Analysis: Policy - Youth services. A more efficient inspection process?

Education watchdog Ofsted, which is leading the reform of the inspection of children and young people's services, has until autumn this year to turn a baffling collection of paperwork into reality. After the Children Act 2004 became law at the end of last year, a series of documents were published to explain how the parts of the Act that relate to the inspection of services for children and young people will be put into operation.

First, the 10 commissions and inspectorates involved in the reforms released a consultation document on joint area reviews, a key aspect of the new inspections. This was closely followed by a framework for the inspection of children's services, then a consultation document on comprehensive performance assessment for local authorities, which will be aligned with the revised inspections (YPN, 15-21 December 2004, p2).