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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PROTECTED AND THEIR NEEDS MET?: Self-evaluation using quality indicators

Part 2
The Quality Indicators

The quality indicators are organised around five key questions about the quality of services provided. The five key questions are as follows:

1. How effective is the help children and young people get when they need it?

2. How effectively do agencies and the community work together to keep children and young people safe?

3. How good is the delivery of key processes?

4. How good is operational management in protecting children and young people and meeting their needs?

5. How good is individual and collective strategic leadership?

The quality indicators have been developed to help us evaluate our practice so that we can answer these questions. Answering these key questions will then help us to answer the overarching question, How well are children and young people protected and their needs met? taking into account the quality of the service currently being delivered, the quality of leadership and direction and the capacity for services to maintain and improve quality.

These five key questions sit well under an overall structure for quality assurance across a wider range of services for children and young people which is being developed. The overall structure under development encourages those providing services to consider the quality of their work in relation to six key areas as follows:

• the key performance outcomes achieved;
• the impact of services on meeting the needs of stakeholders;
• the effectiveness of the delivery of key processes;
• the effectiveness of operational management;
• the effectiveness of strategic management; and
• capacity for improvement.

Relationship between the quality indicators and The Framework for Standards

There is a very close relationship between The Framework for Standards and the Children’s Charter and the quality indicators. Those who have used The Framework for Standards as a basis for self evaluation will have taken useful and significant steps towards self-evaluation. The two sets of materials are designed to be consistent and to complement each other.

Key points from more than one Standard are sometimes drawn together to illustrate a specific quality indicator. Each of the key questions relates broadly to specific Standards. The quality indicators and their illustrations draw heavily on these specific Standards. In designing the quality indicators, a careful check has been made to ensure that all of the ‘bullet points’ within the Standards are included within the set of quality indicators and their illustrations.

Broadly the Standards match across the key questions as follows:

1. How effective is the help children and young people get when they need it?

Standard 1: Children get the help they need when they need it.
Standard 2: Professionals take timely and effective action to protect children.
Standard 3: Professionals ensure children are listened to and respected.

2. How effectively do agencies and the community work together to keep children and young people safe?

Standard 7: Agencies work in partnership with members of the community to protect children.

3. How good is the delivery of key processes?

Standard 4: Agencies and professionals share information about children where this is necessary to protect them.
Standard 5: Agencies and professionals work together to assess needs and risks and develop effective plans.

4. How good is operational management in protecting children and young people and meeting their needs?

Standard 6: Professionals are competent and confident.

5. How good is individual and collective strategic leadership?

Standard 8: Agencies, individually and collectively demonstrate leadership and accountability for their work and its effectiveness.

Summary of the Quality Indicators

The Quality Indicators with Illustrations

1 How effective is the help children and young people get when they need it?

1.1 Children and young people are listened to, understood and respected

Themes

• Communication
• Trust

Illustrations

Very good

• Children, young people and families² have good communication with professionals who know them well. They are listened to, understood and respected and their views are taken into account when decisions are made about their lives. Children, young people or family members with learning or communication difficulties, or for whom English is not their first language are helped to understand as much as possible about what is happening to them and to communicate with professionals. Professionals respect children’s and young people’s need for emotional continuity and security. Where children are too young or too disabled to communicate their feelings and views, professionals are sensitive to and seek to understand any changes in their health, behaviour or emotional well-being.
• Children and young people talk to professionals when they need help. Generally they can identify an adult outwith their own family that they can go to with a problem. They have a named person to help them and can see that person regularly if they choose. They can discuss issues in private when they want to. Children, young people and families trust the professionals who are helping them. Children’s and young people’s needs are understood by professionals. Children and young people feel that the professionals involved in their lives are using their power to help keep them safe. Professionals have taken the time to find out about what the family think are their strengths. Even where they disagree with the actions taken by professionals, children, young people and families understand the reasons for those actions. They know what actions they can take if they want to challenge decisions.

Weak

• Some children, young people and families have had to speak to a lot of different professionals and feel that no one person is there to help them. A child, young person or family has built up a relationship with a practitioner but staff shortages or turnover means that it is hard for them to contact specific professionals. Practitioners in some of the agencies do not make sufficient efforts to understand the emotional state and feelings of babies, very young children and children or young people with severe communication difficulties. Practitioners do not consistently ensure that a child, young person or family member, whose first language is not English or who has communication difficulties, has the appropriate support at meetings or interviews.
• Some professionals do not take sufficient time or have sufficient skill to get to know a child or young person and build a relationship. Whilst some children and young people have a named person, a number state that there are no professionals in whom they feel confident to talk about personal issues. Children, young people and family members sometimes feel marginalised or judged by professionals. They know professionals are trying to help them but they are concerned that the decisions made do not take sufficient account of their wishes, or empower them to help themselves.

