JAR Briefing sessions - 13 August
Briefing sessions for all Oldham Children's Trust staff have now been scheduled. The sessions will inform you about the Joint Area Review and the findings from Analysis Week. Please view the times, dates and venues and attend one of the sessions.
JAR Briefing notes - 25 July
Following the JAR analysis week, a set of briefing notes have been published and are now available to read. The briefing notes outline what the inspectors have decided to focus on and contain useful information that will help you to prepare for the inspection.
Children and Young People Plan 2008 -2011 published - 4 July
The Children and Young People Plan 2008 - 2011: 'One Future' - Changing for Children In Oldham
The Children and Young People Plan is a high-level statutory plan for all services working with children, young people and their families in Oldham and covers a three year period from 2008-2011. The Plan contains the local context, some of our key achievements and importantly, our strategic priorities and actions going forward. It will enable us all to know where we're going, see where we as individuals and our services fit, and focus our resources and energies.
In developing this Plan, we have assessed local need through:
the views of our children and young people;
a wealth of data including inspections;
the 2007 review of the previous Children and Young People Plan;
the government's views of us; and
through engagement with all partners across the Children's Trust.
The Children and Young People Plan is our route map which we all need to read and understand; we should all know what we do well and what we need to improve. Our progress will be monitored through our performance management arrangements in order that we will know whether we are on course to achieve our mission: 'working together to ensure safe, successful, healthy and happy futures for all our children and young people'.
It is important that each of us are clear about the aims and objectives of the Oldham Children's Trust and how we fit into the wider picture, what is known as 'The Golden Thread'. As part of this, the Children and Young People Plan sets out our six overarching priorities, referred to as 'The Oldham Six'. We will continue to shape our work around these priorities and maintain a clear focus on the way in which we work together with all partners across the Children's Trust to achieve positive outcomes for all our children and young people. Together, we will continue to make a difference.
This Children and Young People Plan has been submitted to Ofsted as our self-assessment for the forthcoming Annual Performamce Assessment (APA) 2008, and will be a key document used by our inspectors in the Joint Area Review (JAR).
Fourth Bee the Best newsletter published - 13 August
The fourth issue of the Bee the Best has just been published. This month Bee the Best has news on the YOS inspection, outcomes of Analysis week, staff briefing sessions, key achievements and looks at a pilot which encourages young people to train.
Third Bee the Best JAR newsletter published - 21 July
The third issue of Bee the Best has just been published and will inform you about what will happen during analysis week and other important aspects of work for the JAR. This month Bee the Best looks at our key achievements around safeguarding, helps you to prepare for the JAR inspection and looks at the new Children and Young People Plan 2008 - 2011 'One Future' - Changing for Children in Oldham.
Second Bee the Best JAR newsletter published - 16 June
The second issue of Bee the Best has just been published and will help to keep you up to date on the work that is taking place to prepare for the Joint Area Review inspection. In this edition find out more about our key achievements, the Joint set-up meeting, meet the Lead Inspector, read about the Children and Young People's plan and an update from the Youth Offending Service.
JAR Think Tank Feedback - 27 May
The feedback from the JAR Think Tank held as part of the last Stakeholder Partnership Event is now available.
Attendees at the event worked in groups to look at what works well and what doesn't work well in Oldham for children and young people with additional and complex needs.
The feedback from the 'Think Tank' will feed into our Children and Young People Plan and into the Joint Area Review and Annual Performance Assessment Self-Assessment process. Initiatives which had areas of improvement identified through the feedback will be directed to the relevant service and organisation to investigate further.
Read the JAR 'Think Tank' feedback
First Bee the Best JAR newsletter published - 20 May
The first JAR newsletter called 'Bee the Best' has just been published. Bee the Best will be published every month to keep you up-to-date on the work that is taking place to prepare us for our Joint Area Review inspection. In this edition find out more about the JAR Project team, what is happening to prepare for the JAR at the moment, the Youth Offending Service Inspection and about the Pupil Referral Unit's recent achievement of Healthy Schools Status.
Oldham receives JAR Briefing Pack
Ofsted has just sent us our Briefing Pack. This provides us with details of the JAR arrangements, the names of our Lead and Deputy Lead Inspectors and questionnaires for completion by voluntary organisations.
View the Briefing Pack now
Partnership event discusses the JAR (2 May 2008)
On 24 April 2008 partners from across Oldham Children’s Trust came together for the fifth Stakeholder Partnership Event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
The event was themed around ‘Changing for Children’ and looked at a number if important issues affecting children and young people including the new Children and Young People Plan 2008-11 and the progress being made in services for children with complex needs and disabilities.
Attendees also had the opportunity to find out more about the JAR and contribute to preparations for September’s inspection. Delegates took part in a JAR ‘Think Tank’ exercise where they discussed in groups what life is like in Oldham for children and young people with additional and complex needs. They were asked to comment on what they thought works well, what doesn’t and why, and what we can do to improve. Feedback from this exercise will be made available on the website soon.
You can find out more about the event by viewing the Powerpoint presentation.
If you would like to find out more about this event please contact the Oldham Children’s Trust Development Officer on 0161 770 1295 or email partnershipevent@oldham.gov.uk.