– Scottish Parliament written question – answered at on 3 December 2008.
Karen Whitefield
Labour
Question S3W-18155
To ask the Scottish Executive how many services were evaluated as (a) satisfactory, (b) weak and (c) unsatisfactory in the HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) joint inspection of services to protect children and young people in the Aberdeen City Council area, and how this compares to the evaluation of Midlothian Council’s child protection services.
Adam Ingram
Scottish National Party
HMIE joint inspection of services for children evaluates against 18 quality indicators (QIs), set out in the framework How well are children and young people protected and their needs met? In the case of Aberdeen City Council, four QIs were found to be "satisfactory", 10 "weak" and four "unsatisfactory".
The report on Midlothian Council, published in February 2007, found three QIs to be "adequate", 12 to be "weak" and three "unsatisfactory". The interim follow-through report on Midlothian of March 2008 shows substantial improvement since the publication of its report in February 2007.
HMIE changed the "adequate" evaluation title to "satisfactory" in June 2008, with no change in meaning.
HMIE reports are published on their website: www.hmie.gov.uk.
| Quality Indicator | Midlothian | Aberdeen |
| 1.1 Children are listened to, understood and respected | Weak | Satisfactory |
| 1.2 Children benefit from strategies to minimise harm | Weak | Satisfactory |
| 1.3 Children are helped by the actions taken in response to immediate concerns | Weak | Unsatisfactory |
| 1.4 Children’s needs are met | Unsatisfactory | Weak |
| 2.1 Public awareness of the safety and protection of children | Adequate | Satisfactory |
| 3.1 Involving children and their families in key processes | Weak | Satisfactory |
| 3.2 Information-sharing and recording | Weak | Weak |
| 3.3 Recognising and assessing risks and needs | Weak | Unsatisfactory |
| 3.4 Effectiveness of planning to meet needs | Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
| 4.1 Policies and procedures | Adequate | Weak |
| 4.2 Operational planning | Weak | Weak |
| 4.3 Participation of children families and other relevant people in policy development | Weak | Unsatisfactory |
| 4.4 Recruitment and retention of staff | Weak | Weak |
| 4.5 Development of staff | Weak | Weak |
| 5.1 Vision values and aims | Adequate | Weak |
| 5.2 Leadership and direction | Unsatisfactory | Weak |
| 5.3 Leadership of people and partnerships | Weak | Weak |
| 5.4 Leadership of change and improvement | Weak | Weak |
Yes2 people think so
No1 person thinks not
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