Government wants to `re-energise` Quality Protects

The department of health is trying to “re-energise” the Quality
Protects programme.

Originally launched in 1998 with the aim of reforming and
improving local authorities’ children services, the
three-year programme has been extended to five years. But Amy Weir,
doh national lead inspector for Quality Protects, said although
progress had been good, “nationally it is very variable”.

The doh recently approved all the current year’s
management action plans (MAPs) by local authorities, but found
about 25 of the 150 authority plans needed significant extra
work.

“Nationally there were 20 to 25 MAPs we were concerned about
when they first came in. Similarly, 20 to 25 were, on the whole,
good,” Weir told a QP conference in London. “There were four or
five where we continued to have significant concern.”

Most of the programme’s impact had been on
children’s social services, added Weir, with less progress
generally in ensuring change and commitment from health and
education authorities. The programme needed to encompass, and
integrate with, new initiatives such as Sure Start and
Connexions.

To this end, the government had issued joint departmental
guidance earlier in the month on planning for children’s
services.

Co-ordinated service planning for vulnerable children and
young people in England (DoH, DfEE, DETR, HO, DCMS, HMT and
Cabinet Office) available from www.doh.gov.uk/scg/childplan.htm