The Department for Education intervenes in all local authorities that receive an inadequate Ofsted rating for children\u2019s services.<\/p>
In the most serious cases, improvement may require statutory intervention, whereby, under the Education Act 1996, the Secretary of State is able to direct a local authority to take whatever action is deemed necessary to secure improvement. In the last few years, Ministers have directed the setting up of new governance structures, including partnering with another local authority (e.g. Isle of Wight), bringing in extra improvement support (e.g. Somerset), or establishing a Children\u2019s Services Trust (e.g. Doncaster).<\/p>
In other cases the department takes non-statutory steps, issuing an \u2018improvement notice\u2019 detailing what actions a local authority is expected to take to improve its services and closely monitoring progress. We deploy government improvement advisers who are appointed to support and challenge these authorities to make rapid progress.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4270", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Nash"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Nash"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-07-31", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-07-31T08:44:14.033Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-07-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government what steps, short of the appointment of commissioners, they can take to deal with children's services departments which are a cause of concern.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4171", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Black of Brentwood"} ], "uin" : "HL1076"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/753930", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/753930/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department has categorised local authority children\u2019s social care services as \u2018systemic\u2019 or \u2018persistent\u2019 failures since December 2015 when it introduced a tougher intervention regime. The following authorities have been subject to this new policy:<\/p>
<\/p>
LA<\/p><\/td> | Systemic/Persistent<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Barnet<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Bromley<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Dudley<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Kirklees<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Norfolk<\/p><\/td> | Persistent<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Reading<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Sandwell<\/p><\/td> | Persistent<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Sunderland<\/p><\/td> | Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Torbay<\/p><\/td> | Persistent<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Worcestershire<\/p><\/td> | Persistent & Systemic<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> <\/p> <\/p> All of these authorities have been subject to the appointment of Commissioners, with the exception of Barnet where recruitment for a Commissioner has not yet concluded. These authorities retain accountability for the effective running of their children\u2019s services. Commissioners do not run the services, but do make recommendations to the Secretary of State on whether operational control of services should be removed from the council. Where Ministers accept a recommendation that services should transfer to alternative delivery arrangements, such as a new Children\u2019s Services Trust, Commissioners will oversee this process<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4270", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Nash"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Nash"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-07-31", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-07-31T08:43:09.893Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-07-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government (1) which local authority children's services departments have been found by Ofsted since January 2015 to be persistently or systemically failing; (2) which were made subject to the appointment of commissioners; and (3) which are currently run by commissioners.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4171", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Black of Brentwood"} ], "uin" : "HL1075"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749228", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749228/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government has noted the recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.<\/p> <\/p> The student funding system is fair and sustainable. The cost of the system is not an unintended loss, nor a waste of public money. It is the policy subsidy required to make higher education widely available, achieving the Government\u2019s objectives of increasing the skills in the economy and ensuring access to university for all with the potential to benefit.<\/p> <\/p> Andreas Schleicher of the OECD said in September 2016 that \u201cthe UK has been able to meet rising demand for tertiary education with more resources\u2026by finding effective ways to share the costs and benefits\u201d.<\/p> <\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4169", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Viscount Younger of Leckie"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-07-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-07-20T14:39:04.383Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-07-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report of the Institute for Fiscal Studies on the public cost of student loans.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} ], "uin" : "HL564"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749230", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749230/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge estimates the value of loans that will not be repaid during their 30-year term. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the loan outlay made in the relevant year.<\/p> <\/p> The estimate of the RAB charge referenced in the question appears to have been taken from the 2014 Institute for Fiscal Studies report on \u201cEstimating the public cost of student loans\u201d. However, the most recently published Institute for Fiscal Studies report of July 2017 has updated this estimate to 31.3%. This is broadly similar to the Government\u2019s estimate of the RAB charge at around 30% for full time tuition fee and maintenance loans and part time fee loans issued in 2016/17.<\/p> <\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4584", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Sugg"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Sugg"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-08-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-08-09T16:22:22.193Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-07-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the analysis in the report of the Institute for Fiscal Studies on the public cost of student loans that, for each £1 loaned to cover costs of tuition and maintenance, the long-term cost to the Treasury is 43.3p.