1.2 Children and young people benefit from strategies to minimise harm

Themes

• Support for vulnerable children, young people and families
• Children’s and young people’s awareness of keeping themselves safe

Illustrations

Very good

• When a child or young person needs help, there is generally an adult who knows them well, who recognises their need and takes steps to help them. Children and young people normally have access to someone to talk to about any worries or concerns, for example, a teacher in school, or another adult they trust. Practical and emotional support, to reduce the likelihood of children and young people experiencing harm, is provided. Support is provided frequently enough and at times, in places and in ways that are acceptable to children, young people and families. Professionals act to ensure that children and young people receive help even if family members are unable or unwilling to accept help on their behalf. Children, young people and families benefit from the help provided and are less at risk. They play an active role in reviewing the effectiveness of help. Help is available for as long as children, young people and families need it.
• Children and young people demonstrate good awareness of personal safety and their right to be free from harm. They understand their right to be safe and have positive relationships. They know who to contact if they need help. They understand the risks involved in using communications technology, for example the internet and chatrooms. They talk to trusted adults about keeping themselves safe and, where relevant, coping with the effects of neglect or difficult living circumstances.

Weak

• Professionals recognise when children or young people are vulnerable, but do not have sufficient or appropriate services to help some of them until they are perceived to be at serious risk. Children, young people and families sometimes do not get help early enough and difficulties become entrenched by the time help becomes available. There are some services available, but families find them difficult to take up because they are not provided at a suitable time or place. Families are not always committed to services or motivated to participate fully because they are unclear of the benefits for them. Effectiveness of services is not reviewed or evaluated and professionals are unable to demonstrate that they have reduced vulnerability or prevented harm.
• Children and young people show some important weaknesses in their awareness of personal safety. They are uncertain about who to contact or speak to if they have concerns about themselves or another child. There are posters and telephone numbers of who to contact for help, but these are not widely available to all children and young people or in alternative languages and formats. Some children and young people are not able to talk about their worries or difficulties or seek help from professionals.

1.3 Children and young people are helped by the actions taken in immediate response to concerns

Theme

• Professionals’ initial response to children, young people and families who need help

Illustrations

Very good

• All children and young people’s concerns are treated seriously and respectfully by the person hearing them. Children and young people know what is going to happen next and why. They are aware of any immediate help that will be provided and they do not feel that help has been delayed inappropriately. When concerns have been raised by another person, either a professional or another adult who knows the child or young person’s circumstances, the child or young person concerned knows the nature of the concerns and is given a suitable opportunity to respond. Children and young people are kept informed about any further enquiries, investigations or criminal proceedings and they understand the reasons and implications for themselves and others. They receive helpful advice and support when these processes are taking place. Actions taken to help children and young people are proportionate to the risks and needs identified.

Weak

• Children or young people raising concerns do not feel confident that their concern has been taken seriously or that action has been taken. They have often had to raise their concern with a number of different professionals before someone has taken action. Where a professional is the person who identified the concern, the child, young person or family does not feel that the concern has been discussed fully with them or that they have had any or enough say about whether and how it is taken further. Children, young people and families receive some feedback from professionals but do not feel they are always consulted or kept fully informed about any actions that are taken. It is not always clear to them how and why decisions have been made. They do not feel that they received sufficient advice and support concerning the processes that are taking place, nor have they felt able to challenge them. Professionals who have raised a concern about a child or young person do not get clear feedback on what action has been taken as a result of this concern. As a result, they feel unsure about the best ways of continuing to work with the child, young person or family concerned which affects their relationship with them.

1.4 Children’s and young people’s needs are met

Themes

• Meeting needs
• Reducing the longer term effects of abuse or neglect

Illustrations

Very good

• Children and young people are generally protected from risk or harm by the actions taken by professionals. Children and young people are supported through any processes of assessment, investigation and provision of longer term services. They understand the reasons for actions taken or not taken and continue to receive support with any feelings or fears about this. Their short and long term needs have been well identified and met. Their lives have been improved both immediately and in the longer term. Where children and young people are too young or too disabled to express a view about their welfare and safety, there is tangible evidence that their welfare and safety have improved. Families have received sufficient, timely help to keep their children safe and meet their needs.
• Children and young people receive services for as long as they need them. Where children, young people or families have been referred to specialist services to help them overcome the effects of abuse, these services are available quickly and have been helpful. As a result of services to support recovery, children and young people have made progress towards good physical and mental health and towards developing their full potential and skills for adulthood.

Weak

• A number of children and young people are unclear about the reasons for action taken or not taken. They are left feeling unsupported, insecure or still at risk. Some children’s and young people’s needs have not been met. Help has not been provided for long enough and as a result there has been no marked improvement in their lives. Where children and young people are too young or too disabled to express a view, professionals have not fully evaluated both the short and longer term advantages and risks for the child or young person of any actions taken. For some families, the help provided was insufficient or concerns were not responded to early enough.
• Whilst children and young people have been referred to specialist services they felt that this was not done quickly enough. Some children and young people have found it difficult to sustain attendance at specialist services. They do not always feel positive about the outcomes of intervention by services.

