Inspection activity is designed to enable us to include in reports, assurance about the effectiveness of partners’ work in improving outcomes for children and young people at risk of harm.
Sources of intelligence used to determine the scope of the inspection include:
- nationally and locally collated data; reports published by community planning partners such as single outcome agreements (SOA), local outcome improvement plans (LOIP); children’s services plans; NHS Local Delivery Plan; child protection committee business plans; corporate parenting plans; and progress reports.
- engagement with the CPP.
- the self-evaluation and supporting evidence provided by the CPP.
- the results of the staff survey.
- the results of the children and young people’s survey and the parents and carers survey
- findings of previous inspections carried out by the Care Inspectorate and scrutiny partners, including findings from inspections of relevant registered care services.
- intelligence held by the Care Inspectorate such as findings from investigations of complaints.
From early in the inspection footprint, the inspection team review information and evidence to record areas where they judge there to be no significant concerns, areas of uncertainty, or areas of concern. Activities during the inspection aim to answer areas of uncertainty and/or confirm them as either areas of strength to be commended, or areas of concern which require action to improve.
The specific scrutiny activities carried out may vary between areas being inspected. This is to ensure that the inspection is able to answer questions relating to the delivery and effectiveness of services in each area.
However, in all inspections, scrutiny activities involve:
- reading a sample of children’s records;
- meeting with children, young people and families receiving services locally;
- speaking with staff and managers from a range of agencies who deliver services locally; and
- observing key multi-agency processes.
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