors off site)

·           Select 30 cases for the Authority to audit to be presented at start of week 3

-          Weeks 3 and 4 (Inspectors onsite)

·           Main inspection activity (interviews, visits, attendance at groups and meetings etc.)

·           Follow up on key themes from audited cases

·           Look at approximately 200 further files

·           Children’s experiences were key, would include visits to children in and out of Authority placements

·           Would look at the child’s journey as a whole from help given at identification (Early help) through to Leaving Care

 

Areas covered during the inspection would include

-          1. The experiences and progress of children who needed help and protection

Were children listened to and practice influenced by their wishes and feelings

Did feedback from children and families inform the shape of Service delivery

Was help offered timely

Quality of referrals from partners

Information sharing with partners

Were thresholds understood by partners

Was decision making clearly recorded

Quality of plans (CIN, CPP)

Focus on Children Missing, CSE, Private Fostering, LADO investigations

Advocates for Children, Young People and Families were available

Practice was informed by feedback from Children, Young People and Families

 

-          2. The experiences and progress of children looked after and achieving permanence

Decision making was timely

Effective use of Public Law Outline, permanent plans were made

Evidence that families would change and it was safe to return

Children and young people were seen alone, knew how to complain and were safe from bullying

Children were in good health, had a range of activities, attended school and made progress, lived in stable, safe and appropriate homes

Care plans addressed the needs of children and were challenged by IROs where necessary

Appropriate supported contact with parents was in place

Family finding strategies informed by assessed need

Well trained Social Workers engaged with partners

 

-          2a. The quality of an Adoption Services

Adoption was considered for all children who were unable to return home

Recruitment, assessment and training of adopters enabled needs of children to be met

The Panel and agency decision maker ensured effective matching

Adoption support was available for those children, their birth and adoption families

 

-          2b. The experiences and progress of Care Leavers

Care leavers were safe and felt safe

Pathway plans addreseds all needs

Health needs were assessed and met with a full history provided to them

Relationships were maintained with carers and staff from the Local Authority

Skills, confidence, employment and life chances were developed

 

-          3. Leadership and Management

Clear linkages across all strategic bodies

The Local Authority knew itself well, was a learning organisation and fedback and complaints inform practice

Corporate Parenting was strong and champions progress in education and learning

Relationships with key parents were strong

The workforce was sufficient, stable and suitably qualified

Performance Management was rigorous

 

Annex A

-          Normally requested with 24 hours from being onsite:-

To enable cases to be identified

Detailed case level data sets around the areas in scope (contacts, referrals, early help, CAF, CIN, CPP, LAC, Adoptions, Placement details and Care Leavers)

-          Also document evidence around

Structures and workforce profiles

Performance, Outcomes and Impact analysis

Local Protocol for Assessment

Voice of the Child and customer feedback

Quality assurance and related actions

Complaints

RSCB minutes

Details of planned meetings during fieldwork

Key strategies

Thresholds

 

Judgement Grades

-          Outstanding

-          Good (the new minimum standard)

-          Requires improvement

-          Inadequate

 

Recommendations will focus on

-          Immediate priorities

-          Areas for development

-          Strengths

 

The planning for the inspection will be in 3 tiers

-     Annex A

Co-ordination – Performance and Quality

Quality Assurance – Team Managers and Social Workers

-     Social Care practice – Safeguarding, Children and Families SMT

-     Partnership approach – CYPS Improvement Panel

-     CYPS Improvement panel would also have an overview around the preparedness for the inspection

 

Sue was thanked for the presentation.