Southend on Sea Borough Council

Preparing for Joint Area Review

Briefing for

Children and Learning Partnership Board

May 2007

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

CPA, JAR and APA Youth Offending Team inspectionEnhanced Youth Service inspection• CPA across the Council• APA and JAR take place simultaneously – JAR informs APA and

APA inspectors will have JAR report• JAR grades for safeguarding, LDD, LAC, service

management/partnership, and capacity to improve and additional areas for investigation

• Grade of Children’s Hospital Improvement Review and any Health Care Inspection informs health outcome for APA

• APA grade provides the grade for the overall effectiveness of children’s services that feeds into CPA assessment

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Annual Performance Assessment

• APA will assess all five outcomes• Tell-us survey will feed into APA (aiming for response of

1300 per authority but return of 500-600 make statistically valid)

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

What will the JAR investigate?(New methodology from April 07)

• REPORT DOES NOT FOLLOW 5 OUTCOMES BUT AREAS OF INVESTIGATION

• Safeguarding (high profile given to safeguarding as this is not inspected through other arrangements)

• Looked after children• Children with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities• Other areas identified in our 2006 APA letter, e.g:

– Substance misuse – Absence and exclusions from school– 16-19 provision

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

JAR arrangements

• Increased importance of frontline service observation• Increased importance of children and young people’s

views of services (e.g. case tracking – also parents/carers)

• Continuing attention to equality, diversity and human rights issues

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Post-inspection

24 Oct Draft report for comments

31 Oct Feedback meeting

12 Nov Comments on draft reports

3 Dec Pre publication report

18 Dec Publication

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Safeguarding

Strengths

• Local Children Safeguarding Board with independent chair – monitors that all agencies are fulfilling their safeguarding responsibilities

• Training strategy for all agencies

Developments

• Community Safety Sub-group needs to develop a higher public profile on keeping children safe in the community

• Safeguarding practice and training for single agencies

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Looked after children

Strengths

• Reduction in numbers• Budget in control and significant

savings made• Improved outcomes for LAC• Improved staffing, especially

management• Corporate parenting group

strengthened involvement of members

• Recently begun regular reporting direct to scrutiny

Developments

• Improving quality• Core and initial assessments• Reinvestment into prevention• Leaving care and employment,

education and training

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Children with Learning Disability and DisabilityStrengths• Make as much or better progress

as other children in schools• Statements of SEN produced

within timescales (without exceptions)

• 100% offered transition plans• Updated multi-agency LDD

strategy being put in place• Integration of Education and

Social Care functions• Lighthouse Centre

Developments

• Strengthening multi-agency commissioning and planning processes

• Review of education for children with emotional/behaviour difficulties

• Statements of SEN (with exceptions)

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Substance misuse

Strengths• Preventative work, e.g. healthy

schools• Service to young people who

misuse via Youth Offending Service

• New needs analysis and plan being written

Developments• Commissioning being

disaggregated from adults to be routed through CYPSP

• Multi-agency monitoring of performance information

• Schools involvement• Tying together the preventative

and treatment strands

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

Absence and exclusions from schools

Strengths:• Focus on secondary (absence

slightly higher than national – 3 schools persistent truants)

• Permanent exclusions broadly in line with national and reducing this academic year

• Fixed term exclusions reduced significantly over last two years

• Integrated locality working – more joined up support

Developments• Requirement for secondary

school ‘collaboratives’ from Sept 07 – excludees of 6+ days

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

16-19 education and training

Strengths• 14-19 planning group with

strategic steer across Ex, Thu, S’end

• ‘Collaborative’ offer for Sept 07 further strengthened

• Gained ‘licence’ (Gateway bid) to deliver new Specialist Diplomas:

– Creative and media from 08– Health and care from 09– (Need to re-bid for construction)

• Action plan currently being updated

• NEET reduced significantly

Developments• For new Specialist Diplomas

– Employer engagement – Staff training

Southend-on-Seachildren’s partnership

We want us all to Shine

Thank you