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1240/5/1(378)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY THE DEPUTY OF ST OUEN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 4TH JULY 2017
Question
Will the Minister inform members what reviews of Children's Services by external organisations have taken place since 2009 and what reviews, if any, are planned for the future? Is there a rolling programme for such reviews by external organisations and, if so, what instances, if any, have there been where the programme was not adhered to in the past?
Answer
An inspection of looked after children was carried out by the Scott ish Care Inspectorate (formerly Social Work Inspection Agency) in 2011, with a follow-up inspection in 2013. No similar review was carried out in 2015.
In 2015, the Director of Children's Services commissioned four audits of practice within the service which considered: the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH); Assessment and Child in Need planning; Child Protection Processes; and planning for Looked after Children.
There have been a number of Serious Case Reviews carried out by independent reviewers with a number of recommendations and improvement actions identified and progressed and reported to the Safeguarding Partnership Board.
In October 2016 it was agreed at a meeting of the Children's Services Improvement Board that as part of a quality assurance framework, external scrutiny would take place on a regular basis at three-year intervals in line with other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom.
Discussions have taken place with an independent United Kingdom scrutiny body to carry out an inspection of services for children in Jersey. It is anticipated this process could start late in 2017 with subsequent reporting.
In addition, the establishment of the Jersey Health and Social Care Commission is progressing with recent appointments of the Chair and Commissioners and the likelihood of the Commission assuming regulatory and inspection responsibilities early in 2018. States of Jersey residential children's homes will be subject to inspection by the Commission. This will be the first time that there has been a legislative requirement for inspection in statutory children's services.