Chapter 55: Performance Management Framework

AMENDMENT

Appendix 1: Development Plan was deleted in January 2012.

Introduction
Policy and Legislative Drivers
The Framework
Performance Management - Board Performance
Performance Management - Safeguarding Activity Performance
Section 11 Self Audits
Performance Reporting & Performance Indicators
Single Agency (Focussed) Audits
Multi Agency Audits
Themed Reviews
Serious Case Reviews
Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)

1. Introduction

Robust performance management is at the heart of any drive to secure continuous improvement and delivery of high quality services.

Performance management is - taking action to ensure outcomes are better than they would otherwise be. Therefore, to know what action to take, performance has to be monitored. To know how to judge performance, criteria have to be agreed (aims, objectives, targets). To know how to assess performance against criteria, there has to be a method and applying all this requires systematic action and coordination.

Performance management is more than the monitoring of key performance indicators. It embraces all activities that are designed to support the effective delivery of services. Performance management should operate within an overall framework where the outcomes are greater than the constituent parts. The focus of this framework and all the constituent activities must be to deliver continuous improvement in services for children and families.

Performance management requires:

Setting quality standards;
Setting objectives and targets for improvement;
Managing information;
Monitoring performance against standards, targets and key performance indicators;
Reporting performance, and using information to identify problems and taking decisions to solve them;
Equipping individuals to perform well;
Informing and empowering service users.

The benefits of effective performance management are therefore:

Raising standards: looking at the way agencies and the LSCB work to provide the most effective safeguarding responses and interventions;
Continuous and sustainable development: promoting practice and organisational development and professional growth;
Involvement: encouraging stakeholders to be fully engaged in the safeguarding agenda;
Manageability: so that performance management is regarded as an integral and essential part of how agencies and the LSCB operate;
Equity: to ensure policies and processes are open and fair, while respecting confidentiality for individuals.

2. Policy and Legislative Drivers

Modernising Social Services - the government's plans for modernising social services provision and ensuring the delivery of quality services. A root and branch reform of the regulation system, introducing checks on the full range of children's care services, and strengthening safeguards

Best Value - Establishing a culture that encourages the delivery of efficient, effective, and economic services that meet users' needs. It ensures the delivery of a continuous improvement in services, with regard to efficiency, effectiveness and economy and the needs and expectations of service users. It focuses on achieving high standards rather than lowest cost and encourages the involvement of service users, staff, and management.

Every Child Matters - Establishes the five key outcome areas 1) being healthy 2) staying safe 3) enjoying and achieving 4) making a positive contribution 5) economic well being. In respect of Safeguarding Boards it states 'we want a system locally and nationally where there is clear overall accountability for services for children, young people and families' providing a clear indication of the need to monitor effectiveness and performance.

National Services Framework - sets national standards, puts in place strategies to support implementation, establishes ways to ensure progress within an agreed time scale, measures to raise quality and decrease variations in service

Children Act 2004 - The objective of a Local Safeguarding Children Board is (a) to co-ordinate what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority by which it is established; and (b) to ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such person or body for those purposes. Section 11 identifies named agencies which should ensure that (a) their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and (b) any services provided by another person pursuant to arrangements made by the person or body in the discharge of their functions are provided having regard to that need.

Working Together 2010 - Three broad areas of activity are set out for the Local Safeguarding Children Board role 1) prevention of maltreatment, or impairment of health or development 2) Proactive work 3) Reactive work to protect children suffering or at risk of suffering maltreatment - A key element of the LSCB role is to monitor the effectiveness of organisations' implementation of their duties under Section 11 Children Act 2004

3. The Framework

The LSCB performance framework seeks to embed quality in all aspects of the Board's work and output. In doing so areas requiring development should be identified early acting to pre-empt rather than responding to events.

The LSCB performance framework should include the monitoring and effectiveness of what is done by the Local Authority and Board partners, individually and collectively, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (Working Together 2010). In addition the LSCB should have in place mechanisms for monitoring the effectiveness of its own performance. These will include:

Chair's regular one-to-one meetings with Board members;
A 'confidentially' completed annual questionnaire rating the Board's performance by members;
Obtaining feedback from frontline practitioners.

