1.1.3 Quality Management Framework for Social Care Teams

Introduction
Aims
Quality Management Framework QMF
The QMF Programme
Methods
Other Monitoring Methods
Quality Management Framework Process
Report Templates
Action Plans

APPENDIX A - Flowchart

APPENDIX B - Quality Management Framework Programme

APPENDIX C - Quality Management Project Proposal

APPENDIX D - Audit/Project Report Template

APPENDIX E - Action Plan for Completed Audits/Projects

1. Introduction

Peterborough City Council, Children’s Social Care Services is committed to providing a high quality and dependable service for children and their families. In order to achieve the highest possible standards of service delivery we aim to keep the child at the centre, ensure services are delivered to nationally agreed standards and meet our performance targets.

Consultation and participation is vital in shaping a safe and efficient service; our commitment is to listen effectively and respond appropriately to children, families and staff. We will actively involve children and young people in the planning, delivery and evaluation of services.

Providing quality assured services is everyone’s business and is therefore the thread which links all of our work. The QMF is the mechanism by which we identify the key priorities for social care services.

We constantly and consistently monitor performance indicators and targets which are an important element in the service planning process; they are the measures by which we can demonstrate our successes and identify areas for improvement. We audit our services against the benchmarked indicators and measures.

Policies and procedures associated with social care services set out practice standards which are also audited to identify any problems in practice so that corrective action can be taken to improve practice and prevent reoccurrence.

Consultation, participation, feedback and continuous improvement are intrinsic to the QMF

2. Aims

The aims of the QMF are to:

Improve outcomes for children and families through improving professional practice and the quality of services delivered
Ensure that findings from audits are reflected in divisional business and team plans
Link training and development to findings from audits, evaluations and projects and to the emerging action plans
Communicate effectively to all managers and staff in social care teams the outcomes from audits and the recommendations made for practice

3. Quality Management Framework QMF

Work undertaken in the Quality Management Framework will focus on elements of social care policy and operational practice. Auditing will be supported by relevant research and service evaluation. Evidence will be gathered and measured against statutory, regulatory standards, national and local performance standards and good practice.

The principle focus of the QMF will be key areas of practice that:-

deliver outcomes which impact on the department’s performance (JAR/APA/PIs)
require high risk assessment and management
reflect the thresholds for timely and safe intervention
evidence best practice towards focused outcomes delivered by cost effective services
evidence delay in timely outcomes for children subject to a child in need plan/protection plan or are in care
listen and respond to the voice of the children and families through the complaints process , identifying lessons to be learnt
identify trends and themes across the various teams
identify and disseminate excellent practice
identify multi-agency involvement and impact

The main components of the quality management framework will ensure that;

children, families and partner organisations are involved in the audit process
the process and outcome of social work practice and procedures are assessed
evidence for organisational learning from front-line practice is provided
standards derived from guidance are used
a sample size is chosen appropriate which ensures that results are credible
managers, and staff in particular are involved in the development of action plans from the audit findings
action plans are developed that address the local barriers to change and identify those responsible for service improvement
re-audit is applied to ascertain whether improvements have been implemented.
systems, structures and mechanisms are in place to monitor service developments once the quality management cycle has been completed
peer auditing and tiered management auditing are developed
self auditing is promoted and supported
high risk issues are identified and raised confidentially and immediately with relevant managers

See Appendix A - Specialist Services: Quality Management System Framework for a diagrammatical exposition of the QMF.

4. The QMF Programme

The QMF Programme will be produced quarterly for those services and projects which are to be audited and evaluated. This will be provided in a template format. See Appendix B - Quality Management Framework Programme.

5. Methods

Three main methods will be used within the QMF. These are: auditing; service/project evaluation and research. These are detailed below.

5.1 Auditing

Audits will be the main methods used to assess and measure professional practice. A| range of auditing methods will be used to assess the effectiveness and quality of processes and systems against agreed standards, the principle methods being: -

Compliance audits verify conformance to a set of policies, procedures, guidelines or standards.
Performance audits verify compliance with policies, procedures, guidelines, but also evaluate the effectiveness of the policies and procedures, and the suitability of the both for achieving the organisation’s objectives.
Process audits examine a single process through several of its iterations.
System audits examine a set of interrelated processes that work together to achieve a common goal.

Audits will, in general, assess:-

whether or not what ought to be happening is happening
whether current practice meets required standards and procedures
whether current practice follows published guidelines
whether current evidence about good practice is being applied

Where change is necessary the audit will be repeated to see if the change has been made and the quality of practice improved.

