Where do we find the evidence?
There are a number of sources of evidence which can tell us how well we are meeting the needs of children and young people, preparing them for their future lives and what overall difference we are making. These are:
Evidence of broad achievement
Services have a duty to monitor and track the progress of each child and young person across care and education. Services are bound to carry out regular reviews of progress where they meet with parents and carers and the placing authorities. The quality of the information provided from these meetings depends on the nature of integrated planning, the specificity of targets and the way in which the information is presented. The quality, accuracy and comprehensiveness of base-line assessment which indicates the starting point for each child and young person across care and education is the essential starting point for this process.
Information gathered from stakeholders
This information is gathered, primarily, from children and young people, their families, placing authorities, members of the governing body, staff and other agencies, including advocates on behalf of the children and young people such as Children’s Rights Officers and staff from Who Cares? Scotland. Without gathering information from stakeholders it would be difficult to understand the impact of our work on children and young people and know if we are doing the right things. It is almost impossible to answer the high-level questions with any degree of confidence without including the views of stakeholders. In schools for children and young people with multiple and complex needs, professional judgements based on observation, careful examination of documentation, including young people’s files and plans, and discussion with key workers will be used to evaluate the quality of provision. The essential element of gathering information from stakeholders is the skill with which the information is analysed and used to improve practice and provision.
Observation of practice
For senior mangers to have a clear view of the quality of their service they must identify those staff who have a key role in observing practice directly in classrooms, residences and in other relevant situations. They should have developed a rolling programme which involves activities such as attending key team meetings, attending review meetings with placing authorities, parents and carers, and observing indirect work with individual children and young people. All staff should be clear about the importance of peer evaluation as a means to improving practice.
Supervision and support of staff
The regularity, nature and quality of supervision and support given to staff is a key component of the overall approach to quality assurance. There is clear guidance in relation to the importance of supervision for care staff.7 Effective services ensure that a similar supportive system is in place for all other staff. The quality of the overall outcomes for the service and the impact on individual children and young people is dependent on the combined effectiveness of each individual member of staff. Knowing the strengths and development needs of each member of staff and supporting them to improve their effectiveness is the prime aim of supervision. Access to a range of effective training opportunities, both joint and specific and across care and education, will ensure continuous professional development.
Relevant documentation
There are several key documents with significant relevance to the sector which can help with the identification of best practice and thereby the practice of self-evaluation. Some background documents are contained in the references section on pages 4 to 9. In addition, all services have a wide range of policies and guidance on care and protection and learning and teaching which will lead to improved practice. However, they will require continual review and updating. Children’s and young people’s plans, reports to parents, carers and placing authorities, records of accidents and incidents and complaints and the service’s improvement plan are key documents to be considered when evaluating overall quality.
Using different sources of evidence to make improve services
These sources of evidence are considered to be complementary as no single source can provide enough meaningful evidence on its own to enable a reliable or robust evaluation to be made. Services must use all available evidence to form a holistic view of the quality of care and education.
The diagram below and the text which follows shows you how to test or ‘triangulate’ one set of evidence against another so that an overall evaluation can be made using QIs and NCSs.