Resolved:

That the successful outcome of the Council’s Corporate Assessment and Joint Area Review be noted.

Action by:

ASSISTANT CHIEF EXECUTIVE (L. ALI)

Interim Service Head Strategy and Performance, Chief Executive’s (A. Steward)

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILDREN’S SERVICES (K. COLLINS)

Service Head, Strategy Commissioning and Partnerships,Children’s Services (N. Parish)

Mr Smith, Chief Executive, at the request of the Chair in introducing the report commented as follows:

·                    The formal reports of the Audit Commission and Ofsted, following the Corporate Assessment and Joint Area Review of Children’s Services, were appended to the Cabinet report.

·                    The Authority had performed exceptionally well, with its Children’s Services being assessed as outstanding, and the Council as a whole assessed as a four star excellent authority. Only one other Council had achieved a better corporate assessment rating.

·                    The inspectors had been particularly impressed with the Authority’s vision and ambition for Tower Hamlets, the strength of its resolve to tackle inequality and its embedding of partnership working.  They had also noted that these in turn were underpinned by good leadership, a solid financial position and high staff morale.

·                    Discussion with the Audit Commission inspectors at the start of the process revealed that they thought the Authority, in its setting of challenging targets, risked damaging morale and motivation, also that a good result in the assessment process might encourage complacency.  The Corporate Management Team had disagreed and neither of the risks had materialised.  The Audit Commission had been impressed with the organisation’s honesty in dealing with issues and their report acknowledged that being ambitious and challenging at the outset resulted in better performance and faster improvement.

·                    The outcome of the Corporate Assessment and JAR was good news for the Authority as well as the residents it served and a testament to Members, Officers and Partners past and present.

Councillor Francis, Lead Member Housing and Development, commented that the outcome of the Corporate Assessment and JAR was an acknowledgement of the good motivation and performance of the Council’s staff.  However it was an indication of direction of travel and the ultimate destination had not yet been reached.  There was a need to guard against complacency and to continue striving for excellence, as the assessment of its services by residents was not the same assessment as that detailed in the reports of the Audit Commission and Ofsted.

Councillor Hawkins, Lead Member Children’s Services:

·                    Thanked the staff in Children’s Services and across the Tower Hamlets Partnership who had contributed to the achievement of a fantastic and well deserved JAR assessment.

·                    Commented that the outcome was also a tribute to the young inspectors and she was pleased with the support given to them by the Authority.

·                    Considered that the Authority should be particularly proud in respect of the assessment relating to looked after children, as it reflected the Authority’s ambition to do its best for this vulnerable element of the Community.

·                    Commented that the perceptions of residents was the most important assessment of the Council’s performance and it needed to demonstrate its excellent service delivery to them in the same way it had communicated this to the inspectors.

The Chair summarised by:

·                    Congratulating all those who had contributed to the successful outcome of the Corporate Assessment and JAR; an achievement of the Council as a whole. 

·                    Commenting that the biggest challenge for the Authority remained the gap between the experiences and perceptions of its residents and the assessment of the inspectors, on paper, that its services were excellent.  The aspiration for the Authority must remain to close this gap.

The Chair Moved and it was: -

Resolved:

That the successful outcome of the Council’s Corporate Assessment and Joint Area Review be noted.