What the inspectors think
September and October were busy months for the Council. Inspection season was upon us and the Council threw open its doors and files to the inspectors. This series of inspections wasn't just a paper trail though – the inspectors talked at length to residents, service users and our partners. The verdicts are now in.
Comprehensive Performance Assessment
The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) – the most rigorous examination of local authority performance - has seen us given four stars, the highest possible award. In fact, we have been judged to be among the very top performing councils in the country.
It is clear that there seems to be a pretty good match between what the inspectors are saying and what our residents think of our services. This is born out by a recent independent MORI survey that shows Kensington and Chelsea residents are happy with the performance of the Council. MORI found that 77 per cent of local residents thought the Council was doing a good job. The average for all councils was 51 per cent. With the exception of the Corporation of London, more people think this Council is doing a good job than any other in the country.
The results, which came after a three-week inspection, label the Council's political and managerial leadership and its imaginative ways of consulting with its community as excellent. Other aspects of the Council's performance that were singled out for praise include the value for money it provides, its ability to deliver its ambitions and its partnership working with the police, health bodies and the voluntary sector.
Not doing too badly...
The Council, which is the only authority to score top marks in both the Corporate Assessment (one element of the CPA) and Joint Area Review (see below), has received a string of other recent accolades including – 3* for the Tenant Management Organisation, the arms-length organisation that manages the Council's housing stock, top marks for its use of resources, and best performing primary schools. It has also succeeded in freezing Council Tax for the second year running.
Family and Children's Services
We have also just received news of our Joint Area Review. This says that the Council's Family and Children's Services is the best in the country. Hearteningly, Kensington and Chelsea children say their lives are more enjoyable than children in other areas. They also feel healthier, safer and more able to influence decisions and feel that they are doing better at school. These were the remarkable headlines of the independent Tellus survey of 600 children carried out by Ofsted as part of a comprehensive inspection of children’s services. In fact children surveyed in Kensington and Chelsea were more positive than the national average about every single aspect of their lives.
The gap between the views of Kensington and Chelsea children and other areas was marked. For example 66 per cent of Kensington and Chelsea children said their lives were very enjoyable compared with fifty five per cent nationally. Forty one per cent of Kensington and Chelsea children said they felt very safe in the local area around their school compared with just 29 per cent on average in other areas.
Embracing diversity
This is not because children in Kensington and Chelsea are socially privileged. The survey was conducted in local state-funded schools which have a typical inner London intake and a higher proportion of children entitled to free school meals than areas like Lambeth and Newham. More than 100 languages are spoken by children at Kensington and Chelsea schools and there are significant numbers of asylum seekers and refugees who need extra help.
The Tellus survey was just one important piece of evidence considered by the ten-strong team of inspectors who spent three weeks talking to children, young people and their families, visiting schools and services, analysing performance data, reading key documents, interviewing staff, and meeting with partner organisations and Councillors. The inspectors made over 3,000 records of evidence on which to base their report.
The final verdict is unprecedented. Not only were children's services in Kensington and Chelsea rated outstanding overall, the inspectors rated Kensington and Chelsea outstanding in ten out of a possible 12 aspects, including the first ever grade of ‘outstanding’ for the crucial area of staying safe.
Outstanding grades were awarded for:
- Children's services overall
- Education services
- Social Care Services
- Being healthy
- Staying safe
- Enjoy and achieve
- Making a positive contribution
- Service management
- Overall Capacity to improve
- Capacity to improve of council services
More to Do
Despite these recent accolades the Council will not be tempted to rest on its laurels. There is always room for improvement and more for us to do to make life better for our residents and visitors. We cannot forget that 23 per cent of residents did not think we were doing a good job
Your views and comments on how we can continue to improve are welcomed. We would like to know what you think are the biggest challenges facing the borough in the next few years.
What is the CPA?
The Local Government Act 2002 requires the Audit Commission to undertake a comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) of each local authority to establish whether arrangements are in place to secure ‘continuous improvement’ as well as categorise authorities according to their relative performance.
What is a Joint Area Review (JAR)
JAR inspectors assess the quality of services and make judgements about how well services work together to improve the well-being of children and young people. The aim is for services to be better integrated and greater than the sum of their parts. JARs analyse the effectiveness of local cooperation and integration. As part of the strategy to give young people a direct voice in the provision of services that affect them, the inspectorates will seek their views when conducting JARs.
Email your comments on this story to: rbkcdirect@rbkc.gov.uk.
top of page
top of page
RBKC Direct Home 
