South East Region Update December 2018

Sector-Led Improvement

• All 19 authorities have agreed to participate in a self-assessment peer challenge process. There will be 6 triads holding all-day challenge sessions in February 2019, leading up to a regional improvement summit on 22 March 2019. The main principle is a non-stigmatising approach to improvement, including the assumption that there is excellent practice in all authorities and that all authorities have improvement needs
• All DCS colleagues now have access, via a password-controlled area of the website, to each other’s self-assessments, data profiles, annual conversation letters and improvement “asks” and “offers”
• The steering group for sector-led work will convert to the RIA steering group in April 2019
• A consultation draft of a new MoU has been released, including proposals for third-party disclosure of concerns or worries about potential service failure, and for data sharing with DfE and others
• Our new project considering “LAC placement issues for vulnerable young people and adolescents (10-18 age group)” has now analysed data on over 800 complex-needs placements across the region. Discussion with DfE commissioning colleagues is progressing to support further the development of the project which is sponsored by Lucy Butler (DCS Oxfordshire).
• Our SEND19 Group, Data Benchmarking Group and Regional Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board continue
• The Children’s Social Care Workforce: Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) for managing the supply and demand of children’s social workers phases one and two is now operational; the MoC has been tested in anger recently and two authorities have parted company
• Networks for assistant directors for safeguarding (or equivalent) and education (or equivalent) continue to provide mutual support.

For further details go to www.seslip.co.uk.

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