1. Peer Challenge
Peer Challenge in Children’s Services in Yorkshire and the Humber – the core programme
Alternative approaches to peer challenge
Building a peer challenge

2. Peer Challenge in YH – The foundations
Principles (Openness/transparency/honesty/respectful challenge/focus on continuous improvement through sector led support)
Annual commitment: (Receive/provide challenge at an agreed level)
The principles are important – they set a foundation for the way we do things round here

3. Peer Challenge in YH – The Core Model
Business process ( 3 day challenge ,based on an area of activity chosen by receiving LA, initially safeguarding or school improvement) team of 4 led by a DCS, all challengers are quality assured, presentation on Day 3 and letter within 10 days)
Activity level (26 peer challenges since 2014), each generating between 130 – 190 strengths and areas for development from meeting between 50 and 100 people
The Eastern Region peeer challenge for SEND model is not dissimilar to this
Most peer challenges generate between strengths and areas for developmet
Most peer challenges involve meeting between 50 and 100 people

4. Peer Challenge in YH – Pushing the boundaries
- topics – as confidence has grown so topics have become more wide ranging and customised
- challengers- increased demand fro challengers from a wider range of backgrounds
- methodologies – the Foundation model is at the core of peer challenge and demand remains steady for this, but an agreement to explore alternative approaches
Leadership/Early help/Care Leavers/adoption/SEND(2 so far and 2 more planned)/virtual school/

5. Alternative Approaches
LSCB Peer Challenge (2015)
Foundation model, but led by a Chair of an LSCB and supported by Business managers. DfE funded, 6 x challenges
JTAI Peer Challenge – CSE (2016)
5 x LSCBs
Single focus
Business Process: self assessment (29 questions – some for each partner, review of position and areas for development)/challenger analysis and feedback/challenge event/local action plan
School improvement peer challenge (2014/5)
Triads, with each locality visited for one day by reps from the other two, including feed back

6. Examples of questions from JTAI peer challenge
How would the partnership describe its approach to preventative work and awareness raising? Has this resulted in a comprehensive range of awareness raising activity across local communities and businesses? Is there evidence of positive outcomes for children?
How can we show that the changing demographic of population in the district is being addressed in our attempts to engage with communities and raise their awareness of CSE and Missing.
In relation to the night-time economy, what work has been done with, for example: Taxi drivers, licenced premises, security staff, social landlords, fast food outlets and hotels. What awareness raising or training has been provided and does it demonstrate a real understanding of the mechanisms that are used by perpetrators to engage in exploitative behaviour and the ways in which children may be exposed to risk?
Is there evidence that the partnerships approach to raising awareness, together with training on child sexual exploitation for staff, is leading to increasing numbers of children being identified as at risk of child sexual exploitation?
How would the partnership evidence that it has identified, sought, gained and used additional grant monies or other finance to support services to missing children and those at risk of CSE. What internal financial / resource arrangements have been made to support this work?

7. Where next?
Peer Challenge as an integral part of monitoring/scrutiny and continuous improvement
SEND Inspection framework has prompted regional SEND group to consider peer challenge specific to SEND
LSCBs interested in peer challenge at sub regional level – possibly extend JTAI model
Some interest from Lead Members for topic specific, region wide peer challenge (CSE)

8. Peer Challenge - Issues
Core model is valued(external evaluation confirmed this), but is expensive: about 20 person days for the Challenge team and time for local organisation, plus people giving up 1 or 2hrs of their time – sustainability?
Alternative models are cost efficient – but need to consider QA of processes
Allowing several approaches to grow and flourish might create an unrealistic combined burden on already diminishing human resources

9. Peer Challenge – the building blocks
Principles (the ‘spirit’ of challenge)
Purpose (generic or specific, individual or collective analysis and improvement)
Timeframe (does it need to be completed over a short period of time?)
Resources (taking timescale and purpose into account as well as availability of human resource capacity and capability. Quality assuring resource)
Business model -

10. BUILDING PEER CHALLLENGE
Thoughts
Principles
(Adopt YH DCS principles?)
Purpose
i.generic – ‘continuous improvement’, or specific e.g. ‘test readiness for inspection’
  ii. individual – ‘to help one organisation’, or collective – ‘to get a feel for how we are all doing’ – and compare and contrast this i ii
Timeframe
Does this need to be completed across a range of partners in a short time frame? – will depend on ‘purpose’
Resources
Taking purpose and timeframe into account, who needs to undertake challenge activity? How will they be quality assured? Who will be involved in receiving challenge? Can the desired resource be secured?
Business Model
Taking all the above into account – what happens when and with whom?
Preparation, Challenge, Post Challenge