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Corporate Assessment and Joint Area Review briefingThurrock Council2 November 2006

Gary Hammersley and Meena Randhawa

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Agenda• Overview of CA and JAR• How they link together and key differences• The teams and who is in them• What are we looking for• Timeline• Self assessments• More about the weeks we are here• Practical matters• AOB

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Corporate Assessment

• Ambition• Prioritisation• Capacity• Performance Management• Achievement

CPA Category4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star0 Stars

Children & young people

Social care

(adults)Environment CultureHousing Benefits

Use of Resources

• Financial reporting• Financial management• Financial standing• Internal control• Value for money

Level 1 services Level 2 services

Fire*

* Fire service assessment – applicable to those 16 councils with responsibility for fire and rescue

Direction of travelImproving strongly

Improving wellImproving adequately

Not improving adequately OR Not improving

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Corporate Assessment themesWhat is the Council and its partners trying to achieve?• Ambition• PrioritisationWhat is the capacity of the Council, including its work with partners,

to deliver what it is trying to achieve?• Capacity• Performance ManagementWhat has been achieved?• Achievement

– Sustainable communities, including transport – Safer & stronger communities– Healthier communities – Older people – Children and young people (JAR)

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Joint Area Review themes

Every child matters outcomes:• Being healthy• Staying safe• Enjoying and achieving• Making a positive contribution• Achieving economic wellbeing

Plus:• Service management

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Service management

Four themes same as corporate assessment:• Ambition• Prioritisation• Capacity• Performance management

Which must include judgements about:• Management of resources • Value for money• Capacity to improve

– Council

– Area

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Our aims

• To make it one process as much as possible• Reduce duplication and repetition where we can• If we work together we can jointly manage the process

to make it easier and reduce the burden

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Connections between the JAR and the CA (1)

Joint Area Review• Being healthy (1.1 – 1.6)

• Being healthy (1.1 – 1.6) • CYP are provided with a safe

environment (2.2)• Can access a range of

recreational facilities (3.6)• Participate in decisions and

support the community (4.3)• Reducing anti-social

behaviour by CYP (4.4)

Corporate assessment• Promoting healthier

communities (5.4)• Drugs and alcohol (5.3)• Accident reduction and

making people feel safer (5.3)

• Ambitions for the local environment (5.2)

• Building stronger communities (5.3)

• Reducing anti-social behaviour (5.3)

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Connections between the JAR and the CA (2)

Joint Area Review • Families helped to maximise

economic well-being (5.1)• YP 11-19 helped to prepare

for working life (5.2)• Regeneration addresses

needs of CYP (5.4)• YP have decent housing (5.5)

Corporate assessment• Sustainable economy and

labour market (5.2)

• Sustainable economy and labour market (5.2)

• Sustainable economy and labour market (5.2)

• Ambitions for local housing market (5.2)

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Connections between the JAR and the CA (3)

Joint Area Review Service management:• Ambition • Prioritisation • Capacity • Performance management For example:• Partner organisations know

how well they and each other are performing against planned outcomes (6.4.B)

Corporate assessmentCA Themes:• Ambition• Prioritisation• Capacity• Performance management

• Do the council and partner organisations know how well they and each other are performing against planned outcomes? (4.2)

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Differences between JAR and CA

Joint Area Review• Inspection of AREA• Service type inspection –

similar to old LEA inspection• Bottom up – case tracking,

neighbourhood study, analysis of documents and wide variety of outcome measures

• Interviews with senior staff towards end of process

Corporate Assessment• Inspection of COUNCIL• High level – how whole

council is doing• Top down – corporate

documents, wider range of councillors and senior officers; service info needed and used as examples

• Briefing from senior staff at beginning of process

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Composition of CA team

• Team leader (AC) – Gary Hammersley• Team member (AC) – Sarah Stevens• Peer member – Cllr Gareth Barnard (Bracknell Forest)• Peer officer – Trevor Pugh – LB of Richmond• Joint inspector (0.5) (AC)- Barbara Deacon-Hedges• Project Support Officer – David Tilley

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Composition of JAR team (variable)

• Lead Inspector (CSCI) - Meena Randhawa• Deputy Lead Inspector (Ofsted)- Kathryn Burdis• Team Inspector (Ofsted)- Nick Henwood• Team Inspector x 2 (CSCI)- Anna Lis, Helen Nys• Team Inspector (ALI)- Nick Gadfield• Team Inspector (HC)- Sue Fraser Betts• Joint Inspector (0.5) (AC) – Barbara Deacon-Hedges• Enhanced Youth Inspector (Ofsted) - Tony Noonan

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Role of Joint Inspector

• Member of both teams

• Take lead on one area of CA (e.g. older people and healthy communities)

• Take lead on service management in JAR

• Ensure relevant evidence from either team is passed over to the other team

• Facilitate communication and shared/joint working between members from the two teams

• Participate in both teams’ meetings

• Contribute to consistency of evidence and judgements across teams

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What are we looking for?

• Guided by KLOEs: CA and JAR• CPA – The Harder Test• How things are now rather than plans for the future• Work with partners• User focus• Needs of all the community• Outcomes for users and citizens, do they recognise

the difference?• Consistency vs. good isolated examples

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TimelineNovember 2 set up meeting

November 28 CA self assessment to be returned with docs

December 4 JAR self assessment to be returned

December 18 analysis week – split over 2 weeks due to Xmas

Jan 10 initial progress update from analysis week

Jan 22 – 2 Feb onsite field work weeks (weekly progress update)

Feb 5- 16 report writing

Feb 27 consistency panels

March 7 draft reports to council

March 21 re-draft after comments from council

April 18 final reports with council

April 23 feedback meetings – CA and JAR

May 14 publication of reports

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Self assessments

• First indication of what area/council is like• Use the KLOEs and guidance provided• JAR self assessment covers Thurrock and the

neighbourhood area so need to think about how it will be compiled

• ‘Tell the story’ around service delivery• Outcome focussed, evidence based• User focus• Self score• Be candid

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Analysis week – split over 2 weeks

• Tour for CA and some JAR members – 8th Jan• Neighbourhood study for JAR – field work week 1• Contextual briefing for CA (some JAR members may

attend)18th Dec pm:– Evidence provided by council/area– Evidence from other sources

(reviews/inspections/PIs/PAF/surveys)

• JAR case file review• Opportunities for observation?• Progress update at end of second part of analysis

week setting out: – Initial views from JAR and CA

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On-site weeks • Informal morning meetings with CEO and Dir

Children's Services• Neighbourhood tour for JAR - first day of week 1• Further analysis of documents• Interviews• Focus groups• End of day team meetings to review evidence

gathered and test emerging views• May cancel some interviews as line of enquiry closed

down• May ask for others to explore further• Progress report at end of each week (interim and final)

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Quality Assurance / if there are problems?

• Both the CA and JAR will be Quality Assured during the inspection

• Quality Assurance visits will be arranged to meet the Council while we are on site

• If you have any concerns or queries at any stage please liaise with the team leaders through your managers

• The Quality Assurance leads are also available if required

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Questions?