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No notice inspections proposed as Ofsted puts the child’s experience at the heart of local children’s service inspection

Today, Ofsted launches a consultation on changes to the inspection of local authority children’s services. The proposals focus on the child’s journey as a key element in the inspection of child protection and for children in care. Through inspection, the changes aim to improve the services children receive and how these impact on their lives.

It is proposed that inspection will look at all stages of a child’s experience from early intervention right through to when a child is referred to the children’s social care services and on to their exit from the child protection system.  Direct observation of services in action, including interactions with children and families, will be a key part of the new system.  Inspection will also consider whether the quality of early help could have prevented the child from entering the child protection system in the first place and the impact of the failure to provide such help might have had on the child.

The review of the inspection system follows the recommendations from The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final report; A child-centred system. The new arrangements due to be implemented in 2012 will build on the existing strengths of Ofsted’s current inspection programme of safeguarding and looked after children services which are carried out jointly with the Care Quality Commission and the short unannounced inspection of social care referral teams.

Launching the consultation, Miriam Rosen, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

“These proposals will focus inspection on what matters most - the direct support children and their families receive and the effectiveness of these services in helping to protect potentially vulnerable children.

“Central to the changes is a greater emphasis on the child’s experience and how well children and their families are supported through that journey.

“We want to refine and develop an inspection model that will bring about the best possible outcome for children in need of protection or care. So it is vitally important that children and their families, who are supported through the system, as well as those working in child protection, have a say by responding to the consultation. I hope as many people as possible are able to contribute.”

The proposed new way of inspecting will mean that every local authority will be subject to a detailed inspection of their services.  This would entail a two-week on-site no notice inspection to fully assess the contributions of local services in the protection of children. Under the current regime, local authorities are given two week’s notice of this type of inspection.

On assessing the child’s journey, it is proposed that the majority of inspectors’ time will be devoted to talking with children and their families as well as front-line staff and managers. Inspectors will also shadow social work visits and their direct work with children, for example through observing child protection case conferences and child in care reviews. This will be a central element of the inspection.

Inspection will scrutinise the contribution of all agencies and services, not just the local authority, to the protection of children. Ofsted is working with partner inspectorates on how we might share information and expertise to do this as effectively as possible.

The consultation also seeks views on whether to introduce greater proportionality to universal inspection by varying the period between inspections taking into account the outcomes of previous inspection activity, available data and applying a risk-based approach. The arrangements for re-inspection could be 18 months for local authorities that are judged inadequate; every three years for those who are satisfactory or every five years for those that are judged good or outstanding.  The consultation also proposes a risk assessment process that would allow inspections to be brought forward if there are significant reasons or concerns.

For children in care, inspection will remain focused on the support provided and the effectiveness of the local authority and its partners in narrowing the achievement gap between these children and their peers. It is proposed that a sample of between 20 and 25 local authorities across a spread of rural and urban areas will be inspected each year. These inspections will take place with a short notice period with inspectors on-site for one week. This will allow the local authority time to arrange for the inspectors to meet with groups of children and young people who currently or recently have had experience of the care system.

The main elements of the proposed inspection model include:

. unannounced two week on-site inspections of local authority child protection and early intervention services

. focus on the child’s journey and experience through assessing and observing the effectiveness of multi-agency working, case tracking and the Local Safeguarding Children Board

. talking directly with children and their families as well as front-line professionals and manager

. four inspection judgements: capacity to improve; the effectiveness of the help provided to children, their families and carers; quality of practice; leadership and management, and an overall effectiveness grade. Ofsted will continue to use the four point judgement scale: outstanding, good, satisfactory and inadequate

. consideration of introducing greater proportionality to universal inspection by varying the period between inspections. Re-inspection could for example be after 18 months for local authorities that are judged inadequate; every three years for those that are satisfactory; every five years for those that are good or outstanding. Inspections will be brought forward if there are sufficient reasons for concerns

. a sample of 20 to 25 local authority services for children in care to have short notice, one-week on-site inspection each year. Inspection will focus on the child’s journey and narrowing the outcomes gap between children in care and their peers

. monitoring the progress of local authorities that have been judged to be inadequate for either child protection or children in care services.

The consultation on the arrangements for the inspection of local authority children’s services runs until 30 September. The new inspection framework will come into force from May 2012.

Access to the online consultation can be found at www.ofsted.gov.uk or requested from the Ofsted enquiry service by calling 0300 123 4234.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Arrangements for the inspection of local authority children’s services can be found on the Ofsted website at www.ofsted.gov.uk

In The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final report; A child-centred system, Professor Munro made several recommendations in relation to Ofsted’s role, including that inspection frameworks should look at contributions of the full range of local services to child protection. There was a clear emphasis on inspection examining the ‘child’s journey’ (from needing help to receiving it) and the effectiveness of that help. The report also recommended that Ofsted’s evaluation of serious case reviews should end.

Ofsted supports all of the recommendations and have taken it into consideration as part of the proposed revised inspection framework for local authority children’s services.

2. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses local authority children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

3. Media can contact the Ofsted Press Office through 020 7421 6574 or via Ofsted's enquiry line 0300 1231231 between 8.30am - 6.30pm Monday - Friday. Out of these hours, during evenings and weekends, the duty press officer can be reached on 07919 057359.