The Work of Ofsted - Children, Schools and Families Committee Contents



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 RourkeMichael Hart
Director IRRDirector—Children's Directorate


    (a) The organisational contact for these arrangements will be as follows:
CSCI:Ofsted
Nigel ThompsonJean Humphrys
Strategy DirectorateDeputy Director—Children's Directorate


    (b) In relation to Information and Reporting, publications:
CSCI:Ofsted
Penny BanksOliver Beerman
Head of Information and ReportingHead of Publications


    (c) In relation to Quality, Performance and Methodology issues:
CSCI:Ofsted
Robin WhistlecraftJean Humphrys
Methodology ManagerDeputy Director—Children's Directorate





 
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