SCIE/NICE recommendations on looked after children: Promoting the quality of life of looked-after children and young people

Audit and inspection

Evidence suggests that a robust audit and inspection framework ensures that looked-after children and young people continue to be strategic priorities for local authorities, the NHS and their key partners.

Recommendation 3 Regulate services

Who should take action?

• Regulators and inspectors (including the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted).

• What action should they take? Open

  • Use the processes for auditing, monitoring and inspecting local authorities, providers of health services and key partners to ensure that local strategic partnerships (including children’s services and their partners) provide services for looked-after children and young people (including those placed out of area) that:
    • take account of their views (see recommendation 24)
    • meet the full range of their needs (including needs relating to physical, social, educational and emotional health and wellbeing)
    • promote and support healthy lifestyles
    • deliver quality care, and placement and educational stability
    • comply with relevant standards and statutory guidance.
  • Assess local strategic partnerships (including children’s services and their partners) to:
    • ensure the needs of looked-after children and young people are given the priority that statutory guidance dictates
    • ensure mainstream budgets are pooled or aligned to meet those needs
    • ensure effective joint commissioning of services is in place and show how costs are shared between agencies.

Recommendation 4 Inspect services for care leavers

Whose health and wellbeing will benefit?

• Looked-after young people preparing to leave or leaving care.
• Who should take action? Ofsted. Care Quality Commission.

• What action should they take? Open

  • Adopt the standards developed by the National Leaving Care Advisory Service (6).
  • Extend the inspection care frameworks (under the Care Standards Act 2000) to services for care leavers aged 18 and older to ensure standards of service provision are adequate.
  • Monitor the provision of health services and how well different services communicate with one another.

6.

National Leaving Care Advisory Service (2007) National standards in leaving care. London: National Leaving Care Advisory Service.