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Plans to make the proposed children's inspectorate an "enlarged Ofsted" would fail to ensure its independence and suggest it was primarily interested in schools.

That was the warning from the Commission for Social Care Inspection last week at its board meeting, where commissioners lambasted proposals to bring the inspection of children's social care, education and adult learning under one roof.

Chair Denise Platt was particularly scathing about plans to retain elements of Ofsted's governance structure, which she said would threaten the proposed body's independence from ministers.


Under government plans, the chief inspector of the proposed children's inspectorate would report directly to ministers on some matters and to a board on others.

Currently, Ofsted's chief inspector, David Bell, reports directly to ministers and is not accountable to a board, unlike his counterparts in the CSCI, the Healthcare Commission and the Audit Commission.

Platt said: "If this is a modern inspectorate, it needs a modern governance structure, not one that is antiquated and sits on the shoulders of ministers."

Platt also criticised plans to name the enlarged inspectorate Ofsted  (news, page 6, 15 September). "For me, Ofsted is linked in the public mind with schools."


The board was also told that the Department of Health may drop plans for the CSCI to take over the third stage of complaints against social services departments from councils.

The reform was due to come into force in April but was put back until October and has now been deferred again.

Chief inspector David Behan said: "The DH is rethinking whether this direction of travel is one it wants to pursue."