UPDATE NO 256 23 June 2017

Improving the Quality of Audit Project

The new web page for this project is now live. It can be accessed at http://seslip.co.uk/live-projects/improving-audit-quality or via the “Live Projects” button in the main navigation bar on each page of the website.

The next phase of this project will begin on Friday 21 July. Audit Managers/Quality Assurance Leads and Principal Social Workers are invited to attend the first workshop:

• Practice standards for s47 enquiries explored and draft agreed for consultation. 10-4 venue tbc Central London.

If you would like to attend please contact David Goosey (details below)

Data Benchmarking Reports

The report “(Restricted) Quarterly Benchmarking Report 2016-17 Q4 v2 [Excel & PDF]” has been released. v2 now includes data from Surrey and Swindon, as well as revised Early Help data ftom Milton Keynes.

‘Restricted’ reports contain unsuppressed data, and data which is not in the public domain. Please do not share these outside of your LA. Therefore the new report is available in the restricted part of the website, or via you local member of the Data Benchmarking Group. Contact Alastair Lee (details below) if you have questions.

SE DCS Peer Challenge

The next SE DCS Peer Challenge visit takes place next week in Brighton and Hove. Thanks to Pinaki Ghoshal and his team for hosting.

Special thanks to Kathy Marriot (IoW) for being a last minute volunteer to fill a vacancy in the team led by Steve Crocker (DCS Hampshire) and including Rachel Morgan (Bracknell Forest) and Mark Frankland (West Sussex).

SESLIP Steering Group

Cllr Charlotte Haitham-Taylor (Wokingham) has tendered her resignation as the lead members’ representative on the SESLIP Steering Group. She is now Leader of her Council, and no longer lead member for Children’s Services. We wish her well with her new position and thank her for her contribution to our programme.

The next regional meeting of DCSs and Lead Members will be held on Friday 14 July. Lead members will be asked to consider a new nomination to take over from Cllr Haitham-Taylor.

SEND Benchmarking Workshop – Friday 21 July

The SE Regional Data and the SE19 SEND Networks are jointly running a workshop to review the SE SEND benchmarking on Friday 21 July. Since the SE reports were originally developed a number of other reports have become available nationally. The workshop will review what is currently available and what the region needs to support service development and improvement.

The event will be held at the Blackfriars Settlement, SE1 0RB and will run from 10am – 3pm.

Bookings and further details of this workshop can be found at this Eventbrite link, or from Alastair Lee (details below).

Topical Peer Challenge Round 10

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.

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)