2 How effectively do agencies and the community work together to keep children and young people safe?

2.1 Public awareness of the safety and protection of children and young people

Themes

• Confidence of the public in services
• Responses to concerns raised by members of the public about a child’s or young person’s safety or welfare

Illustrations

Very good

• Agencies demonstrate that they have taken effective steps to promote the safety and protection of children and young people in their community, for example through local awareness raising campaigns. Members of the public are confident that services in the area protect children and young people and help them if they are at risk of harm. They know who to contact when they have concerns about a child or young person and are confident that necessary action will be taken as a result of their contact. Agencies with statutory responsibility for the protection of children have systems in place to ensure contact with a professional is available at all times.
• There is evidence that members of the public make referrals. The receiving agency or professional takes such referrals seriously, notes the details accurately and passes the information on to someone who can find out more about the situation and take any necessary action. Members of the public are given appropriate feedback to indicate what action has been taken.

Weak

• A considerable number of members of the public demonstrate uncertainty about who to contact and what to do if they have concerns about a child or young person. They are not always confident that services protect children and young people well. Agencies have undertaken some public awareness raising campaigns but have been inconsistent in their approaches to promoting safety.
• Some professionals are not clear about what to do if someone raises a concern about a child or young person with them, for example the parent of another child or a neighbour, and may fail to take appropriate action. Sometimes in responding to a concern raised by a member of the public, professionals may either intervene in such a way that the child or young person is put at further risk, or they may not follow through on the concern rigorously enough.

3. How good is the delivery of key processes?

3.1 Involving children, young people and their families in key processes

Themes

• Keeping children, young people and their families informed and involved
• Addressing dissatisfaction and complaints

Illustrations

Very Good

• Professionals listen to children, young people and their families, take their views seriously and ensure their views are recorded. Professionals help children, young people and their families to express their views, particularly at meetings, if they require it. Professionals ensure that children, young people and their families are actively involved in making decisions about how they can be helped, unless this compromises the child or young person’s safety or that of other children or young people. In circumstances where children, young people and families are not actively involved in decision making, professionals record this, with reasons.
• Easily understood information about how to express dissatisfaction or make a complaint is made available to all children, young people and families. When children, young people or families express dissatisfaction with any aspect of service their concerns are taken seriously and addressed quickly. Where children, young people or families choose to pursue their dissatisfaction formally through a complaints process, support and advocacy services are available to help them through the process. If a complaint concerns alleged abuse or neglect by a staff member, foster carer or volunteer, the links between the complaints procedure, child protection procedure and disciplinary procedure are clearly articulated and understood by the member of staff investigating the allegation. Complaints are investigated thoroughly and objectively, generally within specified timescales. Children, young people or families making complaints receive feedback about the result of any complaint and any action taken. Agencies regularly review and analyse the range and nature of complaints about services.

Weak

• Professionals do not always make clear to children, young people and their families who to contact if they want information about what action is being taken to help them or who is taking action to help them. Some professionals have established good contact with children, young people and families, but overall the professionals involved with a family have not made clear their roles and responsibilities. Professionals do not consistently ensure that children, young people and families are able to express their views and that people listen to them. Professionals talk to children and young people about what they want but do not record what the child or young person has said or do not take sufficient account of these views when making decisions.
• On occasions children, young people and their families do not receive information about how to express dissatisfaction or make a complaint unless they ask for it. They receive written information but it is hard to follow and not suitable for children and young people. Expressions of dissatisfaction are often dealt with slowly and sometimes dismissed out of hand without necessary enquiries being made. Some children, young people and families find the formal complaints procedures daunting but are not provided with sufficient support to help them through the process or feedback afterwards. Some managers investigating complaints are not clear how relevant procedures link together. Whilst complaints about services are recorded, systematic review and analysis of complaints does not always take place.

3.2 Information sharing and recording

Themes

• Appropriate sharing of information
• Joint understanding of information
• Management and recording of information

Illustrations

Very Good

• Professionals clearly understand when they need to share information about children, young people and their families and they regularly share information in order to protect children and young people from harm. Professionals are aware of the need to share information about adults who may be a risk to children and young people. They share information which is relevant to the long and short term needs of children and young people. Professionals who are gathering information in order to assess the risks to and needs of a child or young person, ensure that they seek information from all relevant sources, including professionals who may be involved with other family members. Agencies identify what information parents, children and young people are content to share freely and take account of each child’s or young person’s and their parents’ or carers’ views when deciding to share information without their consent. Professionals ensure that parents, children and young people are aware of what information is held about them. Professionals provide reasons and explain to them when they have to share information without consent.
• When information is shared, the professional communicating the information ensures that the recipient has fully understood the significance of the information, makes clear what is fact and what is opinion and ensures there is agreement about expected actions. There is a record of what information has been shared, why and with whom.
• Individual professionals record the information they hold about children, young people and families accurately and succinctly in accordance with their agency’s policies. Recording includes, in all agencies, a chronology of events and contacts which assist professionals to understand key events in children’s and young people’s lives. This record of events is reviewed and analysed regularly. Information is stored securely but is readily accessible to those who have a right of access. Where there are arrangements for sharing files or electronic systems, there are clear protocols in place which are understood by all staff, including staff who are managing data bases. These protocols are followed.

