Letters to the Editor: Joint inspections crucial

Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA) is a national charity supporting a strong multi-agency response to domestic abuse (‘Joined-up child protection inspections must hold all agencies to account, warns LGA’, cypnow.co.uk, 12 July).

We welcome new proposals for the joint inspection of multi-agency arrangements by Ofsted and CQC, including a review of the performance of multi-agency risk assessment conferences as an essential part of this.

Multi-agency working makes a huge difference to the lives of child victims of domestic abuse. In the past 12 months, 56,000 children were supported at such conferences, and the number of children discussed at these meetings has increased by 40 per cent over the past three years.

Multi-agency risk assessment conferences are a crucial tool because they bring together the widest range of services to share critical information and support families experiencing domestic abuse, enabling the early identification of the three major risk factors that impact upon the safety and wellbeing of children: domestic abuse, parental mental ill health and parental substance misuse.

Christine Christie, director of services, CAADA

School governors need support

Education Secretary Michael Gove’s recent comments about school governors might have grabbed a few headlines, but they also helped shine a light on a key aspect of our education system, which frequently gets overlooked.

If the government is serious about devolving power to a local level and engaging communities, then ministers should look no further than their own local governing body.

But governors, like teachers and head teachers, need help and support to carry out their roles properly. They need to be informed about how their own school is performing, and how it compares to others in the area, similar schools nationally and against international comparisons.

Governors need to be kept up to date with the changing landscape. While teachers might be gearing up for the raising of the participation age to 18 by 2015, governors need to know what impact this might have on their institution, students and funding.

If you think there is too much information on this subject, imagine what it must be like for someone who is not in the sector and has given up their evenings to get their head round this stuff.

Dr Kate Reynolds, chief executive, Learning Plus UK