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'Not a cigarette paper between us': Integrated Inspection of Children's Services in England

Hudson, Bob

Authors

Bob Hudson



Abstract

Children's services in England are undergoing their most radical transformation since 1948 following the passage of the Children Act 2004. A key part of these changes is the legal requirement to have an Integrated Inspection Framework to assess the extent to which the new Children's Services Authorities have succeeded in meeting five key outcomes—being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. To this end, up to ten national inspectorates have to coordinate their activities to a hitherto unparalleled extent. This article describes the nature and scale of the new remit and identifies a number of unresolved issues that could impede progress. It is argued that the policy has the hallmarks and accompanying limitations of a top–down exercise in policy formulation and implementation.

Citation

Hudson, B. (2005). 'Not a cigarette paper between us': Integrated Inspection of Children's Services in England. Social Policy and Administration, 39(5), 513-527. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2005.00453.x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Oct 1, 2005
Deposit Date Dec 1, 2008
Journal Social Policy and Administration
Print ISSN 0144-5596
Electronic ISSN 1467-9515
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 39
Issue 5
Pages 513-527
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2005.00453.x