Update no 599 8th March 2024

If you have any news that you would like included in our Friday Update, please contact Richard Tyndall (details below)

Three children playing happily together

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 The DfE has also withdrawn the Competency Frameworks for Governace and for Clerking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

Reminder:

Future dates for network meetings

Network dates:

Lead Members Group: Expert Workshop #12 – Education: sufficiency and partnerships – 22 May 4.00pm – 6.00pm. More from Deborah Glassbrook (contact details below)

Adoption Leadership Board: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

AD Education: 10:00am Friday 15 March 2024 face-to-face in London. More from Chris Owen (contact details below)

Principal Social Workers: More from Mark Evans (contact details below)

Kinship Care Network: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Network dates:

AD Safeguarding: More from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: 2pm Wednesday 27 March via Teams. Please contact kimesha.osbourne@hants.gov.uk for an invitation.

Fostering Network: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: 10:00am Thursday 20 June.. SEND Data Benchmarking Thursday 9 May 10am. More from Luke Ede (contact details below)

SEND SE19: More from Sheelagh Sullivan (contact details below)

Early Help: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Finance Directors Group: More from Deborah Glassbrook (contact details below)

Commissioners’ Network: 1pm Friday 15 March via Teams. More from Chris Baird (contact details below)

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.

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

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

Contact Details

LGA Children’s Improvement Adviser: Helen Watson (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

helen.watson5@icloud.com

07810 011892

Children’s Services Performance Manager, Convener Of SE Quality Assurance Network: Amanda Meadows (Hampshire)

Amanda.meadows@hants.gov.uk

03707 794752

SESLIP Consultant; Commissioners’ Network, SEND Courageous Conversations: Chris Baird (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

bchrisbaird@gmail.com

07855 492010

Education Network: Chris Owen (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

chris@bright-spark.net

07825 862330

SESLIP Education Data Group Lead: Daryl Perilli (Brighton and Hove)

Daryl.Perilli@brighton-hove.gov.uk

SESLIP Consultant and LGA SEND Improvement Adviser: Deborah Glassbrook (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

deborah@optimisingpotential.co.uk

07882 158959

The Staff College Assistant Operations Manager: Ellie Bevis (The Staff College)

ellie.bevis@thestaffcollege.uk

0161 729 1065

NHS (SE) CYP mental health: Gavin Lockhart (NHS England (South East))

gavin.lockhart1@nhs.net

07879 488307

SESLIP Consultant: Isabelle Gregory (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

isabelle@firstcareconsultancy.co.uk

07931 586784

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

krista.pickering@segfl.org.uk

07872 014083

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

Luke.ede@eastsussex.gov.uk

07925 148597

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

Mark@markevansconsulting.co.uk

07803 147072

Regional Strategic Lead LA Fostering South East: Natasha Sampson (Local Authority Fostering South East)

natasha.sampson@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

07919 217185

LGA Corporate Improvement Adviser: Philip (Phil) Simpkins (LGA)

philip.simpkins@btinternet.com

Adoption; Fostering; Kinship and Early Help Regional Networks: Rebecca Eligon (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

rebeccaeligon@gmail.com

07944 996219

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

richard.tyndall@richardtyndall.co.uk

07880 787007

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

sheelagh.sullivan@outlook.com