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Section 2: The Methodology for Joint Inspection of Services to Protect Children and Young People
Notification of Inspection
Chief Officers and the Authority Reporter will receive approximately 12 weeks notice that an inspection will take place. The letter of announcement will be sent to Chief Executives of the local authority and the NHS Board, the Chief Constable and the Authority Reporter.
Information Leaflet
An initial briefing meeting with Chief Executives and senior officers takes place approximately seven weeks before the first phase of inspection commences. During this meeting information leaflets to inform staff and children and families about the joint inspection will be provided. The inspection team will request these leaflets are made available for local distribution to those involved. Each leaflet makes it clear how further information can be received about the purpose and conduct of the inspection and includes contact details for further information. The leaflet advises that for the purpose of joint inspection of child protection services, the inspection team will proceed on the basis of implied consent. It also advises how people can make known to the inspection team and local agencies any concerns they may have. It will state the planned timescales for the inspection and that during a joint inspection, some children and their families may be invited to attend meetings to discuss their experiences. In response to the consultation, the previous leaflet has been amended to add a specific reference to inspectors' access to health records relating to children and young people. Paragraph 3 provides further information.
The Case Sample
Evaluating the experiences of children, young people and families and the impact of the work of professionals involved in helping them will be at the centre of the inspection process. A case sample from the anonymised data provided in the pre-inspection return will be identified. This sample is a stratified random statistically based sample. Core records of this case sample held on these children are sought from all agencies involved with them.
The evidence gathered through the reviewing of individual records will be central to shaping the next phase of the inspection. Some of the sample will be selected for in-depth review, which will include meeting (with their consent) the children, young people and their families, as well as some of the professionals who worked with them. This will take place in the second phase of the field work, and will assist inspectors to make judgements about the quality of the services provided to these families, and the impact of services of the safety and wellbeing of children.
In addition, the review of cases will help inspectors identify key areas of work which they wish to look at more closely during phase two, and shape the nature of discussion with focus groups of professionals, operational and strategic managers.
Confidentiality
The conduct of the inspection will ensure that due regard is paid to the principles of confidentiality as set out in the European Convention of Human Rights and the Data Protection Act 1998. The inspection team will avoid any unnecessary processing of information. No individual names will be recorded or identified in any evidential record held by members of the inspection team. Service users will not be identified or recognisable in any of the reports produced.
Meetings arranged with professionals will provide inspectors with an opportunity to understand the thinking behind the decision-making and the arrangements made for children. Inspectors will hear professional views on how well children's needs are being met including whether professionals experienced any barriers to providing the help they felt the child or young person should have. Inspectors are interested in identifying, promoting and disseminating good practice by professionals.
Meetings will also be requested with families, including children and young people when appropriate, to hear in detail their views on the interventions undertaken by professionals. In particular inspectors want to hear if professional intervention had, in the view of the child or young person made things better for them, and if they had been involved in decisions made about their lives. As mentioned above, all meetings with children and their families will be with their consent. The purpose of the meeting is explained clearly by inspectors at the beginning of the meeting, children and young people retain their right to terminate the interview and children and young people are thanked for agreeing to take part in the evaluation process.
Inspectors will also attend case conferences, reviews, children's hearings, some individual meetings between professionals and families, and any other examples of ongoing practice taking place during the inspection period. Children and their families will always be asked if inspectors can be present at a meeting.
Verbal Feedback
After completion of the fieldwork phase, verbal feedback will be provided to senior officers within 3 weeks. This detailed feedback will cover the evaluations of all the quality indicators, and give the reasons for the evaluations backed by evidence. Feedback will also be given on strengths and areas for improvement. The evaluations made at this point will be provisional, to give agencies the opportunity to identify additional sources of evidence if they disagree with an evaluation.
The Report
The draft report will be shared with chief officers and the Authority Reporter for comments concerning accuracy and to provide an opportunity for the submission of additional evidence. The report will be structured around the over-arching question that inspection sought to answer: " How well are children and young people protected and their needs met?" The emphasis will be on the collective responsibility of the agencies. The report will highlight strengths and areas for improvement. The report is published in a form which makes it accessible to service users.
The model of inspection has been developed so that it focuses on the experience of children, young people and their families, and contributes to helping professionals in seeking continuous improvement for their clients. It is a partnership model which encourages professionals at all levels and their clients to participate in the process. It is firmly evidence-based, and views expressed to inspectors are only used as sources of evidence if they can be confirmed by other sources of evidence. In making their evaluations, inspectors come to a collective professional judgement, based on evidence, and are always willing to discuss evaluations with professionals to ensure they are robust.
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