PLC Public Sector reports:
Make sure that you have not missed a key development in your area of the law by reviewing our latest list of recommended actions.This week’s actions are:
Education: lawyers advising maintained schools and their governing bodies should ensure that they are aware of the statutory guidance published by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), which deals with the role and responsibilities of the teacher with designated responsibility for looked-after children.
Maintained schools that have entered into partnership working arrangements with independent schools to raise standards and share professional working practices should be alerted to the fact that the DSCF deadline for ISSP scheme funding applications is 15 January 2010.
Environmental Information Regulations: officers in local authorities dealing with requests for environmental information should be aware of the recent ICO decision, which found that communications between:
- two different local authorities; or
- a local authority and a central government department,
are not internal communications. Therefore, they are not exempt from disclosure under the internal communications exemption. In this instance, communications between the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Mayor of London had to be disclosed.
Social services: following the recent High Court decision in R on the application of B v Barnet, lawyers advising social services departments should remind those staff who carry out assessments on vulnerable children in need that the assessments must:
- Identify the help and support that the child and their family need.
- Who within the organisation or externally is to provide that help and support.
- When that support is to be provided.
Services Directive: lawyers advising on the regulation of businesses should note that the Provision of Services Regulations 2009 implementing the Services Directive come into force on 28 December 2009. Our practice note on the Services Directive will be updated to reflect the implications of the regulations for businesses and local authorities.
Consultations: this week five consultations were launched on:
- The full cost recovery of Ofsted inspection fees for children’s social care settings.
- Preparing the National Health Service and social care in England for the age requirements in the Equality Bill.
- A draft circular on English National Parks and the Broads.
- Replacing Appendix C of the Memorandum to Circular 06/2004 on compulsory purchase.
- An evaluation of the Ministry of Justice’s human rights toolkit by the education sector.