Weak

• Professionals are not sure about what information they can and should share. They sometimes do not pass on information which may have important implications for the safety of a child or young person because they believe it to be confidential. Sometimes professionals lose the trust of children and young people and families because they have passed on information without consent or without explaining why it was necessary.
• Sometimes professionals pass on confidential information verbally to another professional, but they do not ensure that the information is used responsibly in the best interests of a child or young person. Professionals who have responsibility for gathering information seek information from some other professionals who have contact with the child or young person, but do not always ensure that they are aware of other services, including voluntary organisations, which may have had contact with the child or young person or other members of their family.
• Professionals keep records of their work but some records are incomplete and sometimes can be difficult to follow. Notes kept on files give broad outlines of the child’s or young person’s circumstances, but do not give sufficient detail to properly inform the professional decision making process. Information is stored in a variety of locations and professionals have difficulty in accessing it. Information is not always stored securely.

3.3 Recognising and assessing risks and needs

Themes

• Recognising a child or young person needs help
• Initial information gathering and investigation
• Assessment of risks and needs

Illustrations

Very Good

• All professionals who have contact with children, young people or families are alert to and recognise the signs that children or young people may need help or protection from harm. This includes professionals who do not have a direct responsibility for children, such as those working with the adults in a family. If a concern is raised about a child or young person that requires further exploration, all professionals involved have the skills to gather pertinent information. All professionals take immediate action to ensure that no child or young person is exposed to continued risk of harm. When a concern is raised about or by a child or young person, an appropriate professional, preferably someone known to the child, sees them, reassures them and establishes the nature of the concern and any immediate risks.
• When concerns about a child or young person are referred to the police or social work and/or the Children’s Reporter, an immediate assessment of the risk of harm to that child and any other associated children and young people is carried out. There is a consistent response to calls about children at risk of harm whenever the call is made, and whether the call is from a professional or a member of the public. The person raising the concern is provided with feedback as appropriate. In appropriate circumstances, there is an initial referral discussion between social work, health and police and any other relevant professional to establish what is already known about the child, young person and their family and to come to a joint decision about what further action is required, in the best interests of the child or young person. Enquiries or investigations are planned jointly giving due weight to the welfare of the child or young person and the gathering of evidence, for example during joint forensic examination. As part of an assessment, professionals consider whether to make a referral about a child or young person to the Children’s Reporter with the rationale for referral/non referral being recorded.
• Professionals follow up initial assessment, when relevant, with a more comprehensive assessment of risk and need in which they consider the child’s or young person’s circumstances and their emotional, social and developmental needs in a holistic way. They describe the matters of concern. They assess the child’s or young person’s resilience and how they are likely to respond to their circumstances. They assess the family’s capacity to protect each child or young person and meet their needs. The professionals consider the implications of all of this information for the child or young person’s well-being. They identify and quantify risk. In taking account of risks and needs, professionals can clearly identify the range of positive and negative outcomes of any action planned. Based on all available information, including the views of the child or young person and his/her family, professionals come to informed judgements about the needs of each child or young person. They do not delay taking action to help a child or young person while they are making their assessment. Professionals write assessment reports which clearly distinguish fact from opinion, identify personal and family strengths and support networks, and clearly describe the needs of the child or young person. All agencies who contribute to the assessment of a child’s or young person’s needs and risks share an agreed approach to assessment, which is child-centred and ensures that all aspects of risk and need are covered. They recognise that assessment is not a single action but an ongoing process and continue to assess each child or young person’s needs and risk of harm as circumstances change.

Weak

• All professionals have some knowledge about how to respond when they feel a child or young person needs help but they do not consistently recognise when it is necessary to seek further assessment of the situation. Some professionals who do not have direct responsibility for children or young people take no action when they see vulnerable children or young people in the course of their work. If a child or young person seems at immediate risk, they pass on their concerns but overlook signs of neglect or harm.
• Some professionals are unsure of how they should respond when they are concerned that a child or young person may be at risk of harm. Professionals do not always carry out immediate risk assessments after initial referrals are made to police and social work. They do not always consider the risks to other children who are not the subject of the referral. Professionals do not consistently secure information from all relevant agencies at the time of the initial referral, so, for example omission of information held by health professionals may reduce the effectiveness of the decision making process. Professionals normally plan investigations jointly but there are occasions when a single agency takes a unilateral course of action which is detrimental to the child or young person.
• When further assessment is undertaken, professionals make assessment of the child or young person’s needs but focus only on the aspect with which they are directly concerned, for example, social work assessments do not take account of the child’s or young person’s educational needs. Professionals make their assessment separately, so that a child, young person and family may have to describe their concerns to several different professionals. When carrying out an assessment, professionals do not give sufficient attention to the relative impact of different courses of action. Written reports describe the child’s or young person’s and family’s circumstances, but do not clearly reflect the judgements made on the current or future needs of the child or young person. Individual agencies have developed guidance which does not take account of practice in other agencies which may be involved in the assessment and there is no joint policy or guidance on assessment. Guidance to professionals focuses on bureaucratic requirements rather than promoting good professional practice.

