Technical Notes 2022, Issue 153 - Joint inspection of services for children at risk of harm in East Dunbartonshire

1. On 26 September 2022, the Care Inspectorate wrote to the East Dunbartonshire Community Planning Partnership to advise that the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland will undertake a joint inspection of services for children at risk of harm in East Dunbartonshire.
    
2. The remit of these joint inspections is to consider the effectiveness of services for children and young people up to the age of 18 at risk of harm.
    
3. The inspections look at the differences Community Planning Partnerships are making to the lives of children and young people at risk of harm and their families.
    
4. Joint inspections aim to provide assurance on the extent to which services, working together, can demonstrate that:

• Children and young people are safer because risks have been identified early and responded to effectively
• Children and young people’s lives improve with high-quality planning and support, ensuring they experience sustained loving and nurturing relationships to keep them safe from further harm
• Children and young people and families are meaningfully and appropriately involved in decisions about their lives. They influence service planning, delivery and improvement
• Collaborative strategic leadership, planning and operational management ensure high standards of service delivery.

5. The inspections also aim to consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuation of practice to keep children and young people safe.
    
6. Inspection teams include inspectors from the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, and Education Scotland. Teams also include young inspection volunteers, who are young people with direct experience of care or child protection services. Young inspection volunteers receive training and support and contribute to joint inspections using their knowledge and experience to help us evaluate the quality and impact of partners’ work.

7. The inspection assesses services against the quality framework for children and young people in need of care and protection, published in August 2019. The framework can be accessed here Quality framework for children and young people in need of care and protection 2019_Revised.pdf (careinspectorate.com)
    
8. Inspectors collect and review evidence against the 22 quality indicators in the framework to examine the four inspection statements outlined at section four above and a six-point scale, from 1 = unsatisfactory to 6 = excellent is used to provide a final overarching evaluation of the impact of services on children and young people.
    
9. The notification letter sets out key dates for the process as follows:

Specific stages of the inspection process -

• Staff survey - w/c Monday 31 October – Friday 18 November 2022
• Reviewing children’s records - w/c Monday 5 December 2022
• Engagement with children and young people and those in leadership roles leadership – w/c Monday 6 February 2022

Key partnership meeting dates –

• Partnership Discussion 1 – Wednesday 2 November 2022
• Partnership Discussion 2 – Wednesday 18 January 2023
• Partnership Discussion 3 - Wednesday 1 March 2023

10. Further briefings to Members will follow as details of the inspection programme, and the self-evaluation information submitted as part of that, are developed and agreed.