The inspection of arrangements for the protection of children and young people Ofsted unannounced inspections from May 2012

Framework for inspection New unannounced inspection regime, lasting for two weeks Replaces the previous unannounced inspection of contact, referral and assessment; and the announced inspections of Safeguarding and Looked After Children Introduced from May 2012 Will be the framework for Slough’s next inspection

Focus for inspection Considers the effectiveness of services in identifying children and young people who may be at risk Looks at how agencies work together to identify problems and offer effective help early, without formal referral to social care Examines the child’s journey from early identification and early help onwards

The child’s journey (1) Quality, effectiveness and timeliness of assessment and risk management Effectiveness and impact of help offered Consistency of focus on child’s needs Quality and effectiveness of interagency working, including interface with adult social care Meaningful, consistent and direct contact between social workers, other professionals and the family

The child’s journey (2) Effectiveness of quality assurance and management oversight of practice and decision making Experiences of particularly vulnerable children and young people How well the local authority takes account of the wishes and feelings of children and young people

Evaluation and grade descriptors What will ‘good’ look like? (1) High quality work with children, young people and families Leadership and governance that drives improvement Effective and continuous learning Children and young people at risk of harm are identified and protected Early help is effective in identifying and improving outcomes for ‘hard to reach’ groups

Evaluation and grade descriptors What will ‘good’ look like? (2) Multi-agency working is of exceptionally high quality and ensures access to co-ordinated help Evidence of sustained positive outcomes Practice is consistently high standard and child centred Highly effective practice improves protection outcomes for children and young people Social work practice is confident and secure Management oversight is consistently challenging and results in reflective practice and learning

Evaluation and grade descriptors What will ‘good’ look like? (3) Effective local authority leadership is recognised by partners as driving improvement across the whole system Clear evidence of a shared priority to delivering effective help and protection to all children at risk of harm across all agencies and services Shared and effective approach to performance management and improvement across all agencies All agencies and services work together as a single system to drive in improvement in effective early help and protection work

Improvement Board decisions about actions for all partner agencies Next steps: