Safeguarding children peer reviews

Overview

The Safeguarding Children peer review programme is part of a sector-led approach in which local government takes responsibility for its own improvement. Professor Eileen Munro's recent review endorses peer review as an approach that promotes learning from a sector-led improvement perspective. It is delivered by the Local Government Association (LGA) in partnership with the:

• Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS)
• Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO)
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

It is complementary to initiatives with the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) to support chief executives, and the new National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services for director's of children's services.

The Safeguarding Children peer review programme has evolved over the last two years and 50 reviews will have been completed by the end of March 2012. There are also now authorities in various forms of intervention engaging with the programme and requiring more tailored reviews. It is therefore an appropriate point in time to review what has been achieved and develop the review process further. To this end we have planned a revision of the methodology and guidance to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the current policy landscape. This involves research into the impact of the peer review on authorities in intervention and a thematic analysis over the past year of what the review feedback tells us about children's safeguarding. An important part of this revision is to consult with peer review teams and with lead members and directors of children's services who have received a peer review.

Invitations to these events on 28 and 29 February (officers) and 28 March (members) have been issued.

Improving safeguarding of children

The recent findings of the report from Professor Eileen Munro endorses peer review as an approach that promotes learning from a sector-led improvement perspective. On peer review, Munro states:

"It is important to be clear that inspection does not, and should not, stand by itself. The inspection system is a key component of an overall system of performance improvement – which also includes local authority self-evaluation as its foundation, supported by sector-based peer review and challenge and improvement support – which should operate on an ongoing cycle, elements of which should be conducted annually. Over the last few months, local government has been developing such a system with the Department for Education. The two-way learning that is facilitated through peer review and challenge, in particular, is a major strength of this approach over external inspection."

The peer review team

We take a flexible approach to the composition of the peer team. The team will be comprised of senior staff and a councillor from other authorities along with sector specialists, as required, and are:

• team leader – directors of children's services
• member peer – senior councillors with safeguarding experience
• officer peer – senior safeguarding managers
• health peer – clinical or managerial health leads for children
• off-site peer – assistant director with operational-performance-policy background
• voluntary sector colleagues, where agreed
• other sector specialists, where agreed, for example, police, early years, looked-after children
• challenge manager – programme manager from peer support team.

All members of the team are knowledgeable about, and experienced in, children's services and or local government. However, in order for the team to be able to effectively evaluate the strength and areas for development they will need the full cooperation from the host authority.

The approach – how the challenge works

Some work will be undertaken prior to the team's visit. The peer challenge team will study documents, policies and performance information. This will include questionnaires completed by staff, partners and so on. A case mapping exercise will be undertaken challenging the success and challenges of inter-agency collaborative work in safeguarding cases.

The onsite phase of the challenge takes place over five days in the authority. The process begins with a meeting of senior managers from partner agencies, the challenge team will talk to a cross-section of senior officers, elected members, partners and frontline staff. This onsite work is a key aspect of the peer challenge process and those interviewed are encouraged to be as open and honest as possible. All information provided will be treated by the challenge team as non-attributable.

The team will feed back their observations and recommendations and or findings from all the elements of the peer challenge at the end of the site visit and facilitate an action planning-prioritisation workshop based on its findings. This will be followed a few weeks later by written feedback that the council will have time to consider.

The peer challenge is based on a framework that focuses on five themes:

• outcomes
• vision, strategy and leadership
• working together and the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
• service delivery and effective practice
• managing resources.

Other optional themes may be added as required from the following:

• participation
• managing performance
• productivity and Innovation
• commissioning.

Children in Care peer challenge

A Children in Care (CIC) peer challenge can be delivered at the specific request of an authority. The principles for such a challenge are identical to the Safeguarding challenge, using the same obligatory five themes and four optional themes, with the exception of the high-level questions for each theme which are solely focused on Children in Care.

How to get involved

There is a strong demand for this peer review and we are now taking bookings for the New Year. A 12 week lead in is recommended.

If you are interested in participating in the peer challenge programme, either as a receiving authority, councillor or a member of a peer team, please contact:

Paul Curran
Head of Safeguarding Programme
Telephone: 07738 600101
Email: curran56@yahoo.co.uk

Peter Rentell
Programme Manager, Peer Support team
Telephone: 07919 374582
Email: peter.rentell@local.gov.uk

Prospective peers will take part in a two-day residential assessment event, free of charge. The next events are scheduled for 8 to 9 February 2012 and 7 to 8 March 2012 at Warwick Conferences in Coventry. Places are allocated as applications are received and places are limited.

Safeguarding Children Peer Evaluation and Assessment, 16-17 May 2012

Safeguarding Children Peer Evaluation and Assessment, 27-28 June 2012

Safeguarding Children Peer Evaluation and Assessment, 19 -20 September 2012

Safeguarding Children Peer Evaluation and Assessment, 21-22 November 2012

If you are interested in becoming a peer and would like to apply for a place at the forthcoming events please contact:

Safeguarding children PEA application form

Liz Cole
Programme Support Officer, Peer Support, LGA
Telephone: 020 76643027
Email: liz.cole@local.gov.uk

Funding

The funding for the Children's Improvement Board's Sector-led Improvement programme has been approved for 2012/13 and as part of this programme Safeguarding Children peer reviews will continue to be funded in the financial year 2012/13 and council's are not required to contribute directly. A typical review would cost approximately £20,000. Peers other than associates and councillors are not paid for their time, although their travel and accommodation expenses are met.

Impact evaluation

An external evaluation was commissioned through the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and published in April 2011. This evaluation highlighted impacts resulting from a Safeguarding Children peer review as follows:

• increased commitment and drive to make improvements in safeguarding
• development of ideas, plans and actions
• promotion of learning and reflective practice
• revision of policies, processes and systems
• improvement in staff morale and relations
• affirmation and enhancement of the quality of partnership working.

Relationship with Ofsted Inspection

The LGA (head of Safeguarding programme) notifies Ofsted of the planned challenge in order that Ofsted inspection does not coincide with the peer challenge.

Role of partner agencies

The challenge is a real opportunity for candid feedback on how the authority works together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is important that staff are able to speak freely about their experience of their own agency areas of strength and those in need of development, as well as to comment on the effectiveness of inter-agency working. Operational and senior staff will be invited to take part and it is vital that they are enabled to do so.

What others say

Helen Denton, Executive Director, Children and Young People, Lancashire County Council – received a review in July 2011:

"The peer review process has been so beneficial for us and was conducted by an excellent team. It has affirmed our view of where we are in our strengths and areas for development, and was all done in the most supportive and professional way."

Anthony May, Corporate Director, Children Families and Cultural Services, Nottinghamshire County Council – received a review in May 2011:

"The peer challenge process was extremely helpful to us as a means of assessing progress against our safeguarding improvement programme. The challenge was well managed and helped us get a handle on some important issues across the partnership"

Helen Watson, DCS South Tyneside – received a review January 2011:

"It felt like a constructive and helpful challenge with much learning. The team were obviously of high calibre and engaged well with all interviewed. We had a very productive dialogue and planning session today with all partners on the back of the presentation. I am personally very pleased with the whole exercise and look forward to working with your organisation on the adult agenda also!"

Councillor Paul Lakin, Cabinet Member for Safeguarding and Developing Learning Opportunities for Children – member of peer team for South Tyneside, January 2011:

"The review was excellent. South Tyneside Council were very welcoming and accommodating. Everyone we spoke to seemed passionate about improving the lives of vulnerable young people and their families and that was clearly evident from the top down. Political leadership was thus by far the best I have seen in any of the peer reviews I have done whether this is with fire or safeguarding. The chief exec and DCS clearly have a good grasp of the issues and are committed to working these through to provide better outcomes. The peer team bonded well and had a good cross-sectional knowledge of the safeguarding agenda. I've taken back some learning to my own authority."

Further information

Safeguarding Children peer review flyer (PDF, 2 pages, 530KB)

If you would like more information or the opportunity to speak to the team, please contact:

Peter Rentell
Programme Manager, Peer Support Team, LGA
Telephone: 07919 374582
Email: peter.rentell@local.gov.uk

Caroline Bosdet
Senior Advisor, LGA
Telephone: 07876 106183
Email: caroline.bosdet@local.gov.uk

16 May 2012