UPDATE NO 186 04 March 2016

Data Benchmarking

The following reports have been uploaded to the restricted section of the Data Benchmarking pages

*         (Restricted) Adoption Benchmarking Report 2015-16 Q3 v1

*         (Restricted) Quarterly Benchmarking Report 2015-16 Q3 v1

There are some changes to the Adoption report to bring it more in line with the social care report – you can now toggle LA’s on and off on the charts within each section using the tick boxes on the right hand side the page. There is also a changed format for some of the tables and charts to make them easier to read.

Please let us know (Data Benchmarking contact details below) if you have any comments regarding the changes, or if you have any difficulty accessing the reports.

SEND Peer Support Events B and C: 10 and 23 March 2016

B. Taking Part in the New Ofsted/CQC Inspection Framework – Sharing the Pilot Experience at Winchester Guildhall. 10:00 to 14:30.

C. The Inspection of Local Areas’ SEND Responsibilities: The New Ofsted/CQC Inspection Framework. At St Luke’s Community Centre, London EC1V 8AJ

B. Booking via  Sue Burke (sue.burke@portsmouthcc.gov.uk)

C. Booking for this event is via eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ofstedcqc-inspection-framework-workshop-south-east-region-tickets-21447198147 

LGA Children’s Services Efficiency Project

The LGA has this week launched a programme to support councils to develop the efficiency of their children’s services.  Councils will be supported to develop and implement innovative and sustainable approaches to transforming children’s services that will help to make savings, while improving outcomes for children and young people. Learning from the project will be shared for the benefit of all councils and partners.

Heather Wills of LGA writes:

The full prospectus can be found here. Deadline for return is 11 March.

Grant funding of £20,000 will be awarded to a number of council led projects to enable them to procure external challenge in undertaking a robust diagnostic review of current services and approaches, which will be used to inform an efficiency plan. This will involve reviewing progress against existing savings plans and identifying further ways to make savings and deliver them. Bids can focus on any area of children’s services expenditure, including the broad areas covered by the Section 251 return: The criteria for participation are that:

• councils are willing to dedicate resources to support their participation in the programme
• participants are open to the prospect of external challenge and input
• councils are open and willing to share learning with others
• there is corporate buy in / support from relevant lead members and chief officers to take part in the programme.  

If you have any questions please contact amanda.whittaker-brown@local.gov.uk. More information here

Coaching to Improve Performance – Train the Trainer 14 March

14 March 2016  Easthampstead Park RG40 3DF 

The last opportunity for LA’s who have participated in the in-house course to send along up to 5 delegates to our Train the Trainer Course designed to support LA’s to embed coaching within  their organisation.

We were delighted to hear from the East Sussex team who came on last year’s training that to date they have trained a further 106 colleagues.

This one day course  is aimed at ensuring LA’s will have the capacity and capability to deliver the two day ’Coaching to Improve Performance’ programme themselves and delegates will receive all the resources we use on the programme together with a training notes and the opportunity to practice the delivery of the programme.

Delegates should have attended the full two day programme and have training experience.    

To register delegates and to receive further details please contact Di Smith mob 07960 513474 tel 01243 514805