Update on Regulation 33 and 34 visits
The Committee to consider proposals on a format and new arrangements for undertaking Regulation 33 and 34 visits and monitoring .Report to follow
Minutes:
The Committee considered a report on the proposed format for regulation 33 visits .This set out the legislative responsibilities the council has for completing these visits together with OFSTED’s reporting stipulations . There were proposals on how to change the existing format of visits.
The Committee noted that the current reporting format used for visits was geared towards adolescents in the council’s residential homes and meeting the requirements of the every child matters programme. Therefore, this would need to be amended so that the emphasis was on monitoring the range of experiences available to the young person, stimulating opportunities, creating an environment that helps in the creation of peer relationships and builds strong community links. This would be in addition to checking the physical condition of the home and the young people’s personal experience of the centre.
Arrangements for Regulation 33 visits would be re-commissioned . A specialist worker would accompany councillors and council officers on the visits to help communicate effectively with young people . The new template would need to meet the requirements of OFSTED and once the visit was completed and recorded the centre manager would have 5 working days to respond and send the report to OFSTED. It was imperative that this information was compiled and sent to OFSTED each month on time.
There were currently 7 councillors trained to undertake regulation 33 visits. Training would be provided to support the development of expertise and increase the pool of Members available.
Members suggested that the visits take place at weekend and evenings when the centre was most in use.
The Committee endorsed the proposed new format for regulation 33 visits as set out in section 4 of the enclosed report.