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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore whether performance indicators in children's services can be used to predict the outcome of Ofsted inspections. Every local authority in England is inspected by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, children's services and skills) and given a single, overall rating – outstanding, good, requirements improvement or inadequate. These ratings carry immense significance. Persistently inadequate authorities are liable to have legal responsibility for providing services outsourced to another organisation. Ofsted have been criticised in the past for focusing too much on procedure, and previous research has highlighted the importance of deprivation and spending levels. In this paper, we describe a new study using more recent Ofsted and local authority data to see what patterns there might be now between performance indicators and inspection results. Design/methodology/approach: We report an analysis of 45 variables in relation to children in need, children in care and young adults with care experience. Using statistical analysis, we consider to what extent performance measured by these variables differs between authorities based on their Ofsted ratings and which of the variables can be used to predict Ofsted inspection outcomes. Findings: We identified no consistent patterns of difference between local authorities in relation to Ofsted ratings. Deprivation was the best single predictor of Ofsted inspection outcomes. Originality/value: This study uses relatively recent Ofsted and local authority data and builds on previous research findings which are increasingly highlighting the significance of deprivation as a factor to help explain variable performance between different authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This is the second of two papers which aims to describe the development of a sex offender assessment and treatment service for men with intellectual disability (ID) within a community ID service. The first paper by McBrien et al. in 2010 described the mapping of need, the assessment methods and results.Design/methodology/approach - This paper describes how decisions were made about whether or not to enrol 20 assessed men on group treatment and outlines the treatment group and outcomes.Findings - None of the seven men who completed treatment had committed a further sexual offence at 12-24 months follow-up. Other outcomes are discussed including the outcomes for the men who did not start or complete treatment. The available measures are not sufficiently sophisticated to detect change in individuals.Originality/value - This paper contributes to the literature that describes the assessment and treatment of men with an ID who have committed sexually harmful behaviours. It describes one community service's response to the complex needs of this client group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]