Quality Assurance Group
The Quality Assurance (QA) Subgroup has the lead role, on behalf of the Partnership, for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the work carried out by partners. It does this through regular scrutiny of multi-agency performance data and inspection reports, and through an annual programme of thematic and regular case file audits. This subgroup is chaired by the Detective Chief Inspector of the Safeguarding Investigation Unit in Sussex Police.
Annual Audit Programme:
The Quality Assurance Subgroup undertakes up to five audits annually, including one ‘deep dive’ audit with front-line practitioners. These can be ‘regular case file audits’ scrutinising the entire child protection process, or based on one part of the process or a theme, for example an audit of strategy discussions, cases referred for sexual abuse, or fabricated or induced illness, or cases relating to privately fostered children. In 2021/22 audits have been undertaken on non-accidental injuries in children under 2, the step-up/step-down to Early Help, and a regular case file audit.
The audit reports are shared with managers and the ESSCP Steering Group. The below learning briefings for practitioners and managers, include topics for discussion in team meetings and group supervision. Briefings include:
- ESSCP-Audit-Learning-Summary- Regular Case File Audit Feb 2022
- ESSCP-Audit-Learning-Summary-Step Up and Down from Early Help December 2021
- ESSCP-Audit-Learning-Summary- Non-Accidental Injury Under 2 April 2021
- ESSCP-Audit-Learning-Summary- Domestic Abuse December 2020
- ESSCP-Audit-Learning-Summary-Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse October 2020
- ESSCP Audit – Learning Summary – Children with Disabilities – September2020
- ESSCP Audit – Learning Summary – Pre-birth Assessment Care Leavers – September2020
- East Sussex SCP Regular Case File Audit – Summary – July 2019