Sector-led improvement: taking a fresh look at children’s services Summer Think Tank 2017

1. Sector-led improvement: taking a fresh look at children’s servicesSummer Think Tank 2017 21st – 22nd August 2017 The Manor House Hotel Moreton-in-Marsh Welcome!

2. Welcome, introductions & context setting Anton Florek, Chief Executive, The Staff College

3. Day One

4. Sector-led improvement: taking a fresh look at children’s servicesSummer Think Tank 2017 21st – 22nd August 2017 The Manor House Hotel Moreton-in-Marsh Lunch

5. Session 1 – Improvement in children’s services: context and current challenges Anton Florek, Chief Executive, The Staff College

6. 2013………. This report draws heavily on the views expressed at a 24 hour residential workshop for alumni of the Aspirant DCS programme, delivered by the Virtual Staff College (VSC). The event took place shortly after the announcement of the decision by the Secretary of State to withdraw funding from the Children’s Improvement Board (CIB) for sector led improvement

7. How will sector led improvement continue following the recent announcement by the DfE regarding the funding arrangements for the Children’s Improvement Board? What are the different types of improvement activity and who should lead each? What is, or could, be the role of the regulator/inspectorate in improvement? How do DCSs and children and families derive the most benefit from all this work? If everyone is playing their part in improvement, how do we all work together to best effect?

8. There was collective agreement at the seminar on a number of principles that need to inform the debate about whether and how Ofsted should be involved in work on improvement. These are: A critical inspection report can be the most effective way of challenging the kind of practice that is complacent about its own shortcomings and takes little interest in alternative ways of delivering services, Ofsted cannot anticipate failure, and so it can only intervene after the event, Early support, based on the signatures of risk (see Appendix), remains the most effective and the most efficient way of securing improvement, Expertise does not exist independently of those engaged in outstanding practice, Only the sector can deliver sector-led improvement. Leading in a self-improving system. VSC (2013)

9. It follows that there are two key questions to be addressed in the attempt to find a way of building a strong improvement culture that acknowledges Ofsted but reinforces the need for the sector to be responsible for its own improvement: What does good look like when it isn’t determined and shaped by Ofsted? How can Ofsted be used as part of the improvement journey?

10. That makes improvement the first and most important of all the leadership priorities, and improvement will not happen without collaboration. Quality needs to be benchmarked against other authorities, workforce development is about open and selfless working with colleagues, leadership is about opening up to outside scrutiny. Even if the CIB funding has ceased, it remains essential that professionals should continue sharing what they do with each other in the collective pursuit of improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

11. The signatures of risk A: The broader political and corporate climate Lack of political focus on safeguarding and care Turnover and change in senior leadership Service re-organisation combined with challenging budget reduction The assumption that performance standards are secure in an environment of service maintenance rather than development B: Leading with others Weak commitment from partners Poor workforce development and/or capacity Lack of a learning organisational culture C: Leading children’s services Limited self-awareness and no external challenge Failing to listen to or accept front line feedback Inconsistent observation of practice Professional weakness in supervision and audit Lack of focus on the child’s journey or voice of the child Not developing a culture of anticipation and early warning of issues

12. Strengthen the capacity of the regions to provide effective leadership, whilst ensuring that the DCS group remains the accountable body for sector led improvement. Establish the signatures of risk and the improvement cycle as recommended features of a regional approach to peer challenge involving all authorities in regional or sub regional groups. Lobby Ofsted to review the framework for inspection to ensure that it provides incentives for local authorities to look beyond their immediate boundaries for advice and support, and reward authorities that demonstrate a high level of self-awareness. Ensure that leadership development for children’s services incorporates learning about sector led improvement, including the signatures of risk, and develops the qualities needed for effective systems leadership. Continue to explore the differences between the leadership that is needed to prevent an authority getting into difficulties and that needed to bring it out of intervention. Create a support offer that has credibility at a national level and can be accessed as a national resource. Intervention or Prevention? VSC. (2013)

13. The sector needs to reassert its belief in the whole system, establishing a framework for improvement, based on formal research and other forms of evidence, which puts a premium on the quality of outcomes for children and young people, places children’s services within the wider social context and provides a way of generating effective challenge to the status quo. Room for Improvement? VSC (2014)

14. Government policymakers and children’s services managers are now at the point where they need to decide what model of children’s services they will adopt for the next decade. The choice is unambiguous. Do they adopta model that is focused on early support for children and families, preventing, as far as is safe and possible, the need for children to be looked after by the state, or do they continue with a remedial form of service where we take increasing numbers of children into care as they are presented and fund this system at an appropriate level? Breaking the Lock. Impower (2015)

