Keeping Children Safe
Developing a Local Strategic Quality
Assurance Framework
David Worlock
November 2010
Biography
A sinner in the fallen humanity that
is safeguarding.
If this is the solution, what’s the
problem?
Two-fold
1. The need for leaders of organisations with
safeguarding responsibilities and strategic
partnerships to know how safe children are, so they
can learn and develop and make children safer.
2. Currently often rely on partial information, an ad
hoc set of data often centrally prescribed and
process / quantity focused.
Purpose of the Framework
Purpose
1. To help single organisations and the LSCB / CTB to answer the question,
“How effective are we in safeguarding children?” in a more systematic,
holistic and comprehensive way.
2. To provide a systematic approach to organisational learning and develop
which results in improved outcomes for children.
Characteristics
It does what it says on the can: it’s a framework that local organisations and
partnership shape into something which is right for them:
• They choose the actual content and the priorities
• There are no targets
• The pace and scope is determined locally.
The Three Elements of the
Framework
1. The Content Areas
2. The Three Types of Performance
Information
3. The Different Sources of Information
(and methods for obtaining it)
1. Examples of Possible Content Areas
1.
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•
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Practice Content Areas
Specific priority service areas
Vulnerable groups of children
Specific risk issues
How well professionals and organisations work together
2. Organisational / Practitioner Content Areas
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•
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The workforce: relationships, clear thinking, capacity
Safeguarding wisdom, “supervision” and support
Organisational culture
Resources and Evidence-based
3. Wider –Picture Content Areas
•
The impact of poverty and bad housing
2. The Three Types of Performance Information
1. Quantitative Information
“How much, how many?”
2. Qualitative Information
“How well did we do?”
3. Outcome Information
“Is anyone better off?”, “What’s the impact, the difference to
the well-being / safety of the children & parents?”
3. The Different Sources of Information
1. The experience of children, parents and carers.
2. The experience of front-line staff / managers.
3. Parents’/children’s case records.
4. Other organisational activity and management
information.
The Framework: Diagram 1
Making it Happen Locally: the Eight Steps
for single organisations
Step 1: Agree content areas
Step 2: Define “good” for each content area
Step 3: Identify types/sources of current performance information
Step 4: Identify additional performance information needed
Step 5: How to capture the information
Step 6: Prioritise
Step 7: Set quality assurance time-table
Step 8: Define organisational and learning and improvement cycle
Single Organisation Governance Framework /
Learning and Improvement Cycle
1. Annual reporting: the Safeguarding Children Report Book
(including story book!) – to leadership and snr. management Boards /
Committees
2. Monthly / Quarterly Reporting: to senior operational
management teams
3. Front-line teams
4. Safeguarding “Supervision”
The LSCB: Getting the Whole Area View
1. Decides on its content areas
2. Draws the information from the partner agencies
3. Has its own QA programme focusing on cross-and
inter-agency themes issues
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Annual Deep Dive Review
Annual smaller scale review
Every 3 years external peer review
4. Reflects: Annual Report / Business Plan, Challenge,
Addressing Priority Issues, “Turning the Curve”