Children's Services
Joint Area Reviews
What is a Joint Area Review?
From September 2005, all local authority services for children and young people, and the wide range of services from other agencies and organisations, are subject to a joint area review.
The review provides a comprehensive report on the outcomes for children and young people in the local area. It replaces the separate inspections of local education authorities and incorporates the inspection of:
- Youth services
- Local authorities' children's social services
- Connexions services, and the provision for students aged 14-19
Normally the review is carried out at the same time as the Audit Commission's corporate assessment of the council, and is aligned with the inspection of youth offending teams undertaken by Her Majesty's Inspectors Probation.
What happens in a joint area review?
The review will evaluate the way local services, taken together, contribute to the well-being of children and young people set against the 5 outcomes of the Children Act 2004. The outcomes are:
- Be healthy
- Stay safe
- Enjoy and achieve
- Make a positive contribution
- Achieve economic well-being
The joint area review invites children and young people to contribute their views through a web-based survey known as the Tellus questionnaire. The review also evaluates how local services work together to contribute to their achievements, progress and well-being.
When did the joint area review take place?
In Barking and Dagenham the review took place between March and July 2007.
Does the joint area review replace all other inspections?
No. The joint area review will not be the only inspection. Front-line services, such as early years settings, schools, colleges and the youth offending service will still be inspected as they are currently. Evidence from these regulatory inspections will feed into the review analysis.
What happens following the review?
The results will be published in a report.
The Children and Young People's Plan will need to be reviewed and revised following this to incorporate the recommendations arising from the joint area review.
Frequently asked questions
A compilation of frequently asked questions about the process and outcomes.
Integrated Inspection of Children's Services 
PDF 1.04M
Guidance and documentation:
Tellus Survey PDF 168K
Sample of the 'Tellus Survey' used by Ofsted in the inspection process giving children and young people an opportunity to comment on what they think life is like in the borough. The survey is based on the 5 outcomes described in Every Child Matters.
- Framework for the inspection of children's services PDF 128K
- Inspection of children's services: key judgement's and illustrative evidence PDF 267K
- Joint area reviews of children's services PDF 199K
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2002 Ofsted Inspection of the Local Education Authority
The local authority was last inspected by Ofsted in 2002. The authority was inspected on its support for school improvement and improving educational standards. Further information on this inspection can be found on the Ofsted Inspection of Barking and Dagenham local education authority 2002 web page.