15. Putting children First Our ambition for this Parliament is radically to reform the children’s social care system, putting practice excellence and achieving more for the children we serve at its heart. Reforms will be structured around three areas: First, people and leadership – bringing the best people into the profession, and giving them the right knowledge and skills for the incredibly challenging but hugely rewarding work we expect them to do, and developing leaders equipped to nurture practice excellence. Second, practice and systems – creating the right environment for excellent practice and innovation to flourish. Third, governance and accountability – making sure that what we are doing is working, using data to show us strengths and weaknesses in the system, and developing innovative new organisational models with the potential to radically improve services. DfE (2016)

17. The ultimate aim of the feasibility study was to assess if there was succulently robust national evidence on the quality of children’s services and their capacity to improve (or lack of it), and a framework that could be used to assess under what circumstances children’s services can make a positive difference to the lives of children in need and their families.

19. This year so far……… ADCS Strategic Residential, February 2017 ADCS Council April 2017 SLI Task and Finish Group established May 2017 ADCS SLI Think Piece – first draft June 2017 ADCS Annual Conference July 2017 Staff College Annual Think Tank August 2017 Regional pilots, Autumn 2017 Next year……. ADCS Annual Strategic Residential, February 2018 Launch of Sector-Led Improvement Alliances, April 2018

20. Sector-led improvement: taking a fresh look at children’s servicesSummer Think Tank 2017 21st – 22nd August 2017 The Manor House Hotel Moreton-in-Marsh Break

21. Session 2 – Improvement in children’s services: towards a sector-led model Anton Florek, Chief Executive, The Staff College

22. It may be that the most enduring legacy of the work by the Children’s Improvement Board on sector led improvement will be the change that it has promoted in the culture of children’s services, from that of competition between authorities to one of collaboration. In response to the call for sector-led improvement, traditional suspicions have been set aside and local authorities have welcomed challenge from neighbours who might once have been kept at arm’s length. Where there has also been a commitment to act, there has been real improvement.

23. Eastern Region SLI developments Jenny Coles, Director of Children’s Services, Hertfordshire County Council

24. Eastern Region Sector Led Improvement Programme August 2017 Status Update

25. Areas of focus • Doing Things Differently • Improving Attainment • Peer Review • Self-Assessment & Peer Challenge • Data Benchmarking • Regional Networking

26. Doing Things Differently Purpose The focus of this regional priority is to share innovation across the region; looking into the most efficient ways of achieving this, e.g. ‘Open’ days, mini-conferences, use of the new website as an information resource Status • New website framework is live at www.erslip.co.ukContent is gradually being added. Starting to demo the site at regional network meetings. Still a lot more to do • Regional event in June focussed on Doing Things Differently. Approx. 80 attendees, with a wide-ranging programme and every LA actively involved • Leaving Care Network hosted a regional event in June for 60 colleagues from around the region to share best practice and learning, relating to Keep On Caring

27. Improving Attainment Purpose To address the gap in attainment of vulnerable children, particularly around KS2 Status • Planning workshop held for school improvement leads and head teachers to review the core issues and current local strategies • Data dashboard prepared and follow-up workshop to identify 4 key workstreams, with further workshops planned to focus on each one from a regional perspective • Piece of work commissioned to map all Local Authorities’ education provision in the region

28. Peer Review Purpose To provide challenge and support in targeted, thematic areas of service Status • Multi-agency peer review conducted in Hertfordshire on domestic abuse • LAC / CL peer review conducted in Central Bedfordshire • Paired peer reviews (based on a revised methodology) have been taking place into Contact & Referral arrangements; some pairings have been delayed to allow for new arrangements to bed-in prior to the review • Planning is well advanced to provide peer review training for a new cohort of 24 colleagues from around the region in October 2017

29. Self-Assessment & PeerChallenge Purpose To ensure a regular review of whole-service operations, with mutual support and challenge to sustain a trajectory of learning and improvement Status • Annual self-assessments undertaken, independent moderation completed and peer challenge ongoing • ADCS is conducting a national review of sector led improvement; an initial stocktake self-assessment has been undertaken to feed into this

30. Data Benchmarking Purpose To coordinate data capture, analysis and reporting for regional benchmarking against a suite of key performance measures Status • Tartan rug report produced quarterly highlighting comparative performance across all LAs in the region against a range of performance measures • Targeted benchmarking report produced on SGO performance • Section 20 benchmarking exercise being reported