3.4 Effectiveness of planning to meet needs

Themes

• Decision making, identifying responsibilities and meeting needs
• Taking account of changing circumstances

Illustrations

Very Good

• Professionals plan carefully together to protect each child or young person and meet their needs. In so doing, they take account of all assessment which has taken place. They consider the support networks and resources currently available, any gaps and the resources and options to fill these. They take account of the views of the child or young person and their family during the process of planning. They come to carefully considered decisions about children and young people which put their safety and needs first. They consider the child’s or young person’s long term and immediate needs. Decisions are clearly recorded in a plan which identifies roles, responsibilities and monitoring and review arrangements. The actions agreed are carried out and professionals provide any help or support to the child, young person or the family that has been identified in the plan for as long as it is needed. As a result of the action agreed in the plan there are improvements in the situation of the child or young person.
• As part of the planning process, professionals consider alternative actions which may help the child or young person if the decisions made in the plan do not continue to meet the child’s or young person’s needs. If the level of risk changes or there is lack of progress, professionals quickly review the arrangements made and take any actions necessary to help the child or young person.

Weak

• A general plan has been agreed but action to help the child or young person is delayed because the professionals involved have not clearly identified who will do what and when. Professionals meet together and agree a plan but do not take sufficient account of the views of the child or young person or their family. Professionals have made good arrangements for the safety of the child or young person to meet their immediate needs, but they have not taken sufficient account of their long term needs, for example, whether a placement can give long term stability to the child or young person.
• Occasionally a child or young person may be left in unsafe circumstances despite an agreed protection plan being in place, for example when there is a lack of an identified resource and no alternative option has been considered. While positive actions may have taken place, there are occasions when an action identified by a single professional to protect a child or young person has been delayed leaving a child or young person at risk, because of a procedural requirement for interagency agreement.

4. How good is operational management in protecting children and young people and meeting their needs?

4.1 Policies and procedures

Themes

• Range and framework of policies and link to vision, value and aims
• Managing, disseminating, evaluating and updating policies

Illustrations

Very Good

• Individual agencies, including statutory, voluntary and independent agencies have clear and appropriate policies, procedures and systems in place in relation to protecting children and young people and keeping them safe. Policies, procedures and guidelines link clearly to the CPC’s vision, values and aims for protecting children and young people. Key agencies with responsibility for protecting children and young people have developed guidance and procedures for joint working, which make clear individual agency roles and responsibilities. These procedures help staff by guiding them towards making well considered decisions and to take prompt and effective action to protect children and young people. Procedures help to ensure consistency across all professionals working with children and young people in the area. All policies related to work with children and young people take account of the need to protect children and young people.
• Policies and procedures are effectively disseminated and all staff are familiar with them. Evaluations are made regularly on the effectiveness of policies and guidelines and these are systematically updated to take account of changing circumstances, staff views and national and local priorities. The views of children, young people and familes are taken into account in developing policies and guidelines. A systematic approach to the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of policies ensures that policies are well understood and consistently implemented.

Weak

• Individual agencies have some policies in relation to their responsibilities for protecting children and young people, but these policies do not cover all their relevant areas of activity and responsibility. Individual policies do not give a clear enough indication of their practical application and do not give sufficiently clear guidance for practitioners. Development of these policies has not taken fully into account important local and national priorities and improvement objectives. The vision, value and aims do not systematically inform the development of policies and the links between aims and policies may not always be clearly perceived. Agencies develop their aims to some extent in isolation from each other.
• There is a framework for the development and review of individual policies but it does not fully reflect the priorities of child protection. Agencies do not review and amend policies on a sufficiently regular basis and many policies lack the necessary updating to take account of changing circumstances and national and local priorities. Front line staff and stakeholders are not regularly involved in review and development of policies and guidance. Staff do not consistently follow procedures, which sometimes impedes their work with children and young people.

