I am writing to request some information about the quality assurance (‘QA’) tools the Local Authority uses for children’s social work, specifically for auditing case files of children whose status is:-
– Child-in-Need (CIN);
– subject to Child Protection procedures (CP);
– Looked-after (LAC); or
– Leaving care.
In particular I would be grateful to know:-
1. What Children’s Social Care Management System (formerly known as “ICS”) is the Local Authority currently using?
Eclipse
2. What audit toolkits are currently used at each Tier; I request a copy of these
The report has been redacted to remove the name of the author. Disclosure of this information would have been a breach of the first data protection principle and is therefore exempt pursuant to s.40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
3. If files are audited inside the management system, such as on a QA module, does it provide quality assurance reports and if so please can I request a copy of the most recent reports (redacted if necessary)
The report has been redacted to remove name of the author. Disclosure of this information would have been a breach of the first data protection principle and is therefore exempt pursuant to s.40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
4. Has the Local Authority commissioned external QA of children’s case files from consultants or auditors in the last 12 months?
No
If so, which ones? If not, which role in the Local Authority normally does this?
Not applicable
5. How are QA reports the Local Authority produces currently compared with statistical peers?
We do not systemically have QA assurance practice reports looking at statistical neighbours. However, our data reports such as the ‘SW Benchmarking’ does look at KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) and trends. This identifies where there is good practice and issues which may need addressing.
There are joint agency QA audits overseen by the DCFP (Devon Children and Families Partnership). We are unable to share these reports as the children have specific needs and could be identified i.e. Adopted with autism or sexual harmful behaviour. We believe that disclosure may identify individuals, breach their rights under Data Protection law and therefore the information is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act Section 40(2) personal data.