Youth Service Health Check

Client: North East Lincolnshire Council - Children's Services
Project Value: approx £15k + extensions
Duration: 12 months

Project Overview
The authority, jointly with external partners, was engaged in a broad based service improvement strategy. The Youth Service was identified as potentially vulnerable. We used the OfSTED framework and our consultants’ experience of similar services across the country to provide a health check report, followed by the support and monitoring of an improvement plan, followed by assistance to moderate the Council’s self-assessment prior to an Extended Youth Service inspection as part of the wider Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) and Joint Area Reviews.

CPC’s Role
We worked closely at service and at strategic level to understand and align the strategic issues concerning the service, its resources and its management lines at the time.

We provided a small team with relevant experience to review the service against the framework, scrutinizing data and documents, interviewing strategic and operational leaders, staff, young people, partner organizations, and observing practice. We drafted and agreed a report within tight deadlines, supported action plans, briefed staff and managers and validated self-assessment activity. We provided inspection preparation training to key staff and partners.

Client Benefits
The service demonstrated appropriate improvement and performed at or above the expected level in subsequent external inspection, contributing to the overall JAR performance of the Children and Young People’s Service and its partners. The service was viewed more positively within the authority and this led to improvements in resource levels.

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