Learning from Children’s and
Adults Peer Reviews
Friday 31st October 2014
www.local.gov.uk/peer-challenges
Objectives of the session
• Outline background to peer review
• Describe the Children’s and Adults Peer Review
process
• Similarities and differences
• Learning the policy and practice implications from
Adults Peer Reviews
• Learning the policy and practice implications from
Children’s Peer Reviews
• Discussion of ways forward
Peer Challenge – the history
• key driver of LGA (IDeA) improvement strategy for
the sector
• pioneered use of peers in local government
• ‘critical friend’ approach – not inspection
• types of: Corporate, Children’s, Adults, FRS,
Equalities, Housing, Planning
• National 5-day & Regional 3-day Peer Challenges
• over 1000 completed
• Evaluated as an effective process
Adults Offer
• TEASC Board strategic direction
• A changing environment and context
• Tension between national consistency and
regional diversity
• Peer Challenge is one aspect of SLI
• Variety of national & regional activity
– Care Act, BCF, Efficiency, MCA/DoLS, WV, Safeguarding
• Leadership – Academy, mentoring, induction
www.local.gov.uk
Adults Offer – Peer Challenges
• 39 adults peer challenge delivered since 2011
– 24 Adult Social Care (Key Questions)
– 15 Adult Safeguarding (Standards)
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7 ‘adequate’, 9 ‘national’
19 regional, SW(8), NE(5), EofE(2), Y&H(2)
12 to be completed by March 2015
Regional peer training delivered for all regions
www.local.gov.uk
Adults Offer
• National Peer Challenges – 5 days 6/7 peers
• Regional Peer Challenges – 3 days 4/6 peers
• Topics:
– Adult Social Care
– Adults Safeguarding
– Commissioning for better outcomes
– Use of Resources
– Choice and Control
– Learning Disability
– MCA/DoLS
www.local.gov.uk
Learning in the process
• Client Council
– Scope, planning process, pre-onsite work, the on-site
experience, immediate response to presentation & action
planning, signposting and suggestions, longer terms
developments
• Peer Challenge Team
– Signposting and suggestions to the client, taking things
back home, working with others on the peer team
• Adult Social Care Sector
– The process of challenge from one’s peers
What we have learnt is important
• A clear scope is essential
• Effective timetable arrangements
• The peer challenge is viewed as one aspect of your on-going
improvement process
• Being clear and honest about what the peer challenge is for
• The audiences for the feedback are understood
• A communications plan for the key messages
Policy & practice lessons (Ripfa)
Strong themes that emerge:
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Commissioning for outcomes
Personalisation - and the wholesale implementation
Co-production
Good leadership
The role of overview and scrutiny
Programme approach to transformation
Integration - both strategic and operational
Children’s Offer – Facts and figures
• 25 delivered in 2013/14 to 9 councils rated ‘inadequate’ and
16 rated ‘adequate’
• 10 five day safeguarding children peer reviews; 11 three day
safeguarding practice diagnostics and 4 four day care
practice diagnostics
• Delivered in all regions with the exception of East of England
and East Midlands
• Over 100 challenges delivered since inception of the
programme in 2010 working at over 85 different authorities
from a total of 152 LA’s
• Regional peer training delivered for 4 regions (NW, Y&H, SE
and E of England)
• 20 scheduled for delivery in 2014/15
Children’s Offer – available products
• Children’s Safeguarding peer review – a 5 day on-site multiagency service review
• Safeguarding Practice Diagnostic – a 3 day on-site diagnostic
focussed on social care safeguarding practice
• Care Practice Diagnostic – a 4 day on-site social care and
health diagnostic covering practice for the child’s journey from
adoption to leaving care
• Adoption diagnostic – provided by Core Assets through a
licence agreement with LGA
• LSCB Diagnostic – piloting a 3 day diagnostic at five sites
from Oct-Dec 2014 to test effectiveness and impact of LSCB’s
• For manuals go to http://www.local.gov.uk/peer-challenges//journal_content/56/10180/3511045/ARTICLE
Children’s - Learning, evaluation and impact
• Consistently high feedback from the sector following peer
support work and through peer training events at Warwick
• We need to closely align with Ofsted inspection framework
but deliver our intervention differently in a spirit of sector led
improvement
• External evaluation by National foundation for Educational
Research very positive http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research/localgovernment-association/complete.cfm
• Ofsted inspection reports now making reference to LGA peer
review (DfE use review as assurance of level of improvement)
• Appointment of Children’s Improvement Advisers in each
region contributing to learning and improvement
• Close monitoring of emerging themes e.g. CSE
Contact details
Marcus Coulson
Challenge Manager
Local Government Association
Email: marcus.coulson@local.gov.uk
Tel: 07766 252 853
Pete Rentell
Programme Manager
Local Government Association
Email: peter.rentell@local.gov.uk
Tel: 07919 374582
www.local.gov.uk/peer-challenge
www.local.gov.uk