4.2 Operational Planning

Themes

• Performance management and the planning framework
• Development and use of management information

Illustrations

Very Good

• Managers at an operational level ensure that the staff they manage are aware of the implications of the Integrated Children’s Services Plan for their work. Professional and service boundaries are innovative and flexible. Where demand for services outstrips available resources, relevant agencies agree on priorities which will achieve the maximum impact on protecting children and young people and meeting their needs. Operational managers ensure that staff understand and are supported to effectively implement operational plans, where relevant, in conjunction with other agencies. There are systems in place that encourage managers and staff to contribute to planning and their operational knowledge and skills are used effectively.
• Operational managers ensure that efficient management information systems are in place for operations that they manage. They ensure that management information systems are used as a dynamic tool to inform their work and that of the staff that they manage. For instance, they are aware of local trends in child protection referrals, have an understanding of the implications for their staff and for resource allocation of these trends and put in place systems and services which effectively respond to these trends.

Weak

• Agencies work together to develop plans but they often remain unread, or are viewed as something separate from day to day operations or are deemed too difficult to implement. Agencies implement their individual plans but there is insufficient focus on collaboration and co-ordination with other agencies. Where resources are insufficient to meet demand, managers and staff in individual agencies take narrow, restrictive views of professional remits. This potentially or actually creates dangers for children, young people and families, for example, child protection cases in one or more agencies remain unallocated. Staff are aware of agency plans but have little understanding of how they apply to their work. Because they have not been sufficiently involved, some staff are resistant to developments for improvement.
• Management information is collected but it is not analysed systematically. Its relevance to effectiveness of services to protect children and meet their needs is not fully appreciated and can sometimes be afforded a low priority. Trends are not always analysed or shared with other agencies.

4.3 Participation of children, young people, families and other relevant people in policy development

Themes

• Seeking views of children, young people and families
• Involving children, young people and families in developing services

Illustrations

Very Good

• Agencies regularly seek the views of children, young people and their families on the effectiveness of the service with which they have had contact. They systematically collate these views within and across agencies and use the information to evaluate the overall service. They use advocacy services regularly to seek the views of children and young people about the service they have received. They also seek the views of children, young people and families who have not engaged with services.
• When designing new services, or planning to improve services, professionals take account of any information they have gathered on the views of stakeholders. They actively seek to involve children, young people and families when they design services, for example by having them on working groups, or holding focus groups to look at what kind of services are required. There is ongoing discussion between service users, or their representatives, and professionals about what children, young people and families want and need.

Weak

• Individual professionals or agencies seek information from children, young people and their families about the service they have received but this is not collated and analysed systematically at agency or inter-agency level. Agencies rely too heavily on users coming forward with their views, but are not sufficiently active in soliciting the views of hard to reach children, young people and their families.
• Professionals gather views from stakeholders, but do not respond consistently to the issues raised when designing or developing services. They invite users to contribute to planning but do not actively help them to participate fully, or ensure that their views are given due weight.

4.4 Recruitment and retention of staff

Themes

• Identifying and meeting human resource needs
• Safe recruitment and retention practice

Illustrations

Very Good

• Agencies, individually and collectively identify the staffing necessary to provide an effective service for children, young people and their families who may be at risk of harm. They plan together to identify key tasks and to ensure the right mix of professional skills is available. They effectively select and retain staff who are competent and responsive to the needs of children and young people. Agencies have strategies for retaining staff such as policies to promote good health and safety at work. Where there are staff shortages, they prioritise appropriately and in a way which makes clear to the workforce and other agencies how prioritisation has been carried out and how this affects areas of partnership work.
• All agencies have established safe recruitment arrangements. They ensure, in particular, that all staff that are likely to have contact with children have been suitably vetted. They ensure the safe recruitment arrangements are always carried through, for example, references are thoroughly checked. They have effective procedures for investigating alleged abuse by staff members, foster carers and volunteers and for taking any necessary disciplinary action.

Weak

• Agencies, individually and collectively have identified a deficiency in staffing required to provide an effective service for children, young people and their families, but this has not yet been addressed. Whilst positive professional relationships have been established, the managers from different agencies and organisations have not yet taken steps to plan together to identify key tasks and ensure the right mix of professional skills and expertise is available. Staff health and safety is not regularly monitored or reviewed. Recruitment or retention difficulties have not been fully explained to the wider workforce or partners resulting in a lack of prioritisation and unnecessary tension and difficulty. Strategies to address significant staff resourcing issues have not yet been fully developed.
• Agencies are aware of the requirements to ensure that they only recruit and retain people who are qualified and safe to work with children and young people. Some managers, however, are unaware of their wider responsibilities in relation to vetting or disciplinary procedures, which have been applied inconsistently.