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} ], "uin" : "HL566"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749231", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/749231/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The most recent Institute for Fiscal Studies report (\u201cHigher Education funding in England: past, present and options for the future\u201d) of July 2017 states that the long run cost of the 2017 system in 2017 is £5.9 billion, 35% lower than the £9.0 billion that is the equivalent cost of the 2011 system.<\/p> <\/p> The figure of 5% was in a 2014 report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4584", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Sugg"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Sugg"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-08-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-08-09T16:18:49.953Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-07-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the estimate in the report of the Institute for Fiscal Studies on the public cost of student loans that the total cost of the taxpayer contribution in respect of young full-time undergraduates enrolling in English universities in 2012 is only five per cent lower than the estimated cost for that cohort had the changes to higher education funding not been introduced.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"} ], "uin" : "HL567"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/642884", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/642884/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department for Education intends to publish the questionnaire from the first Children\u2019s Services Omnibus Survey in Spring 2017, as part of the research report. This is standard practice for research reports. There are no plans to publish the questionnaire prior to this.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4270", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Nash"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Nash"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-12-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-12-07T17:56:39.573Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-11-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 16 November (HL3148), whether they will publish the questionnaire used in the Children's Services Omnibus Survey before they publish the research report.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL3486"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/632750", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/632750/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department for Education (DfE) Children\u2019s Services Survey, also referred to as the Children\u2019s Services Omnibus Survey, is conducted by an independent research agency, NatCen social research, on behalf of the DfE.<\/p> <\/p> The survey has been funded for two years and will survey local authorities twice a year. The survey will help the DfE understand key issues facing children\u2019s services and local authorities\u2019 experiences of implementing different policies, focusing on Early Years and Childcare, Children\u2019s Social Care and Special Educational Needs and Disability.<\/p> <\/p> The first survey was completed by local authorities in October 2016. The results from this survey will be published in a research report on the Government\u2019s website, www.gov.uk, in spring 2017.<\/p> <\/p> One of the topics local authorities were asked about in the first survey was their use of data to analyse need for services. Local authorities were asked how confident they feel that their authority is able to identify unmet needs for individual children and families. Local authorities were also asked if they have a function or team that is able to (a) analyse the demand for children\u2019s social care; (b) compare the cost of different interventions to make planning decisions for children\u2019s services, (c) assess the impact of different interventions to make planning decisions for children\u2019s services; and (d) identify unmet needs for individual children and families. The questionnaire for the second survey is currently in development.<\/p> <\/p> Questions for the survey are proposed by policy officials to the research team, and these are developed with an advisory group of local authority representatives. The survey is piloted in 20 local authorities; data and feedback from the pilot is used to develop the final questionnaire. The final questionnaire is signed off by children\u2019s services policy directors.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4270", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Nash"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Nash"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-11-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-11-16T15:24:57.157Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-11-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Social Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Nash on 6 July (HL Deb, col GC248), whether they will provide more details of the children's service omnibus survey, including how they intend to frame the request to local authorities about how they analyse demands for services; and whether they plan to consult on the construction of the questionnaire, and if so, when and with whom.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL3148"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/592915", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/592915/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " This report highlighted the importance of governance and ethical consideration in children\u2019s services research. The report suggested that at the time of the research, local practice was variable, but there were, and still are, a number of accepted research governance arrangements in place for local authorities and other research organisations to seek guidance and approval, including the Association of Directors of Children\u2019s Services (ADCS), the Social Research Association, the NSPCC, and university ethics boards. The Department for Education has concluded that these arrangements are the best route for local authorities and external research organisations to obtain external guidance on research governance and ethics.<\/p> Following publication of the report, the Department, in consultation with the ADCS Research Group, has developed ethics guidance and an ethics checklist for its own funded research and evaluation. This is based on the Government Social Research Professional Guidance, which sets out the principles that should be used when conducting social research for the Government. It states that those conducting, commissioning or managing Government social research have a responsibility to ensure that research is conducted using appropriate methods and that the rights and interests of all those involved in the research process are protected. Research should be conducted in a manner that:<\/p>
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