Updates
Guidance on how Ofsted inspects supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17.
On 29 February Ofsted published Social care common inspection framework (SCCIF): supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17
Ofsted also published a report on the responses to the consultation on our inspection proposals
Details
Inspections will start in September 2024.
Ofsted said “This extra period will give providers more time to digest the guidance, while Ofsted prioritises dealing with the large volume of registration applications, including many from providers that are already accommodating children and care leavers,”
Revised handbooks for school governance
On 7 March DfE published Maintained Schools Governance Guide and Academy Trust Governance Guide
Details
These guides replace the Governance Handbook. The DfE has also withdrawn the Competency Frameworks for Governace and for Clerking
According to an NGA comment The DfE’s refreshed governance guides (which if anything are more consolidation than transformation) offer the chance to go back to basics, and clarify what the basics are, and what they are not.
Children’s social care workforce 2022-2023 data released
On 29 February DfE published annual data for Children’s social work workforce 2022-2023
Details
The reported figures are series peaks (start date 2017) for starters, for agency social workers and for overall social workers; caseloads are consequently at their lowest.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Child Sexual Abuse: trends in official data 2022-23
On 29 February the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse published Child sexual abuse in 2022/23: Trends in official data
Details
The report analyses existing data from children’s social care, policing, criminal justice and health to explore how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to. Findings show:
- across the year, local authority children’s services in England recorded concerns about child sexual abuse in 33,760 assessments of children;
- concerns about child sexual exploitation were recorded in 15,020 assessments; and
- one in 10 assessments undertaken by local authorities in England recorded a concern about some form of child sexual abuse.
LGC podcast
On 20 February LGC released a podcast: The crisis in children’s services with Louise Gittins, Josh MacAlister, and Andy Smith
The crisis in children’s services
LGC editor Sarah Calkin is joined by:
- Louise Gittins (Lab), chair of the LGA children and young people’s board and leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council
- Josh MacAlister, chair of the 2022 Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and now executive chair of Foundations, the what works centre for children and families
- Andy Smith, vice president of Association of Directors of Children’s Services and strategic director for children’s and adults’ social services at Derby City Council
Lost in transition?
On 20 February the Children’s Commissioner published Lost in transition? The destinations of children
who leave the state education system
The destinations of children who leave the stae education system
In the year analysed about 82,000 were recorded moving from state schools (about 0.9% of the school population) and of these,
- about 13,000 (16%) moved to EHE
- just over 10,000 (12.5%) had no known school or were ‘whereabouts unknown’.
The characteristics of the EHE subset showed they are more likely to have SEND and live in a deprived community and have been severely or persistently absent.
The ‘unknown’ children are more likely to be non-white, live in a non-deprived community and have been severely or persistently absent
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)
On 7 March DfE published Maintained Schools Governance Guide and Academy Trust Governance Guide
On 29 February DfE published annual data for Children’s social work workforce 2022-2023
On 29 February Ofsted published Social care common inspection framework (SCCIF): supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17. Ofsted also published a report on the responses to the consultation on our inspection proposals
On 29 February the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse published Child sexual abuse in 2022/23: Trends in official data
On 20 February the Children’s Commissioner published Lost in transition? The destinations of children
who leave the state education system
On 20 February LGC released a podcast: The crisis in children’s services with Louise Gittins, Josh MacAlister, and Andy Smith
On 6 February UKSIC published Inspiring change? making a difference, managung influence and navigating change online
On 1 February Ofsted and CQC published Alternative provision in local areas in England: a thematic review
On 31 January DfE opened its consultation on Agency Rules for Local Authority Children’s Social Care
On 31 January DfE published Generative AI in education: Educator and expert views
On 31 January Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse published Support matters: The landscape of child sexual abuse support services in England and Wales
On 31 January NSPCC Learning published Home again: reunification practice in England: Understanding reunification practice in the children’s social care system in England
On 31 January NSPCC Learning published Returning children home from care: learning from case review
On 31 January NFER published Ethnic diversity in the teaching workforce: evidence review
On 31 January ECPAT UK published Prevention and identification of children and young adults experiencing, or at risk of, modern slavery in the UK.
On 30 January Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its Annual Review 2022-2023
On 29 January Education Select Committee published Ofsted’s work with
schools
On 25 January DfE published Financial year 2022-23 LA and school expenditure. DfE also published School funding statistics for financial year 2023-2024. This relates to the funding that is allocated to local authorities and state-funded schools (academies) in England by the (DfE) in each year.
On 23 January Joseph Rowntree Foundation published UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK
On 18 January ImpactEd published Understanding Attendance
Findings on the drivers of pupil absence from over 30,000 young people in England
On 17 January RiP published Expressions of self: supporting minoritised children’s identity
On 12 January Research in Practice invited local authorities to join a network for the National Workload Action Group (NWAG) and Valuing Social Work Project. On 2 January Community Care released a podcast Racism in social work.
On 9 January National Policing Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP) published National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) Crimes Report 2022
On 8 January DHSC published A framework of modifiable factors to guide promotion of good mental health in babies, children and young people