PAPER D

CHILDREN’S SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE – 20 JANUARY 2005

INSPECTION ACTION PLANS : PROGRESS REPORT

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES

1. REASON FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

This report is to inform and update the select committee on the progress made by the Directorate in meeting the recommendations made within the three external inspection reports published in the spring of 2004 :

- The Inspection of the LEA by OfSTED and the Audit Commission (September 2003)

- The Area Inspection of Education and Training for 14 – 19 year olds by OfSTED and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (October 2003)

- The Inspection of Children’s Services by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (January 2004)

This report was requested as part of the Select Committee Workplan for the current year.

2. ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE

2.1 To consider how the Select Committee will fulfill its policy development and scrutiny role with regard to a single Children’s Services and Young People’s Plan for 2006.

2. ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE

2.1 To consider how the Select Committee will fulfill its policy development and scrutiny role with regard to a single Children’s Services and Young People’s Plan for 2006.

3. BACKGROUND

3.1 In the autumn and spring of 2003/04 the service areas within the new Children’s Services Directorate were subject to the inspections described in paragraph 1 of this report. Under the then existing legislation separate but linked action plans were produced for each inspection report and its recommendations. These action plans formed the basis for the Directorate’s service plans for 2004/05 and the draft service plans for 2005/06 considered by this committee. The relevant performance indicators are included within the Quarterly Performance Monitoring Review (QPMR). School Performance was also included as one of the Council’s Priority Improvement Areas (PIA) for 2004/05.

3.2 In addition to the Council’s scrutiny of performance the Directorate is engaged in ongoing performance monitoring programmes with the Department for Education and Skills and the Commission for Social Care Inspection that encompass the areas covered by the recommendations. Judgements and performance from these programmes contribute to the annual CPA score and ratings for Children’s Services and Education Performance published in December of each year.

3.3. Two important developments in 2004, the establishment of a Children’s Services Directorate (September) and the enactment of the Children Act 2004, have led to a revised approach to strategic and performance planning within the Directorate.

- rationalisation and integration of the Directorate service plans;

- the implementation of the Local Preventative Strategy for Children’s Services as the blueprint for development of children’s services on the Isle of Wight;

- the re-organisation of the strategic management of 14 – 19 education and training in partnership with the Isle of Wight Learning & Skills Council;

- the development and implementation of a Children’s Trust and Local Safeguarding Children’s Board by April 2006;

- the requirement to have a single local authority area plan for Children and Young People’s Services by April 2006 in place of the many separate statutory plans for education and social services;

- the replacement of all the current separate inspection procedures by one Joint Area Review (JAR) for children’s services for the Isle of Wight in the period April 2006 to March 2007.

To meet these revised requirements the Directorate has taken the separate recommendations from the three action plans and grouped them under the five outcomes of the National Children’s Services Framework as detailed in the 2004 Act and the framework for Joint Area Reviews (these have been supplied separately to members of the Select Committee). These are:

- Being Healthy

- Staying Safe

- Enjoying and Achieving

- Making a Positive Contribution

- Achievement of Economic Well Being

This will provide a sensible basis for developing the single plan for 2006 and link to service planning, performance monitoring and scrutiny processes both at a local level by the Council and nationally by the DfES, CSCI and the Joint Area Review inspection regime.

3.4 The Action Plan Summary Matrix is the initial step in this process and through a simple ‘traffic light’ alert system provides a status report on progress over the first year for the inspection recommendations. Behind this overview are detailed performance indicators and information which have been subject to scrutiny and monitoring over 2004, usually by performance area e.g. school attainment performance, looked after children, absence and exclusion data and provision for children with Special Educational Needs.

4. RELEVANT PLANS, POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

4.1 As detailed in section 3 this report relates to all areas of performance management and strategic plans within the Directorate. The Single Plan for Children and Young People will replace all existing statutory plans for Children’s Services (including Education) and relate to the relevant priorities, aims and objectives in the Community Plan and the Corporate Plan.

5. CONSULTATION PROCESS

5.1. The three post inspection action plans have been subject to consultation with stakeholders including staff, service users and the wider community. Particular consultation procedures have been conducted with particular reference to:

- the 14 – 19 Action Plan for Education and Training

- the Local Preventative Strategy

- Corporate Parenting and Looked After Children

- the launch of the Children’s Services Directorate

- the 2004 Children Act and the Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners

- schools organisation on the Isle of Wight

6. FINANCIAL, LEGAL, CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS

6.1 Resource allocation to the review process will be within the allocated budgets for the Children’s Services Directorate.

6.2 The review process is subject to the requirements of the 2004 Children Act and the associated framework for inspection through the Joint Area Review process. Failure to implement requirements may lead to direct intervention by the DfES.

6.3. The crime and disorder implications are mainly within the stay safe and being healthy outcome areas of the Children’s Services Framework. These functions have established links with the Safer Communities Partnership for the Isle of Wight and will be central to the development and establishment of the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board by 2006.

7. APPENDICES ATTACHED

7.1 None but members of the Select Committee have been sent a copy of the Children’s Services Directorate Planning Update for 2005 and ECM Outcomes Framework DfES. These can also be accessed on the Council’s website with the papers for this meeting.

8. BACKGROUND PAPERS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT

- Children Bill and Act 2004 ‘Every Child Matters’ HM Government and DfES

- Every Child Matters : ‘Change for Children Framework’ DfES December 2004

- Inspection of Children’s Services: Isle of Wight Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) January 2004 and the Action Plan (June 2004)

- Inspection Report Isle of Wight LEA : OfSTED and Audit Commission Inspection 2003 and the Action Plan (March 2004)

- Inspection Report Isle of Wight 14 – 19 Area Inspection OfSTED and Adult Learning Inspectorate November 2004 and the Action Plan (May 2004)

Contact Points : David Pettitt, Strategic Director of Children’s Services ( 823400

E-mail: [email protected]

COUNCILLOR JILL WAREHAM

Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services