The Joint Area Review (JAR) in Oldham is being carried out at the same time as the Audit Commission's Corporate Assessment (CA) of the Council.
The Corporate Assessment examines how well the Council is working corporately, and with its partners, to improve services and deliver improved outcomes for local people. It:
As part of its judgement of the Council's achievement, the Corporate Assessment reports on the contribution of the Council to the delivery of positive outcomes for children and young people. This is where the JAR comes in as it provides the judgements for this aspect of the Corporate Assessment.
Every year the Council is rated by the Audit Commission on how well it is performing. This process is called the Comprehensive Performance Assessment or CPA. The Corporate Assessment and JAR will be key elements of the Council's CPA in 2008.
The JAR also has close links with the Annual Performance Assessment (APA). The APA looks at how well the Council's Children, Young People and Families Directorate are improving outcomes for children and young people.
An important feature of the APA process is the self-assessment. In the year of the JAR, there will not be on on site inspection for the APA. Rather, the findings of investigations from the JAR will feed into the APA evidence base.
Inspectors will analyse the dataset outlining our most recent validated performance (2007-2008), briefings and any other information, complete the assessment record and write the draft APA letter which, after a number of quality and consistency checks, will be sent to us for a factual accuracy check in November.
There is then an opportunity to respond to the findings prior to the final letter and grades being published in mid-December 2008.
NOTE: 2008 is the final year for CPA, APA and JAR. The new Comprehensice Area Assessment will be introduced in 2009.
The JAR is also aligned with the inspection of the Youth Offending Service (YOS) managed by Positive Steps Oldham. This was recently undertaken by HMI of Probation.
The purpose of the programme is to report to the Secretary of State and, through him, Parliament and the public, on the effectiveness of the youth offending services in fulfilling their statutory duties to prevent offending by children and young people, and thereby protect the public, whilst safeguarding their rights and promoting their welfare.
The Youth Offending Service inspection and fieldwork took place in Oldham week commencing 28 July 2008. This outcomes will be considered within the JAR.
An enhanced youth inspection is also carried out at the same time as a JAR if a local authority's youth service has not been inspected since 2005. As Oldham Council's Youth Service has already been inspected this will not be part of the JAR in September