Inspections proved to be a key theme running through the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) annual conference held in Manchester this month. New ADCS president Alan Wood used his welcome speech to outline his vision of a more "proportionate" system, while the following day, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw explained what the inspectorate expects to see from councils.
Although the premise of Ofsted's current inspection framework for children's social care, introduced last November, has been generally well received, there have been gripes. Not only are councils concerned about the impact an "inadequate" or even a "requires improvement" grade can have on morale, recruitment, and retention, but the sheer amount of time and resources councils expend on the process has emerged as a bugbear.
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