Joint Area Review

What is it?
JAR is a new kind of integrated inspection using a common approach based on the Framework for the Inspection of Children's Services.

Bury’s JAR includes all services for children and young people that are managed or commissioned by:

• Bury Council
• The Health Service
• The Police
• The Youth Justice Services.

• Focuses on the five outcomes for children and young people identified in the Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework.
• Evaluates the collective contribution made to these outcomes by relevant services.
• Reports on the well-being of children and young people in Bury, covering services available to everyone.  It also covers services that are preventative or targeted to specific groups such as those who:
  • Are vulnerable
  • Have learning difficulties
  • Have disabilities
  • Are being looked after by the Council.
• Examines how local services gather and respond to the views of users, parents and carers, ensuring they involve children and young people.
  

Who undertakes the JAR?

The JAR involves:

• The Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED).
• The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).
• The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI).
• The Healthcare Commission (HCC).
• The Audit Commission.
  

When will the JAR take place?
The JAR was undertaken between 28th January and 15th February 2008.

It was carried out at the same time as the Audit Commission's Corporate Assessment (CA) of the Council and this inspection will be taking a broader view of how councils operate and judge performance on four different criteria:

• What the council is trying to achieve?
• How the council sets about delivering its priorities for improvement?
• What the council has achieved/not achieved?
• In the light of what the council has learned to date, what does it plan to do next?