Memorandum of Understanding between the
Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the Office for
Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills (Ofsted)
on joint working and information-sharing issues after 1 April
2007
INTRODUCTION
1. From 1 April 2007, CSCI is primarily
responsible for the performance assessment and regulation of adults'
social care in England, although some residual responsibilities
relating to children remain (see 4c). It also has a function as
the "expert voice" for social care. Ofsted is responsible
for regulating children's social care services alongside other
services for children.
2. This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
sets out the key responsibilities, actions and contacts relating
to joint working and information sharing issues between the two
organisations.
3. CSCI and Ofsted recognise the value of
formalising arrangements to cover the range of issues set out
below, both to ensure effective co-operation and communication
and to promote and aid the achievement of positive outcomes for
the children and families.
INTERFACE ISSUES
4. A number of interface issues have been
identified as follows:
(a) Transition arrangements for young people
moving between children's and adults social care services, including
young people with physical and learning disabilities and those
who use mental health services.
(b) Arrangements for providing support to families,
including users of adult social services. This may include assisting
people with learning and physical disabilities, those who have
mental health needs and those who misuse drugs and alcohol to
undertake their parental responsibilities. These arrangements
also include identifying and supporting young carers.
(c) Issues around children who use services which
CSCI continues to register and regulate, such as domiciliary care
and specialist Further Education Colleges registered as care homes.
(d) Identification of situations where adult
social services users may present a risk to children and making
effective arrangements to safeguard them.
5. CSCI and Ofsted agree to undertake the
following actions to help address issues arising from the above,
including:
(a) Sharing approaches to joint planning and
sharing of work programmes to address interface issues as consistently
and effectively as possible;
(b) agreeing common methodologies in areas where
CSCI and Ofsted work together or deal with comparable situations;
(c) sharing information about specific concerns
relating to inspected bodies, councils, regulators or regulatory
processes which is relevant to the other organisation. In addition,
information may be shared in the context of the current performance
assessment and CPA arrangements, and in the development and operation
of Comprehensive Area Agreements;
(d) planning joint studies / reporting arrangements
where issues or responsibilities overlap; and
(e) sharing draft publications for comment, where
appropriate, and providing publications in advance of publication.
WORKING TOGETHER
ON COMMON
ISSUES
6. CSCI and Ofsted aim to work together
on:
(a) issues relating to common stakeholders such
as the General Social Care Council, Social Care Institute for
Excellence, Skills for Care, Children's Commissioner government
policy developments where interests are shared such as the development
or review of National Minimum Standards and associated legislation.
ACCESS TO
INFORMATION
7. Both organisations agree in principle
and subject to legal constraints to give the other access to:
(a) CSCI historical information relating to children's
services which Ofsted might require such as that. for Joint Chief
Inspector Children's Safeguards Review; Ofsted Chief Inspector's
Annual Report 2007; enforcement action.
(b) Information transferred to Ofsted from CSCI
to access eg for CSCI's Annual Report (July 2007).
(c) In particular, a joint approach to reporting
arrangements that will enable Ofsted to include reporting on children's
social care in their Annual Report 2007, and enable CSCI to report,
in the State of Social Care Report 2006-07, on those aspects of
children's social care that they were responsible for in the year
2006-07.
ACCESS TO
CHILDREN'S
RIGHTS DIRECTOR
ADVICE
8. Ofsted will in circumstances where HMCI
thinks it is appropriate to do so and on such terms as HMCI thinks
fit to allow CSCI to have access to the advice provided to HMCI
by the Children's Rights Director. Where CSCI require independent
expertise, and at the discretion of the HMCI, they will be able
to request such expertise from the Children's Rights Director,
on terms to be agreed between the parties.
TAKING FORWARD
THIS MEMORANDUM
OF UNDERSTANDING
9. Each organisation will nominate a lead
person to co-ordinate work relating to the Memorandum of Understanding
and reach agreement on the activities required to take forward
the work streams flowing from the areas identified above. Detailed
arrangements, including names of people responsible for each work
stream, will be set out in an Annex. This will be updated when
necessary. Meetings or regular contact arrangements between CSCI
and Ofsted will be programmed around work streams to ensure a
steady flow of information.
10. Any disagreements which arise in areas
covered by this Memorandum will normally be resolved amicably
at the relevant working level by the contacts named in the Annex.
If this is not possible, the Director of Inspection Regulation
and Review, who has the lead for childdren's issues in CSCI, and
(Ofsted nominated manager) are jointly responsible for securing
a solution acceptable to both organisations. The Chief Inspector
of CSCI and the HM Chief Inspector of Ofsted will jointly be responsible
for ensuring a mutually satisfactory resolution.
REVIEW OF
MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING
11. The MoU will be reviewed annually by
the lead person from each organisation. Reviews will take into
account any relevant changes to policies, procedures and structures
of each organisation.
Christine Gilbert
HM Chief Inspector
Ofsted
Paul Snell
Chief Inspector
Commission for Social Care Inspection
April 2007
Annex
Working arrangements [to cover regular meetings
and interactions between the organisations which are relevant
to this MoU] to take forward actions identified in paragraph 4
of the MoU, together with details of contacts are as follows:
4. The senior managers responsible for these
arrangements will be:
|
| CSCI: | Ofsted
|
| Mike Rourke | Michael Hart |
| Director IRR | Director—Children's Directorate
|
| |
(a) The organisational contact for these arrangements will
be as follows:
|
| CSCI: | Ofsted
|
| Nigel Thompson | Jean Humphrys
|
| Strategy Directorate | Deputy Director—Children's Directorate
|
| |
(b) In relation to Information and Reporting, publications:
|
| CSCI: | Ofsted
|
| Penny Banks | Oliver Beerman
|
| Head of Information and Reporting | Head of Publications
|
| |
(c) In relation to Quality, Performance and Methodology issues:
|
| CSCI: | Ofsted
|
| Robin Whistlecraft | Jean Humphrys
|
| Methodology Manager | Deputy Director—Children's Directorate
|
| |
| 
