UPDATE NO 253 02 June 2017

Improving the Quality of Audit Project

Colleagues will recall that an initial consultation was held in March with QA and Audit Managers across the south-east. Following a short pause, this project is now starting work. The main activities will be:

• agreeing shared principles and standards 
• creating templates for the reporting of audits
• calibration and benchmarking of audit findings

This work will be led by David Goosey (contact details below), and is being sponsored by Michael Bracey (DCS, Milton Keynes).

Thanks to the colleagues who took the time to review the contact list of Quality Assurance and Audit Managers and report any changes/alterations/additions to Richard Tyndall (details below).

Thanks also to Reading, West Berks and Oxfordshire for positive responses to the request for colleagues to join this project. Please can others discuss this project with their QA/Audit colleagues and encourage willing volunteers to contact David Goosey (details below) about how to get involved. 

Topical Peer Challenge Round 10

Many thanks to Gladys Rhodes White for getting in touch. Buckinghamshire have now joined Round 10, and will be hosting a peer challenge on MASH Front Door in the autumn. Gladys brings a host of experience from sector-led work in the north-west and is keen to expand her contacts in this region. 

Bookings for Topical Peer Challenge Round 10 are now open. Currently two participants: Buckinghamshire (MASH Front Door) and Wokingham (Virtual School).

Please let Richard Tyndall (contact details below) know if you would like to join in Round 10, the field work for which will be undertaken in late 2017 or early 2018.

Regional Adoption Leadership Board

The latest meeting of the South East ALB took place on 10 May; the Board agreed a new terms of reference, together with an agreement to seek a Vice-Chair. It was also agreed that the membership of the group would be refreshed to take account of the new emerging RAAs, in the recognition that most development work on adoption is now taking place in these groupings in partnership with VAAs, rather than in individual authorities/organisations.

We have written to the current Board members to ask them to discuss the membership of the ALB within their RAA groupings and to ensure that at least 2 people are nominated from each RAA (to include both DFE funded and non-DFE funded projects).  Authorities and organisations within the south east who are not part of an RAA will continue to be members of the Board if they wish. 

Please send all responses and also nominations for Vice Chair to Rosemary Perry (details below) 

The meeting scheduled for 30 June 2017 has been cancelled (due to the close proximity to the last meeting) and Rosemary will liaise with Judith Ramsden in due course to identify a suitable date.

Supporting Radical Efficiency in Children’s Services

Rosemary Perry (contact details below under “Adoption”) has been progressing this project (using Council published information) to research initiatives currently underway across the south east to find efficiencies in children’s social care.  This will be collated and discussed with the AD Safeguarding Group in June. 

As well as searching for examples of demand management initiatives (reducing the flow of new costs entering the system) she is also looking out for outflow management initiatives (encouraging step-down and step-out of costs already in the system).

Special thanks to Liz Rugg (East Sussex) who has shared details of the East Sussex Thrive project. If any other colleagues have examples of successful efficiency projects, past and present, which can be incorporated into the research, please contact Rosemary Perry (details below).

Leadership Development

We continue to offer our successful portfolio of Leadership Development Courses all of which have been positively evaluated by delegates.

We are offering LAs the opportunity to train their own trainers for all our courses. Our aim is to increase the capacity and capability across the region  to ensure future sustainability within LAs. Courses can also be delivered with adult services and/or for schools. Please contact Di Smith, details below, if this is of interest to you. 

All courses are run in-house in the LA who provides the venue. Each course is accompanied by a range of training resources for the delegates including a comprehensive handbook. The current courses on offer are as follows and details of each course and the costs for each can be found by downloading the April 2016 Leadership Development Prospectus. 

Coaching to Improve Performance

Embedding a Coaching Culture

Leading Change in Times of Austerity

Step Up to Leadership   

We can also arrange one-to-one coaching, especially to support newly appointed 2nd and 3rd tier managers

If you require further details or wish to book a course please get in touch with Di Smith (contact details below)