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ITEM CA13
CABINET
- 17 JANUARY 2006
INSPECTION
OF CHILDREN’S SOCIAL CARE SERVICES
Report by
Director for Children, Young People & Families
Introduction
- Children’s social
care services in Oxfordshire were inspected during July 2005 by the
Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).
- CSCI is currently
responsible for overseeing the inspection and regulation of all social
care services. However, there will be no further inspections of the
overall provision of children’s social care services. The new inspection
regime covers all children’s services in a particular area, and will
be led by Ofsted. This will lead, in Oxfordshire’s case, to a Joint
Area Review in 2007.
Inspection
Report and Action Plan
- The overall judgment
from CSCI was that children’s social care services in Oxfordshire were
"serving some people well" with "promising prospects". This was an improvement
on the previous judgment in 2002, which was "serving some people well"
with "uncertain prospects".
- CSCI inspectors
presented their report to the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee
on 13 December. At the same time officers presented a draft action plan,
agreed with CSCI, to address the recommendations in the report.
- Annex A (download
as .doc file) summarises
the inspectors’ report and the context in which it took place. The full
report is available in the Members’ Resource Centre. During their presentation
the inspectors commented particularly favourably on Oxfordshire’s involvement
of children and young people in service delivery; on effective multi-agency
working; on the engagement of councillors, and on management of a clear
overall strategy for developing the service.
- Annex B
(download as .doc file)
contains the draft action plan, which was endorsed by the Scrutiny
Committee for consultation. The document is now out for consultation
with parents and other stakeholders until the end of February. Any alterations
will need to be agreed with CSCI. Much of the plan has already being
implemented, and inspectors were pleased with the progress made.
- The Cabinet is
recommended to endorse the action plan, and identify any additional
recommendations or comments it wishes officers to take into account.
- CSCI will expect
Oxfordshire to deliver the improvements set out in the action plan in
accordance with the time-scales in the document. This will be monitored
by CSCI’s Business Relationship Manager for Oxfordshire.
Financial
and Staff Implications
- The additional
staffing numbers required to deliver the action plan are outlined in
the current 2006/07 budget proposals. If the proposals are agreed, 8
full-time equivalent staff will be deployed in front line teams to strengthen
assessment, family support, safeguarding and post adoption support.
Two further staff will be recruited through a recently approved Modernisation
Bid to recruit and train in-house foster carers, in order to reduce
the number of out of area placements.
RECOMMENDATIONS
9. The Cabinet
is RECOMMENDED to:
- note
the contents of the Inspectors’ report;
- endorse
the draft action plan, subject to (c) below;
- authorise
the Director for Children, Young People & Families, in consultation
with the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Cabinet
Member for Children, Young People & Families, to agree any
amendments to the action plan that may appear appropriate in
the light of responses to consultation.
KEITH
BARTLEY
Director for
Children, Young People & Families
Background papers: Commission for Social Care Inspection – Inspection
Report: Inspection of Children’s Services, July 2005
Contact
Officer: Sue Richards, Interim Head of Social Care for Children, Tel:
01865 815833
January 2006
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