PAPER D

 

 

COMMISSION FOR CHILDREN AND SCHOOL RESULTS - 1 FEBRUARY 2006

 

JOINT AREA REVIEW (JAR) – PROGRESS REPORT 1

 

REPORT OF THE ACTING STRATEGIC DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES

 

 

SUMMARY / PURPOSE

 

1.         This report describes the steps which have been taken so far to prepare for the Joint Area Review of the Isle of Wight’s services for children and young people. 

 

BACKGROUND

 

2.         At its programme-setting meeting on 4th January 2006, the Commission agreed that

it would monitor progress towards the Joint Area Review, which is due to take place in May 2006, to support the work of the Cabinet portfolio holder for Children’s Services.  This is the first progress report.

 

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

 

3.         The Children Act 2004 requires joint area reviews to be conducted in each Children’s Services Authority by the end of 2008.   The joint area review (JAR) for the Isle of Wight is due to take place in May 2006.  

 

4.         In its most recent annual performance assessment of the council’s children’s services, the overall children’s services were deemed to be delivering an adequate service – graded 2 on a 4 point scale, where grade 4 is the highest score.  The overall capacity to improve was also deemed to be adequate (2-star).  Within this overall score, the children’s social care services were also seen to be adequate (2-star), but the council’s education services were deemed to be inadequate (1-star).   This places the Isle of Wight as one of only two local authorities in the country whose education provision is judged to be inadequate.

 

5.         This gives the JAR added significance.   It will be essential to demonstrate in the JAR that the council really does have the capacity to raise standards of educational achievement.  

 

6.         Alongside the JAR, the council will undergo a corporate assessment which will evaluate the Council’s ambitions for the community; its ability to prioritise; its overall capacity and its performance management; and how well it achieves in sustainable communities and transport; safer and stronger communities; healthier communities; for older people; and for children and young people. 

 

7.         The consequences of a poor performance in either the JAR or the corporate assessment will be added interest and possible intervention from central government.

 

REPORT

 

8.         A copy of the official guidance for Joint Area Reviews of Children’s Services has been supplied to members of the Commission. A copy can be accessed via :-

www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications

 

 9.        The Joint Area Review timetable is as follows:

 

Briefing Conference for Children’s Services partners                  10th January

Submission of names of 3 possible neighbourhoods for

            neighbourhood study and 100 cases for case tracking    27th January

Set-up meeting to agree cases and neighbourhoods and

            focus areas                                                                            22nd February

Submission deadline for updated self-assessment                      13th March

Analysis week for inspectors                                                           w/b 27th March

Meeting with inspectors to confirm initial hypotheses                   31st March

Fieldwork – case tracking and neighbourhood study                   w/b 8th May*

Fieldwork – enquiries, meetings and visits                                    w/b 8th May*

Report feedback meeting                                                                26th July

Publication of report                                                                         14th August

 

*subject to possible postponement by 1 week

 

10.       A Joint Area Review Task Group has been established to include:

           

            Ian Sandbrook (DCS) (chair)

Rachael Hayes (PCT)(leading for the Health outcome)

            Kate Freeman (C+F)(leading for the Keeping Safe outcome)

Rose Ward (LE)(leading for the Enjoy and Achieve outcome)

Andrew Preskey (Connexions)(leading for the Positive Contribution outcome)

Jackie Boxx (LE)(leading for the Economic Well-being outcome)

Prue Grimshaw (C+F) – link to the Local Area Agreement planning

Keith Simmonds (LE) - link to the Local Area Agreement planning

Simon Dear (CT) – link to the Children and Young People’s Plan

ANO – link to Council’s corporate assessment

 

11.       Behind this task group there is a wider reference group which potentially includes the whole membership of the shadow Children’s Trust, such as other health agencies, the Youth Offending Team, the Learning and Skills Council and representatives of the voluntary sector.  It is anticipated that each of the outcome leads will form a ‘virtual’ reference group to ensure that the self-assessment is comprehensive and secure.

           

12.       This group will be responsible for:

 

·         providing leadership and vision for the JAR.

·         setting the direction for JAR preparation across all children’s services on the Island.

·         gathering the evidence needed by the review team

·         updating the self-assessment from the 2005 Annual Performance Assessment (APA)

·         developing the schedules required to deliver the JAR, determine the critical path and agreeing priorities and milestones.

·         setting up and managing communications link with partner bodies ensuring continuing staff and stakeholder engagement in the JAR.

 

13.       The evidence for the JAR includes:

 

·         the outcomes of survey of young people, the ‘Tellus’ survey;

·         the outcomes of a survey of schools;

·         the neighbourhood study;

·         the tracking of cases;

·         interviews and meetings with a wide range of stakeholders;

·         the self-assessment;

·         documents and statistics;

·         inspections of the Youth Offending Team and the Youth Service which will be undertaken around the time of the JAR;

·         the corporate assessment which will be undertaken at the same time as the JAR;

·         information from other inspections, including school inspections;

·         information from other government agencies, such as the Government Office of the South East (GOSE); the Department of Education and Skills (DfES); the Learning and Skills Council (LSC); the Regional Teams for the National Primary and Secondary Strategies; and Ofsted.

 

14.       So far, the Task Group has met twice.  3 potential neighbourhoods for the neighbourhood study have been identified (Pan (urban, extended school, community links); Totland (rural area with regeneration funding); Ryde St John’s (Surestart programme)); 100 cases identified for the case tracking; and schools agreed with the JAR administration for the Tellus survey of young people. 

 

15.       The Task Group has analysed the information and key messages conveyed at the Briefing in London on January 10th, attended by Cllr Patrick Joyce, portfolio holder for Children’s Services; John Lawson, the Acting Chief Executive,  Keith Simmonds, the Head of Learning Effectiveness; Steve Crocker from the Wessex Youth Offending Team; and Rachel Hayes, Primary Care Trust.

 

16.       The lead inspector, Stephen Hart, from the Children’s Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI) has made contact with the Acting Chief Executive and the Acting Strategic Director for Children’s Services. 

 

17.       Keith Simmonds will be the link officer between the Council and the JAR team, arranging schedules and accommodation with the support of the personal assistants to the Children’s Services management team.

 

18.       The task of re-drafting the self-assessment will be assisted by the extensive auditing of strengths and weaknesses undertaken through the strategic partnership with Mouchel Parkman and Outcomes UK which will be reported imminently.   Drafts of the full self-assessment will be made available to the next meeting of the Commission.    The dissemination to all partners of the key messages from this self-assessment will be a critical part of our preparation for the fieldwork weeks in May. 

 

19.       Co-incidentally on the same day as the Briefing for the JAR, 10th January, members of the shadow Children’s Trust boards met together to identify the key priorities for the Children and Young People’s Plan.  The plan will be a key document in the JAR process. 

 

CONCLUDING COMMENT

 

20.       The inspectors involved in the Joint Area Review will gather much of their evidence directly from children and young people.  As we prepare for the Review, we need to look at things from children’s and young people’s points of view.  How well do our services work for them ?  How well do our services join up, particularly for families in need ?   How secure are our arrangements to protect vulnerable children and young people ?  How ambitious are we that all children and young people on the Island should achieve as well as they possibly can ? 

 

 

 

IAN SANDBROOK

Acting Strategic Director for Children’s Services