Newsletters
Our Regional Improvement Plan for 2023-2024 can be found here
Our Impact Report published in March 2023 can be found here
If you would like to work for the programme, ESCC has advertised the SESLIP Freelance Consultant Approved List. To view the advert follow the link and choose the “Opportunities” tab then search on reference RFX1000055. Pease address all enquiries about this opportunity to Richard Tyndall (contact details below)
Updates
HENRY, healthy start, brighter future
LGA, working with HENRY, a national charity working to transform traditional approaches to obesity prevention, has organised an online conference on Tuesday 25 July 2023, 14:00 -15:30.
Speakers
Janice Burberry, former Head of Public Health (Children and Families), Leeds City Council and Nicola Ellis, Consultant in Public Health , London Borough of Waltham Forest
There are HENRY programmes in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire and Kent.
Family Group Conferencing
On 4 July Foundations (what works centre for children and families) published the results from the largest randomised control trial (RCT) of family group conferences (FGCs) in the world, Read evaluation partner Coram reflecting on the experience of doing the research, and Practice Lead, Daybreak, giving insight into how and why FGCs are a critical tool for working with children and families.
Main Findings
The findings from the trial show that children whose families were referred for an FGC at pre-proceedings were significantly less likely to be in care 12 months later than children whose families were not referred for an FGC (36% compared to 45%). Referred children spent less time on average in care, and their cases were less likely to go to court. We also found that FGCs could lead to substantial cost-savings for local authorities, estimating a saving of £960 to local authorities per child in the first year, or £13,365 over three years.
Condition of school buildings
On 28 June, NAO published Condition of school buildings. It estimates approximately 700,000 pupils attend schools which are in need of major refurbishment or rebuilding.
Main Findings
There is a significant gap between the funding available and that which DfE assesses it needs to achieve its aim for school buildings to be safe and in a good condition for those who learn and work there. Funding is also often used for urgent repairs rather than planned maintenance which, as DfE itself acknowledges, risks not offering good long-term value for money.
- Report – Condition of school buildings (.pdf — 2 MB)
- Summary – Condition of school buildings (.pdf — 167 KB)
- ePub – Condition of school buildings (.epub — 2 MB)
Take Your Place 2023
Applications for the 2023 Take Your Place cohort are now open. Closing date is 25 August 2023. The programme starts on 31 October 2023.
Take Your Place Leadership Development Programme
This is a free to access CPD leadership programme for third tier managers. The course will start with a residential on 31 October and 1 November 2023, followed by in person workshops on 23 November 2023, 17 January 2024 and a final session on 7 March 2024. The workshops are being held in Reading at venue with good public transport links. Each SESLIP large authority has two places and small authorities a single place (we will also take names for reserves as last year not all authorities took up their full allocation). Your final nominations need to be endorsed by your DCS and details sent to mark@evansconsulting.co.uk. The deadline for applications is Friday 25 August 2023. Those nominated will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire with the Staff College to confirm their place. More information is available in the flyer.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Working Together to Safeguard Children – consultation on changes
On 21 June DfE launched a consultation on changes to the statutory guidance Working Together. The closing date is 6 September 2023.
DfE says:
“Updating Working Together now is central to delivering on the first phase of our ambitious plans to transform Children’s Social Care, set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love. We want to see strengthened multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection for children and their families, a system re-balanced towards help at an early point, and strong, effective and consistent child protection practice.”
Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners – consultation on changes
On 21 June DfE launched a consultation on changes to Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners. The closing date is 6 September 2023.
DfE says:
This consultation seeks views on a revision to non-statutory guidance:
Information sharing advice for practitioners providing safeguarding
services to children, young people, parents and carers. (Published 2018)
Commissioning high-quality trusts:
On 6 July DfE published Guidance on the role of the DfE in making commissioning decisions about academy trusts
This guidance provides:
Information about the decisions made by Regions Group on behalf of the Secretary of State, about the creation, consolidation and growth of academy trusts.
It covers decisions:
- for schools to join or form new academy trusts
- to move underperforming schools to new trusts
- to approve applications for trust transfers
- to approve which trusts can open new free schools
Annex A sets out the trust quality descriptions, first published in draft form as part of the Academies regulatory and commissioning review.
Annex B sets out the evidence that Regions Group will use to inform its decisions.
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)
On 6 July DfE published consultations on changes to Working Together and Information sharing advice
On 6 July DfE published Commissioning High Quality Trusts
On 4 July Foundations (what works centre for children and families) published the results from the largest randomised control trial (RCT) of family group conferences (FGCs) in the world,
On 30 June SESLIP and LIIA published a Report on The Big Listen Survey 2022-23
On 28 June, NAO published Condition of school buildings.
On 22 June DfE published SEN data for academic year 2022/23
On 12 June Ofsted published a press release on changes to school inspections
On 11 June DHSC published an Evaluation of the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents programme
On 26 May DfE cirulated the Application Guide for the Fostering Recruitment and Retention programme.
On 25 May the Childrens Commissioner published Looked after children who are not in school
On 25 May the House of Lords Public Servicers Committee published A response to the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy
On 25 May DfE published new guidance: Suspension and Permanent Exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement
On 18 May NFJO published Ethnicity of children in care and supervision proceedings in England
On 18 May DfE published statistics on children accommodated in secure children’s homes for March 2023
On 17 May The Staff College published Just Home – evertything starts with heart, hope and a home.
On 16 May DfE published new guidance: Area SEND inspections: support and challenge following inspection
On 15 May DfE published 9 updated ‘Safety Valve’ agreements
On 11 May The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health published analysis of NHS England’s RTT dataset for ‘other paediatrics’
On 26 April the House of Commons Education Select Committee published its report on The future of post-16 qualifications
On 25 April Become published Gone Too Far as part of its new campaign to keep children in care close to the people and places that matter to them
On 25 April DfE updated the statistics on suspensions and permanent exclusions across state-funded schools up to spring term 2022