General Briefing Thurrock’s JOINT AREA REVIEW (JAR) General Briefing Thurrock’s JOINT AREA REVIEW (JAR)

2 Key Aims of the JAR  To cover all publicly funded services for children and young people in the local area; not just the local authority –Including those managed or commissioned by the local authority, as well as services provided by all aspects of health, youth justice and voluntary services –Focussing on the extent to which progress has been achieved against the five outcomes identified in the “Every Children Matters” agenda:  Being Healthy  Staying Safe  Enjoy and Achieve  Making a Positive Contribution  Achieving Economic Well-being  To describe what life is like for children and young people growing up in the local area  Evaluate how well all services, taken together, improve the well-being of children and young people in the local area

3 How is JAR Different from Previous Inspections? Emphasis on the JAR inspection is, rather than asking Thurrock Council the questions, the inspectors will ask Children, young people, parents, carers, what experiences they have had using our services

4 Once in Three Years ( ) Joint Area Reviews (All local services for children and young people) Corporate Assessment  Being Healthy  Staying Safe  Enjoying & Achieving  Making a positive contribution  Achieving economic wellbeing Youth Enhancement Inspection of the Youth Offending Teams Service management Capacity to improve Healthier Communities Safer and Stronger Sustainable Communities Outcomes for CYP Outcomes for Older People Ambition Prioritisation Capacity Performance Management Findings/ examples about children & young people The Judgement Findings

5 Composition of Inspection Teams  Joint Area Review team of inspectors drawn from: –ALI (Adult Learning Inspectorate) –Audit Commission Joint inspector –CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspectorate) –Healthcare Commission –HMI (including one from Probation) –Ofsted   Corporate Assessment –Team leader –Team member –Joint Inspector –Peer Member –Peer Officer –Project Officer

6 Thurrock JAR Project Management Team JAR Steering Group Project Management Angela Hogg Project Lead Colin Stewart Information & Data Management Alison Jacobs Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) Executive Board Communication – Lorraine Surrey Community and Partner Engagement – Angela Hogg Information and Data Management – Alison Jacobs Project Management and Delivery – Angela Hogg Self-Assessment – Colin Stewart Case Studies – Colin Stewart Neighbourhood Study – Angela Hogg TellUs Survey – Heather Clark

7 Key Thurrock JAR Dates  Not all key dates have been confirmed, however the following timetable is likely: DateActivity w/c 23 rd October 2006 (tbc)Submission of three neighbourhood study areas and 100 case studies w/c 30 th October 2006 (tbc)Set up meeting with lead inspector; neighbourhood area and 10 case studies selected 30 th November 2006 (tbc)TellUs Survey launched by inspection team w/c 4 th December 2006 (tbc)Submission of JAR self-assessment and Audit Commission paperwork w/c 18 th December 2006 (confirmed) Analysis week – inspection team on-site to review 10 case study files 22 nd January to 2 nd February 2007 (confirmed) JAR Inspection – fieldwork. To focus on the 10 most significant key judgements for the local area and 4 judgement areas in service management April 2007 (tbc)Thurrock JAR Inspection Report published

8 Gathering Evidence Gathering Evidence ‘First Hand’  A confidential web-based survey known as “TellUs”  Interviews with individual children and young people through case-tracking  Focus groups and informal discussions with children and young people through neighbourhood study  Evidence and findings from other inspectorates provided through the inspection of settings in the local area

9 Key Aspects of JAR Key Aspects of JAR Self-Assessment (1)  Thurrock Council, working with its partners, also has to provide a self assessment about how we are contributing to outcomes for children and young people in the local area and demonstrate: –Shared priorities have been identified on the basis of local need –Action taken to improve outcomes has had an impact –Management arrangements and use of resources have supported improvement –Children and young people’s views have contributed to developments –Partnership working arrangements are effective

10 How will the JAR Affect Me?  You may be asked to contribute by: –Providing information about your service –Attending JAR working groups –Providing input to the self-assessment process –Participating in the neighbourhood study –Being interviewed by inspectors –Participating in focus groups –Completing questionnaires

11 Keeping you Informed  Regular updates through various media: –Briefings –Presentations – Updates –Posters –Website –Newsletters

12 Thank You For Your Time….  Do you have any questions?