Multi Agency Audits
Dudley Safeguarding People Partnership (DSPP) has a duty to evaluate multi-agency working through audits which involves professionals from across the children’s workforce, and in turn, identify themes and trends in order to share learning and recommendations for improvement regarding the quality of practice and service provision.
Multi-Agency Assurance of Practice (MAAP) audits will look at and scrutinise multi-agency practice from a random selection of cases to assess the quality of practice and lessons to be learned in terms of both multi-agency and multi-disciplinary practice. The following will underpin the MAAP audit process:
- Focus on multi-agency and multi-disciplinary interventions and have a clear focus and clearly defined terms of reference
- An expectation that all agencies commit to the MAAP procedures
- Focus on current practice, considering interventions that have occurred within the last 12 months
- Consider interventions that are within the remit and work of local agencies
- Include a focus on the welfare of the child, other children living in the household, timeliness, communication and engagement with families or other significant adults
The intention of the MAAP audit process is to carry out audits in a spirit of appreciative inquiry to “shine a light on what is working well in organisations and potentially engage all stakeholders in building conditions for best practice” (Bellinger and Elliot, 2011)
DSPP:
- Recognises that partner agencies undertake their own audits of practice and will focus on multi-agency and multi-disciplinary interventions. Any issues identified for a single agency during the course of the audit will be reported back to that agency.
- Recognises that managing performance of particular staff members is the sole responsibility of their employing agency and will, wherever possible, ensure that audits focus on systemic issues rather than individual practice.
- Expects all agencies to take action where management or practice has fallen below expected standards of professional behaviour.
Below are briefings from the previous MACFA Process, in place until 2023
2020/21
2021/22
- MACFA Learning Briefing – Parental Mental Health (May 2021)
- MACFA Learning Briefing – Exploitation Online Harms (September 2021)
- MACFA Learning Briefing – Neglect (December 2021)
- MACFA Learning Briefing – Permanently Excluded Children (March 2022)