4.5 Development of staff

Themes

• Professional competence and confidence
• Staff development and training

Illustrations

Very Good

• Managers ensure that staff are supported, supervised and accountable in their work. Help and advice are available when needed but they are allowed to exercise appropriate initiative and professional judgement. Managers in all agencies, through appropriate arrangements for staff appraisal, ensure that professionals working with children, young people and their families are competent and confident in carrying out their work. They ensure that professionals have appropriate knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications. In particular, they ensure that professionals are skilled and experienced in communication with children and young people and understand the impact of parents’ behaviour on the well-being of their children. Managers ensure that their staff keep up to date with relevant legislation, research and good practice as appropriate. Managers ensure that staff are adequately protected from violence and aggression and that the risks to both professionals and children and young people are minimised. When professionals are involved in very complex cases over a period of time, they have access to independent counselling.
• Agencies, individually and jointly, audit the training needs of staff and plan a coherent and progressive training programme to meet the needs of the workforce and the organisation. The programme also takes account of local and national priorities for improving services for protecting children and young people and meeting their needs. This should take account of all staff, including those who do not work directly with children or young people but who need to know how to respond when they see a child or young person who may need help. Training is organised and delivered in a range of contexts, including multi-disciplinary courses. Induction processes and training for all staff address child protection issues and, following induction, staff are clear about their responsibilities in relation to protecting children. There is evidence that professionals have taken up training opportunities and have evaluated them positively. Professionals are clear about their own strengths and development needs and how to improve their knowledge and skills. Managers evaluate training and the effect it has on practice.

Weak

• There are systems in place for regular review of staff and the identification of training needs. However they do not focus sufficiently on the specific skills required for the roles individual professionals carry out to protect children and young people from harm. Arrangements for supervision are in place, but are not always carried out. Arrangements tend to be ad hoc and in response to need, rather than ensuring that staff working with children, particularly when they are involved in difficult situations, have access to regular supervision and debriefing.
• Agencies individually and collectively make available some training in relation to child protection taking account of the local priorities for improvement. However, there is not a clear structure and system for monitoring training and the impact of training. Managers have not given sufficient guidance to staff in relation to their expectations of the levels of training they should undertake. Professionals working directly with children are made aware of their responsibilities in relation to protecting children at induction, but there are other staff groups who see children in the course of their work who do not have child protection in their induction.

5. How good is individual and collective strategic leadership?

5.1 Vision, values and aims

Themes

• Clarity of vision and values
• Appropriateness and clarity of aims
• Promotion of positive attitudes to social and cultural diversity

Illustrations

Very good

• Elected members, board members and senior managers with a responsibility for protecting children and young people have established a clear vision which they use to direct their work. The key organisations or agencies in the area share the same vision and values in relation to protecting children and young people. They have a clear understanding of their collective responsibility for this. This vision is communicated effectively to individuals at all levels in the organisation and with stakeholders.
• The aims of each organisation clearly reflect a commitment to protecting children and young people and the roles and responsibilities of staff in achieving this. Aims have been developed through involvement of a wide range of stakeholders and demonstrate a clear commitment to improvement.
• Elected members, board members and senior managers demonstrate a strong commitment to and take a very clear lead in emphasising issues of equality. They and their staff demonstrate that they are aware of diversity and ensure that no child or young person or family receives a less effective service to meet their needs due, for example, to ethnicity, disability or any individual’s sexual orientation.

Weak

• There is insufficient clarity about where responsibility for services to protect children and young people and meet their needs sits within each agency or organisation. Senior managers have a vision which they use to direct their work but this vision has not been communicated or shared with others. There are statements relating to protecting children and young people in joint plans, for example in the Integrated Children’s Services Plan, but individual agency improvement plans do not consistently articulate the agency’s commitment to protecting children and young people. Specific agencies are clear about their responsibilities, but agencies working in an area have not yet achieved a clear understanding of their collective responsibilities and how they should work together in the best interests of children and young people and their families.
• Aims for protecting children and young people lack clarity and are not well understood by staff and stakeholders. The respective aims within the community, corporate and Integrated Children’s Services Plans are insufficiently linked.
• The aims and vision set out expectations for equality and social justice. However, these are not yet evidenced in practice. Agencies take some account of the individual needs of children, young people and families, for example, through provision of interpreting or translating services. They have not yet ensured that all workers are aware of the complexities of cultural issues or the impact of disability.

5.2 Leadership and direction

Themes

• Joint leadership within and across agencies
• Strategic deployment of resources

Illustrations

Very good

• There is a clear line of accountability within and across organisations, including the CPC, for protecting children and young people and meeting their needs. Senior managers collectively promote key priorities and set high but realistic expectations for keeping children and young people safe from harm and neglect. Elected members, board members and senior managers provide strong leadership and direction and have a clear understanding of the national context. They take steps to ensure that the protection of children and young people is a priority in strategic planning. Senior managers and the CPC work together to ensure the delivery of effective services to protect children and young people and keep them safe. The CPC has taken full account of national guidance with regard to public information, continuous improvement and strategic planning.
• Senior managers ensure that resources are made available, managed effectively and targeted towards protecting children and young people and keeping them safe. When appropriate, they include voluntary and private organisations in planning, development and delivery of services. They identify and share resources to provide the most effective outcomes for children and young people. Senior managers have developed a clear best value approach to deliver continuous improvement. Children and young people are never left at risk because professionals cannot agree responsibility for providing a service or because bureaucratic systems prevent professionals being able to provide the service they need.

