Is this about the new inspection regime for children's services?
Sort of. Section 19 of the Children Act 2004 introduces joint areareviews, and section 20 makes it clear that Ofsted is in charge ofdevising the framework for this process, in consultation with otherrelevant inspection bodies. It's just that the number of those bodies isabout to shrink from 11 to four to reduce bureaucracy and the burden ofinspection - though it might be a bit about saving money too.
One inspectorate over all? If only it were that simple. Servicesaffecting children caught up in the criminal justice system will becovered by a new Inspectorate for Justice and Community Safety. Childhealth and adult social services will be inspected by the HealthcareCommission. An Ofsted consultation outlines Government plans forbringing together the children's services work of the Commission forSocial Care Inspection (CSCI), the Children and Families Court Advisoryand Support Service (Cafcass) bit of HM Inspectorate of CourtAdministration (HMICA), and the education watchdog Ofsted.
When do children become learners? The paper seems less sure about takingin the Adult Learning Inspectorate with its 16+ remit, but the referenceto "learners" may be related to adult education and lifelonglearning.
So why education and children's social services, but not health or youthjustice? Professional expertise, legal frameworks, diverse statutoryduties - no matter how it's arranged, something would be omitted. Youcould also debate whether adult social care should be split fromchildren's. The case for this configuration is outlined in theconsultation. But despite the rhetoric about joining up, there is aneducation bias. For instance, the paper describes what it calls "thestrongest driver for change" - children and young people - then placesthem in a list of educational settings. A final nod is given to localauthority children's services, and early years services are presented aspart of extended school provision.
Just what do inspectorates do? They help make those responsible fordelivering services aware of strengths and weaknesses, and devise plansto improve provision. They publish findings, thus adding a publicscrutiny element, inform government of how policies are beingimplemented and enforce minimum standards.
But education and social care work differently. The law on inspectionsmay be changed, and the Government wants to appoint children's servicesadvisers based in the regional government offices to work with eachdirector of children's services. The Government is aiming to have all ofthis in place by April 2007.
What about CSCI's special remit for looked-after children? The mostcontroversial recommendation involves the abolition of the post ofchildren's rights director, currently based in CSCI and responsible forrepresenting the interests of looked-after children, care leavers andchildren living away from home. The paper suggests that role could beplayed by the children's commissioner, subsumed within the widerinspectorate, or split between the two.
FACT BOX
- Ofsted was established in September 1992.
It regulates childcare and inspects schools, colleges, teachereducation, youth services and local education authorities in England
- CSCI was established in April 2004. It registers and inspects 27,000social care providers under the Care Standards Act 2000 and assesseslocal councils in England regarding their social services functions
- HMICA was established in April 2005. It lies within the Department forConstitutional Affairs and reports to the Lord Chancellor on the courtsand the performance of Cafcass functions
- A Single Inspectorate for Children and Learners response form isavailable from the DfES atwww.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conDetails.cfm?consultationId=1364
- Responses are due by 4 November.
