Ofsted targets unannounced inspections of child protection services
Local authority child protection and early intervention services could be subject to unannounced, two-week, on-site inspections under a new regime proposed by Ofsted.
Under the current regime local authorities have two weeks’ notice of an inspection.
Other key elements of the watchdog’s revised approach – which has been put out to consultation – include:
- a 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
- considering 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
- talking directly “for the majority of the inspectors’ time” with children and their families as well as front-line professionals and managers.
- inspectors shadowing social work visits and their direct work with children, for example through observing child protection case conferences and child in care reviews
- four inspection judgements: the 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 said it would 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,” Ofsted said. Inspections would be brought forward if there were sufficient reasons for concerns
- a sample of 20 to 25 local authority services for children in care would 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.
Ofsted said its revised approach took into account the recommendations of the Munro Review of child protection, which the watchdog said it supported. The consultation will run until 30 September, with the new inspection framework coming into force from May 2012.
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.”