The LSCB should identify indicators (in addition to statutory performance indicators) to provide an indication of key performance areas. Key performance indicators should be reported to the LSCB in a Quarterly Performance Report

Click here to view the LSCB Performance Framework chart

4. Performance Management - Board Performance

Performance management should be integral to the work of the LSCB. Consequently, whilst the Board has a responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of child safeguarding practices and interagency working, this can only be achieved where the Board itself aspires to standards of effectiveness and efficiency.

Business planning should focus on outcomes rather than task completion. To achieve this there needs to be an integration of Board processes in order that identified needs are met effectively e.g. addressing an area of practice may require the development of a procedure, however unless there is an development strategy/plan which includes dissemination and training it is unlikely to have the desired impact.

Development Plans represent the key tool for progressing and developing the Board's business. The plan should be completed by the chair of the relevant sub group and identify:

The business plan objective;
Methodology;
Components required i.e. training, procedure etc.;
Expertise required to complete the objective;
Consultation requirements;
Resources;
Quality assurance and performance measures;
Timescales (overall and component timescales).

Signing off an individual action should not be viewed as an end; rather the 'end' should be seen as the successful implementation of an action.

5. Performance Management - Safeguarding Activity Performance

The LSCB performance framework should consist of five levels:

Section 11 self audits -undertaken by all childcare agencies within Luton in compliance with the Children Act 2004;
Performance Reporting and Performance Indicators - on a range of safeguarding areas;
Single agency (focussed) audits - undertaken by the individual agency either self-determined or when a specific issue has been identified by the LSCB relating to the practice or operation of the agency. Such audits should usually be undertaken by the agency although may be undertaken by or in consultation with the LSCB Quality Assurance Sub Group;
Multi agency practice audits - looking at specific areas or issues within the interagency working arrangements relating to safeguarding processes as determined or identified by the Board. Usually undertaken by the Quality Assurance Sub Group;
Themed reviews - Providing detailed analysis of a board area of safeguarding practice or process as identified by the Board. These reviews should consider evidence from a range of sources

In addition the following existing LSCB function should be considered under the performance framework:

Serious Case Reviews

6. Section 11 Self Audits

Section 11 places a specific duty on named agencies to comply with standards set out in the Section 11 Guidance. Whilst many of the standards are common to all agencies, the guidance outlines standards specific to individual agencies. In addition Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010 places a general duty on the Board to ensure that children stay safe within the local authority area. Consequently, the LSCB should expect all statutory agencies, and agencies who are commissioned to deliver services to children and families on behalf of a statutory agency to comply with the following eight standard areas:

Section 11 Standards

Senior Management commitment to the importance of safeguarding & promoting the welfare of children;
A clear statement of the agency's responsibility to children is available to all staff;
A clear line of accountability within the organisation for work on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children;
Service development takes account of the need to safeguard and promote welfare and is informed, where appropriate, by the views of children and families;
Staff training on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children for all staff working with, or depending on the agency's primary function, in contact with children and families;
Recruitment, vetting procedures and allegations against staff;
Interagency Working;
Information Sharing.

Other Luton agencies (not subject to Section 11) working with children and families within the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) should comply with the 'Eastern Region Safeguarding Standards' or 'The Luton Safeguarding Standards For Third Sector organisations working with children and young people'.

Whilst compliance is the responsibility of the individual agency, the LSCB should provide standards along with the necessary criteria for meeting each standard. Completed audits should be returned to the LSCB and should be reviewed and monitored by the Quality Assurance Sub Group.

Compliance with the standards is mandatory, although in the case of organisations not covered by Section 11, monitoring should largely rest with the individual organisation. However, all agencies should be held accountable for any failure of cooperation or compliance where the matter comes to the attention of the Board.

7. Performance Reporting & Performance Indicators

Performance indicators (PI's) represent a useful mechanism for monitoring trends and quantitive information. PI's should be viewed as raising questions and issues requiring further assessment and rarely provide an explanation for what is observed.

