UPDATE NO 291 02 March 2018

Newsletters A brief summary of the main headlines and highlights for this week are shown below. Any tools, templates or documents needed for the actions required are provided here also. If you would like to know more about these workstreams or the others in the Programme, click on the main section icons shown above. At […]

Three children playing happily together

Newsletters

A brief summary of the main headlines and highlights for this week are shown below. Any tools, templates or documents needed for the actions required are provided here also. If you would like to know more about these workstreams or the others in the Programme, click on the main section icons shown above. At SESLIP we are always on the look-out for good ideas that might be better implemented regionally rather than locally. If you have any suggestions, please contact Richard Tyndall, SESLI Programme Manager.

UPDATE NO 291 02 March 2018

Programme:

LGA REGIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES Enabling school improvement

Update:

Paige GoreProgramme Support Officer at LGA writes,

In partnership with Isos Partnership, LGA has recently published a report looking at role of local authorities in supporting local school improvement systems. The LGA is now supporting a series of five regional workshops across the country in 2018 to discuss this role in more depth and consider the issues that are affecting each local area. These events will be free, if you would like to attend, we would be grateful if you could respond to paige.gore@local.gov.uk at the LGA by Wednesday 28 February.  

Action Required:

The regional workshops will take place on the following dates at the following locations and all begin at 10.30am:

  • Birmingham – 8 March (Novotel, 70 Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HT)
  • Manchester – 9 March (Britannia Hotel, Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LA)
  • Bristol – 16 March (Novotel, Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6HY)
  • London – 22 March (Local Government House, 18 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ)
  • Newcastle – 23 March (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Stephenson Quarter, Hawthorn Square, Newcastle NE1 3SA)

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis so please apply as soon as possible. 

For more details download the flyer or contact contact Simon Rea simon.rea@isospartnership.com or Clive Harris clive.harris@local.gov.uk 

Programme:

SE DCS Peer Challenge 2018

Update:

Planning is underway for 4 Director’s Peer Challenges in 2018. The confirmed participants and dates are in bold on the accompanying chart. Nominations are invited to join the visiting team to Oxfordshire in July, names to Richard Tyndall in the first instance please. For more details please go to the SE ADCS Peer Challenge page. Colleagues requiring a more detailed briefing should contact Anna Wright (details below).

The 2018 MoU is now available for particpants to download, sign and return. Thanks to Bracknell Forest for returning a signed MoU.

Action Required:

Triad Host Visitor Observer Challenge Session Date Fieldwork Date
1 Oxfordshire  Milton Keynes Portsmouth  to be arranged 23 & 24 July 2018
2 West Berkshire Southampton East Sussex to be arranged to be arranged
3 Hampshire Windsor and Maidenhead Brighton and Hove to be arranged October 2018 tbc
4 West Sussex Kent Bracknell Forest  to be arranged October 2018 tbc

Programme:

Understanding Spend in Children’s Services – London 13 March 2018

Update:

This half day event will preview findings from new research that aims to answer the question “what drives variation in spend on children’s services”.

Children’s services are facing a funding gap of at least £2 billion by 2020. Having responded to reducing resources and sharply increasing demand over recent years, the LGA is concerned that councils have very few savings left to find that won’t have a real and lasting impact on crucial services that vulnerable children and their families rely on.

However, we also recognise that within the context of an overall national pressure on children’s services, there remains considerable variation in spend between similarly performing councils.

Action Required:

The LGA therefore commissioned Newton in late 2017 to deliver a diagnostic project to answer the question: what drives variations in spend on children’s services? The project combines analysis of national data sets and detailed on-the-ground studies with a group of eight authorities, (who achieve similar outcomes but have varying levels of spend). The objective of this dual approach is to quantify the relative important of factors, both internal to councils and external, in driving the observed variations in spend. These factors include:

   • population size
   • geographic size
   • deprivation
   • local market factors
   • council operational and financial management
   • the role of partner organisations
   • financial accounting

This event will preview findings from this research, and provide an opportunity to examine particular factors and issues in-depth through dedicated breakout sessions. Workshops will also explore a selection of the tools used to quantify the impact of different factors on spend, and how to compare local spend on children’s services on a like-for-like basis.

Book now on this link.

Programme:

Home Office: Trusted Relationships Fund

Update:

The Home Office has launched (on 25 February) a £13 million fund to help foster relationships between frontline professionals and young people at risk of sexual exploitation.

The Trusted Relationships Fund will invite local authorities to apply for funding (expressions of interest deadline is 13 April) to run projects aimed at fostering relationships between frontline staff and at-risk children. Through the fund, local authorities are encouraged to work with local partners to improve the way professionals, including social workers, youth workers, police and voluntary sector practitioners, work together to support vulnerable young people.

Programme:

SESLIP Consultants List 2018-2021

Update:

We are refreshing the SESLIP list of suitably qualified freelance consultants who are available on an “as and when” basis to support one or more of the activities of the programme.

Please will you draw this opportunity to the attention of any contacts you think may be interested in joining the SESLIP consultancy team.

Action Required:

In order to be considered applicants must register at the SE Shared Services e-Sourcing Portal and respond to advertisement ESCC – 019165. 

Please direct all enquiries about this opportunity to Richard Tyndall, Programme Manager (contact details below).

Reminders from previous weeks

Programme:

Consultation on 2018-19 DCS Peer Challenge Arrangements

Update:

A consultation document has been published seeking views on the nature and shape of the 2018-19 DCS Peer Challenge Arrangements. These proposals arise as a response to the DfE’s Regional Alliance programme.

Action Required:

The consultation document is available here. The deadline for responses is Friday 30 March 2018, which should be sent to Richard Tyndall (details below). If you have any questions please contact Richard Tyndall or Anna Wright (details below).

Programme:

Leadership Development

Update:

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

Action Required:

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)

Tools & Templates

The LGA has launched a campaign “Bright Futures – A call to properly fund the services that change children’s lives.

The campaign features a local case study Delivering children’s services differently – Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

‘Transforming the mental health services for children who have been abused’, a report which examines the extent to which Clinical Commissioning Groups in England are taking into account the particular needs of children and young people who have been abused and neglected when planning local mental health services. 

SESLIP Leadership Development Prospectus

SEND19 Calendar of Events October 17 – March 2018

SEND Inspection Preparation: Self Evaluation Framework Peer Review Guidance

The MoC area of the Seslip website now includes the latest versions of key documents, including the:

For further infomation on refugees and unaccompanied children visit: LGA – National or SECouncils – Regional

Local area SEND inspection outcome letters

UKCCIS has released some key questions for Governors.

UK Safer Internet Centre checklist

Contact Details

S.E. Region SEND Network Programme Co-ordinator: Sheelagh Sullivan (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

sheelagh.sullivan@outlook.com

SESLI Programme Manager: Richard Tyndall (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

richard.tyndall@richardtyndall.co.uk

07880 787007

South East Grid for Learning – Consortium Manager: Krista Pickering (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

krista.pickering@segfl.org.uk

07872 014083

CSC Workforce, PSW and AD Safeguarding Network Lead: Mark Evans (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

Mark@markevansconsulting.co.uk

07803 147072

Data Benchmarking: Luke Ede (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

Luke.ede@eastsussex.gov.uk

07925 148597