UPDATE NO 230 20 January 2017

Improving the Quality of Audits

Sector Led Improvement Audit Project Workshop  – 20 February 2017 10.00-15.30 at the The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster SW1P 3BU

We are launching a new project to explore how authorities across the South East can collaborate to improve the quality and impact of case auditing practice. The target audience for this event is Principal Social Workers and others who are involved in running audit programmes. (e.g. QA Managers).

The workshop will explore good practice from within the region and beyond. It will also consider options for improved working together in this critical area.  The project will focus particular attention on validity, reliability and closing the ‘quality assurance circle’ to ensure audits have the greatest impact in improving outcomes for children and families. It will also consider the use of audits with regulators and other stakeholders. 

Up to two places are available for each authority, to book please contact Mark Evans (details below)

The workshop is being facilitated by David Goosey – Principal Lecturer in Dept of Leadership, Westminster University and qualified clinical auditor (contact details below) and Mark Evans – SESLIP Workforce Lead and experienced Children’s Social Care Practitioner and Leader. 

Please let Mark or David know if the contact we hold for Principal Social Worker or QA Manager needs updating.

Regional Adoption Leadership Board

Judith Ramsden writes

“The South East Region Adoption Leadership Board met on Monday 16 January in Wokingham.  We were joined by Andrew Christie, Chair of National ALB, who spent most of the meeting with us, providing a useful update on the work of the ALB at a national level and the links with regional boards.  The national ALB has undergone a period of re-forming and is now working hard to ensure that areas of strategic focus and priority are being considered, with a revised Terms of Reference.  

“There are three key priority areas for the national board, namely:

• addressing the data, in particular the decline in number of ADMs and Placement Orders;
• Adoption Support; and
• the development of the Regional Adoption Agencies.

“Following a useful discussion, the South East Regional ALB agreed that it would continue to meet on a quarterly basis, with meetings to be timed to feed into the national board.  A new Terms of Reference and meeting agendas would reflect the work of the national board.  The regional ALB will next meet in April (date to be confirmed as soon as possible) and will focus on lines of enquiry from our regional data as well as agreeing a new Terms of Reference.  Recent meetings have not been so well attended and it is hoped that, with a revised work programme, this will improve over the coming months, with the group once again serving to take a strategic focus and joining up practice issues across the region.”

Judith’s leadership of the RALB is supported by Rosemary Perry (contact details below) to whom all enquiries should be addressed in the first instance.

Notes from the recent Data Benchmarking Group meeting

SE Regional Data Network notes (15 Dec 2016)

The “Regional Round-Up” covered many LAs restructuring and the challenges this brings for data teams, issues with systems and shared potential solutions, experience of recent inspections (SIF and SEND).

The group shared LSCB reports and dashboard and discussed the pros and cons of each. This included how they had developed over time and issues with getting some of the data.

Quality Assurance – Tina James attended from BHCC to talk to the group about the links between the data and QA processes. There are clear links and Tina and Alastair agreed to discuss this with Mark Evans

Ofsted update – Judith Swindell attended the meeting to give an update and answer questions

LAs were asked to respond to a consultation on CIN data in the DfE’s Local Authority Reporting Tool (LAIT). ADCS safeguarding pressures report has been published. RAAs are being developed and the national ALB is beginning to work more closely with the regional ALBs.

Benchmarking Update – Joe Cornford-Hutchings updated the meeting about the benchmarking reports. We had collected some Early Help measures for the first time (number of families and numbers of children), few LAs returned family data so this has not been included in the current report. Early Help measures still need development.

In other business, LAs were asked to respond to a consultation on CIN data in the DfE’s Local Authority Reporting Tool (LAIT); ADCS safeguarding pressures report has been published; RAAs are being developed and the national ALB is beginning to work more closely with the regional ALBs.

Next meeting: Wednesday 15 March 2017 – MASH and Operational reporting to be shared and discussed

Future meetings at the Data Benchmarking page

SEND Data Benchmarking

SEND benchmarking workshop 17 Jan 2017

Surrey and East Sussex shared their experience of the SEND inspections from a data point of view.

March 2017 return – the meeting reviewed the indicators, especially the education ones in light of the recent changes to key stage measures. Discussion also took place around how different LAs produced some of the data. Dates were agreed for the return.

Fibonacci Ltd presented the work they have been doing to support Milton Keynes with the SEND benchmarking. More information is available at https://fibonacci.co.uk/miltonkeynes/

Alastair Lee (contact details below) gave an update on discussion with NCER about using NEXUS to bring together the education data. Hopefully they will be able to attend the next meeting.

Self Evaluation Framework 2016 – now called SE DCS Peer Challenge

The programme for the opening event to be held at Easthampstead Park Conference Centre on 23 January from 9.30-4.30 has been sent out, together with the handbook for the newly titled SE DCS Peer Challenge. (Previously called Self Evaluation Framework 2016). 

If you have not received this from Anna Wright, and you want to participate in the event on 23 January, please contact her direct Anna on 07415 099245.

Topical Peer Challenge Round 9

The next Topical Peer Challenge will be a visit to Bracknell Forest on the topic on LSCB on 26 and 27 January. Alison Jeffery (Portsmouth) will lead the visiting team including Ann Domeney (Medway), Gill Rigg (Kent) and Deborah Maynard (Windsor and Maidenhead).

If anyone has interest in looking forward to a possible Topical Peer Challenge Round 10, with field work in Autumn/Winter 2017/18, please contact Richard Tyndall (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)