Performance is measured for each indicator against target. Where performance is:

Good (i.e. at least 95% of target achieved) - GREEN Rag status given;
Satisfactory but can improve (i.e. at least 90% of target achieved) - AMBER Rag status given;
Needs to improve (i.e. less than 90% of target achieved) - RED Rag status given;
Where this is no target to compare, N/A status given.

This methodology is consistent with current LAA reporting.

In addition, health indicators are RAG rated under Department of Health definitions (Vital Signs), where relevant.

8. Single Agency (Focussed) Audits

Section 11 agencies are expected to have an audit framework to ensure the quality of child safeguarding practice. Under Section 11 there is an expectation that the auditing of child safeguarding standards should not be considered a one off process, rather as a continual process of monitoring and improvement of quality. Consequently, all Section 11 agencies should routinely measure and audit the quality of safeguarding practice and processes.

Whilst the responsibility for assuring quality and identifying areas for audit rests with the individual agency, the Quality Assurance Sub Group should be informed of all safeguarding audits and receive a copy of the outcome along with actions arising.

Within the areas of responsibility of the Quality Assurance Sub Group, issues relating to an individual agency may arise which may lead to a request by the QA Sub Group for that agency to undertake a review/audit. In such cases, the QA Sub Group should outline the area to be audited along with the timescale. Actions arising from the audit should be considered by the QA Sub Group along with an implementation timescale.

Although the majority of single agency audits should be undertaken by the individual agency, there may be occasions where there is felt to be a need for independence. In such cases a request may be made to the Executive Group for the audit to be undertaken by a nominated 3rd person individually, jointly, or in a consultation.

9. Multi Agency Audits

The LSCB should identify multi agency audits in the business plan or where a specific issue has arisen that impact on inter-agency working. Audits should be measured against the agreed QA standards.

Multi-agency audits should focus on inter-agency practice and decision making at all levels including strategic and operational. The audits should be undertaken by members of the QA Sub Group, an Independent Reviewing Officer or where independence is considered necessary - an independent person.

Each audit should be based on a methodology specific to the needs of the audit and which the Board has agreed.

Inter-agency audits should draw conclusions from the findings and where appropriate produce recommendations and an action plan. Action plans, once agreed by the Board, should be formatted as S(pecific), M(easurable), A(chievable), R(ealistic) T(imescale) objectives and the progress monitored by the QA Sub Group. Individual agencies should be held accountable for their compliance with an agreed action plan.

10. Themed Reviews

Themed reviews have the widest focus designed to provide a detailed understanding of a theme identified by the Board or QA Sub Group from a range of perspectives including local practice, user experience (including children and young people), national and local research and case reviews. The reviews are intended to inform/determine safeguarding policy within Luton.

Each themed review should be based on a methodology tailored to the needs of the review and which the Board/QA Sub Group has agreed. The methodology should usually include a range of approaches, designed to provide an in depth understanding of the issues - strategic, managerial and practice.

Themed reviews should involve consultation with all stakeholders, including service users and children and young people.

11. Serious Case Reviews

Although designed for learning lessons arising from a tragic event, the review can be viewed as a performance monitoring process that assesses interagency practice and identifies shortfalls and strengths. As with other areas of the LSCB performance management functions, Serious Case Reviews should consider the practice and management of the case against LSCB standards and criteria.

Importantly Serious Case Review recommendations lead to actions designed to improve and change practice and therefore to be effective the resulting actions should be SMART and their implementation and effectiveness closely monitored by the Serious Case Review Group and LSCB.

12. Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)

Child Death Screening provides a mechanism for monitoring and reviewing all unexpected child deaths and can therefore be viewed as having a performance management function.

Chapter 7 pf Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, states that there are two inter-related processes for reviewing child deaths:

A rapid response by a group of key professionals who come together for the purpose of enquiring into and evaluating each unexpected death; and
An overview of all child deaths in the area, undertaken by the panel.

Importantly, the CDOP process aims to monitor trends and learn lessons with the purpose of reducing the numbers of child fatalities. The CDOP Chair will provide a 6 monthly interim and annual performance report to the Board.

End