PROJECT TWO: Children Looked After Review
This Children Looked After (CLA) Best Value Review was commissioned in the autumn of 2000 as part of a rolling programme. The Unitary Council had formally endorsed the Government Best Value process by developing policies to support continuous improvement of services throughout the authority. The service improvement policies covered:
• Efficiency
• Procurement and the delivery of services
• Challenge
• Competition
• Consultation
• Comparison
Best Value reviews were also undertaken with regard to five key corporate objectives that derived from the Council’s mission statement and core values. These objectives were refined in response to public consultation in November 2000 and governed the direction of the Borough’s Performance Plan. These were:
• To develop and improve learning opportunities for all young people and adults
• To improve Poole’s prosperity
• To keep the public informed about the services the Council offers and to listen to the views of services users and other residents
• To improve care for vulnerable people
• To look after Poole and its environment
The Scope of the Review
The major aim is to review the ability of the Borough to meet the Social Services’ objectives for CLA as set out by Government as follows:
"To ensure that children are securely attached to carers capable of providing safe and effective care for the duration of childhood."
"To ensure that children looked after gain maximum life chance benefits from educational opportunities, health care and social care."
"To maximise the benefit to service users from the resources available, and to demonstrate the effectiveness and value for money of the care and support provided, and allow for choice and different responses for different needs and circumstances."
The intended benefits of the review were to improve the quality of outcomes for young people and the cost efficiency of the service.