5.2 Evaluation of services or projects

Evaluation will judge a service’s performance by providing a systematic assessment of its aims, objectives, activities, outputs, outcomes, and costs.

Evaluation will determine the impact of the service or project by asking questions about:

how and why – the aims and objectives of the service or project
for whom – stakeholders
under what conditions – it has had or not had the desired effect or delivered outcomes through meeting expressed aims and objectives

Evaluation:

Will be designed within an audit framework
May provide cost and/or benefit information on a service
Will use both quantitative and qualitative data to explore activities and issues
May identify strengths and weakness of services
May include elements of research.

5.3 Research

The aim of research will generally involve testing or investigating a question about service provision, the views, opinions and experience of children and families in a systematic way.

6. Other Monitoring Methods

In addition to the methods outlined above, the Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Team have a number of processes and systems in place which routinely provide evidence of the quality of current professional practice and services. For example:

Independent Reviewing Officer – Monitoring Form
Child Protection Conference – Monitoring Form
Viewpoint consultations
Complaints
Case Management Reviews

These will be incorporated into the QMF.

7. Quality Management Framework Process

The Audits to be undertaken will be agreed by the Head of Children’s Social Care Services, and Service Managers at one of their regular management meetings.

Audits to be carried out will be subject to a brief outline paper setting out:

The service to be audited
The reasons for the audit
The methodology to be used
Who will be doing the audit
Timescales for audit, analysis, findings and reporting

Evaluation and research projects will be subject to the completion of a project proposal which will be approved by Head of Children’s Social Care Services, and Service Managers at one of their regular management meetings. The project proposal will then be shared with all participants and managers at one of the monthly managers meetings. See the project proposal template in Appendix C - Quality Management Project Proposal

8. Report Templates

The templates for reporting on audit findings is set out in Appendix D - Audit/Project Report Template

9. Action Plans

Action plans will be drafted on the completion of an audit or a project. The template for doing this is set out in Appendix E - Action Plan for Completed Audits.Projects.

APPENDIX A - Flowchart

APPENDIX B - Quality Management Framework Programme

Set out below is a template for the quarterly quality assurance programme. The programme will usually form the basis for the development of a more comprehensive mechanism for carrying out audits, research and the evaluation of projects within children’s social care services.

The content of the audit programme will be identified from the Annual Performance Assessment self evaluation and monthly performance statistics, Children and Young People Plan, Business Plan, Service Plans etc.

Research projects will also be identified from APA returns and monthly performance statistics, CYPP, Business Plan, Service Plans etc while evaluation projects are initiatives arising from the Business Plan and Service Plans. It is also envisaged that projects arising from, for example inspections etc, will be identified and added to the programme.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME – QUARTER:

AUDIT PROJECTS	DATE OF AUDIT	FREQUENCY OF AUDIT	STATUS	OFFICER	NOTES

RESEARCH PROJECTS	DATE OF AUDIT	FREQUENCY OF AUDIT	STATUS	OFFICER	NOTES

EVALUATION PROJECTS	DATE OF AUDIT	FREQUENCY OF AUDIT	STATUS	OFFICER	NOTES

APPENDIX C - Quality Management Project Proposal

PROJECT TITLE :

1. THE BASIS FOR THIS PROJECT

2. SCOPE & OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

3. PARTICIPANTS

4. PROJECT SAMPLE AND METHODOLOGY

THE SAMPLE & DATA COLLECTION

METHODOLOGY

5. POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT

6. CRITERIA, STANDARDS USED AND/OR MAIN ASPECTS OF THE SERVICE ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT

STANDARD

QUESTIONS, CRITERIA, INDICATOR

7. REPORTING MECHANISM

8. PROJECT PLAN AND TIMESCALES

Click here to view Table: Project Plan and TImescales

APPENDIX D - Audit/Project Report Template

1.	INTRODUCTION OR BACKGROUND
	Insert text
2.	THE SCOPE
	Insert text
3.	METHODOLOGY
	Insert text
4.	THE COHORT
	Insert text
5.	FINDINGS
	Insert text
6.	CONCLUSION AND OR RECOMMENDTIONS
	Insert text

APPENDIX E - Action Plan for Completed Audit/Projects

(This should contain the top three priorities highlighted by the findings)

TITLE

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

ACTION TAKEN TO DATE

RESPONSIBLE
OFFICER

DATE
COMPLETED

ACTION
APPROVED BY

End