31. Regional Networking Purpose To provide a support and coordination framework for the sharing of information and best practice across regional networks Status • Regular regional network meetings facilitated for Social Care ADs, Workforce leads, LSCB chairs and business managers, QA leads, performance information management group, principal social workers, corporate parenting steering group and leaving care network • Extending the reach of sector led improvement, having just joined the regional SEND network governance group • Further extending the impact of sector led improvement by collaborating with ADASS equivalent to bring some of the Adults’ and Children’s network groups and activities together

32. Eastern Region Sector Led Improvement Programme Jenny Coles Director of Children's Services Hertfordshire County Council

33. Sector Led Improvement and Succession Planning in the East Midlands Debbie Barnes, Director of Children’s Services, Lincolnshire County Council

34. Improvement in E Mids A strategic cycle of joint-work (the inner ring) and 10 key elements (the outer ring) that provide additional support for children’s services across the region

35. Shared evaluation ofperformance

36. Needs / Identification

37. Developing Peer Challenge

38. Developing Leader’s Capability

39. Improvement Activity

40. Annual Peer Challenge Summit The ‘high-level’ element that sets the agenda for the annual programme • All LAs complete a Self Assessment by May each year b) Self Assessments, Data Profiles (Ofsted & C4EO), recent Ofsted reports and CYPP priorities are submitted c) LA Performance Leads complete a first analysis and peer challenge of the items submitted in b) at a facilitated event (June) d) All DCSs engaged in a round of 1-to-1 conversations e) All DCSs participate in a Peer Challenge Summit based upon the materials in b) - d) in a facilitated event (mid July) f) One key output from the summit is a priority list and ‘risk’ analysis that shapes the joint regional work for the year

41. Peer Challenge Reviews • An in-depth process to investigate an LA’s key improvement priorities a) Each LA to receive visit once every 3-years b) Review team is led by a DCS from within the region, supported by a Performance Lead and a team of 3-5 Additional Reviewers. c) The Additional Reviewers are 2nd and 3rd Tier officers, recruited from a regional pool by the lead DCS to match the review theme. d) The ‘Host LA’ submits their Self Assessment and Data Profiles to the Lead DCS, who negotiates the hypotheses for the review. e) Review visit lasts for 3 days, incorporating visits, interviews and focus groups f) Feedback is submitted verbally at end of visit and in a brief report shortly afterwards g) A quality assurance is fulfilled by a 3rd DCS.

42. Safeguarding Assurance Visits • An unannounced peer review of the management of safeguarding practice and the development of a reflective culture • Each LA receives a (SAV) visit once every 18 months b) Review team is led by an LA 2nd Tier Safeguarding Director from within the region, supported by two Additional Reviewers. The Additional Reviewers are senior social work managers, recruited from a regional pool by the Review Lead. c) The ‘Host LA’ shares recent data, inspection reports and priority improvement themes with the Review Lead. d) A suitable ‘window’ within which the review can happen is agreed but the date remains unannounced. e) The visit lasts for 1 day, incorporating case analysis, interviews and focus groups. Feedback is submitted verbally at end of visit and in a brief report shortly afterwards. f) A quality assurance role is fulfilled by a 3rd Safeguarding Director

43. Improvement • Discrete, time-limited, funded projects undertaken by regional groups of identified colleagues to achieve a clearly identified outcome that relates to a regional improvement or policy priority • Policy priorities identified by regional DCS group (Annual Peer Challenge Summit) b) 2-3 projects supported with DCS mandate and additional resources c) Projects led by identified regional group of policy leads – more than just a network! d) Project plan established to expedite a limited, manageable number of actions with clear outcomes

44. Projects • Tackling social work and wider workforce challenges • Supporting the implementation of SEND reforms • Achieving consistently high standards in the work of all partner organisations to combat CSE • Further developing a partnership-led school system that tackles educational priorities effectively • Influencing public expectations/ demand for LA-funded services

45. West Midlands regional SLI developments Sally Hodges, Director of Children’s Services and Skills, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

46. West Midlands RegionSelf Improvement Model#TeamWestMidlands Sally Hodges, Co-Chair ADCS Network

47. Our self-improvement approach Dec 15 – long hard look at ourselves Poor outcomes across full range of children’s services 2 good/4 inadequate/history weak Current approach underpowered and ineffective Revamped approach

50. Quality of individual authorities Four years of regional self evaluation and peer challenge Protocol to raise concerns – used once Volunteered to pilot new system to give framework to try things out and strengthen approach Building on some good work