Review Into Bureaucracy In Children’s Services Launched

A major review into the bureaucratic and target-led culture of children’s services has begun. The review will be carried out as part of the work of the Lifting the Burdens Task Force, an independent body set up to look at the relationship between central and local government.

Headed up by Michael Frater, chief executive of Nottingham City Council, the task force is looking at the requirements on local government that cause the most difficulty, add the least value and create the biggest burden.

John Coughlan, director of children’s services at Hampshire County Council and joint president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, will head up the review of children’s services for the task force.

Coughlan’s review will gather evidence from children’s services professionals on five main areas: the national performance assessment framework, which currently numbers more than 250 indicators for children’s services; the work of Government “fieldforces”, which support children’s services but place demands on management time; inspection and regulation; ICT and systems; and general initiatives.

Coughlan said: “There are a wide range of bureaucratic and performance management burdens placed on local children’s services, some of which inhibit innovation, may not add value to the quality of service delivery, or are costly. Our core test has to be, how is this helping improve outcomes for children?”

Rachel Gapp, head of policy and performance at the task force, said the overall aim of the review was to simplify the requirements placed on local authorities when delivering children’s services. “We aim to reduce bureaucratic processes and over-prescription and remove the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach,” she said.

The deadline for evidence to be collected is 10 September and a report, with recommendations, will be published by the end of the year.

The Lifting the Burdens Task Force was set up in July 2006 by the then local government secretary Ruth Kelly.