Weak

• Elected members, board members and senior managers do not have a sufficiently clear view of the strategic role of their individual and collective agencies in planning services to protect children and young people. As a result the work is taken forward mainly at an operational level. Community, corporate and Integrated Children’s Services Plans lack cohesion. Elected members, board members and managers do not always demonstrate mutual understanding of the national context, of local priorities and of child protection. There are some important gaps or weaknesses in the range and balance of the skills, abilities and experience of members which diminishes the overall effectiveness of the CPC.
• Resource allocation is not closely enough linked to key agreed objectives. The rationale for the strategic deployment of resources to child protection is not transparent nor does it match closely national guidance. Opportunities for appropriate joining of budgets or sharing resources have not always been taken and as a consequence there is insufficient resource to deliver effective outcomes for children and young people. There are unnecessary or historic patterns of budget allocation which sometimes prevent resources being directed towards best outcomes for children and young people. Professionals find it difficult to access resources for early intervention and support for families to prevent harm. Partnerships with voluntary and private organisations are not fully developed to maximise support for children, young people and families.

5.3 Leadership of people and partnerships

Themes

• Relationships with staff and development of teamwork across agencies
• Promotion of collaborative ethos

Illustrations

Very good

• Senior managers actively promote joint working through joint planning, training and monitoring arrangements. They ensure that their staff work with other professionals to achieve better outcomes for each child or young person. They give a high priority to building confidence and self-esteem in staff and partners and provide professional and personal support and encouragement where appropriate. Senior managers ensure that professionals are valued and their achievements recognised.
• Senior managers develop strong links with stakeholders, partners and other agencies who are well known to them and lead joint improvement activities. Stakeholders, partners, other agencies and services have a good opportunity to raise issues including proposals to improve quality and any concerns they might have. Senior managers promote a culture of collaboration at all levels within their organisations.

Weak

• Relationships and interaction with colleagues and partner organisations and the public can be inconsistent and punctuated by misunderstandings, lack of clarity and tensions. Whilst there are mechanisms for joint planning, the delivery of services to protect children and young people is not holistic. In general, teamwork is not well established and, where teams are in operation, objectives and targets are not focussed enough.
• Senior managers generally work hard and are dedicated to their specific responsibilities, but do not focus strongly enough on collaborative working and shared responsibility. Where opportunities do exist to engage with stakeholders and other agencies, they tend to be infrequent or reactive to prevailing circumstances and do not routinely involve partner organisations.

5.4 Leadership of change and improvement

Themes

• Monitoring and development
• Building capacity for improvement

Illustrations

Very good

• Senior managers and the CPC actively and systematically take a leading role in ensuring improvement both within and across services. A similar positive role is also undertaken by the CPC in the self-evaluation of joint working. They regularly seek information about how well children and young people are supported and their needs met in the area. They routinely take account of the views of children and young people in evaluating services. They have robust information systems that effectively account for the work of their staff and have systems to support the monitoring and review of outcomes for children and young people. They monitor assessments, decision making and outcomes for individual children and young people and give feedback to staff on their work. They commission critical case reviews when necessary and act on the outcomes. They use the review of cases to encourage open and honest discussion about practice in a safe, confidential environment. They use self evaluation to recognise good practice, make the most effective use of available resources, identify gaps and improve services.
• Senior managers constantly explore ways to create more capacity for improvement. They build capacity through developing talents and skills, providing opportunities for shared leadership and building expertise in their staff. They actively seek external examples of excellence and benchmark their services against them. Senior managers and the CPC build capacity through collaborative work across agencies and ensure commitment which will lead to sustainability.

Weak

• Roles and responsibilities for senior managers do not focus sufficiently on setting targets and challenging staff to improve performance. Senior managers do not place sufficient emphasis on monitoring performance and outcomes and supporting continuous improvement. Managers carry out some evaluation of services but do not involve practitioners or service users. They do not have regular, current information about the impact of services based on sound evidence and reports on performance are not as comprehensive as they might be. There are new developments and initiatives to support children and young people but these are not always based on self-evaluation and an analysis of the needs of users. Agencies have internal systems for monitoring and evaluating services, but they have not yet established processes for looking at the collective impact of services and identifying how joint improvements can be taken forward.
• Senior managers are aware of a range of examples of good practice within the agency or organisation, but have not yet established a strategic overview. Existing self-evaluation approaches are not comprehensive and they do not consider inter-agency working. Changes in practice do not always result in significant qualitative improvements. Partnership working with other services, agencies and stakeholders focuses on implementation of current priorities rather than building capacity and ensuring commitment which will lead to sustainability.

² The words "family" or "families" are used throughout this document to include parents, carers with whom a child or young person lives and other family members who have a major involvement in the life of the child.

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