The LANCASHIRE ASSOCIATION of SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES
 
 
DCSF (DfE) CONSULTATIONS
 
 
 

The Department for Children, Schools and Families complies with the Government’s Code of Practice on Consultation.  The Code aims to open up decision making to as wide an audience as possible, making consultations more valuable.  All consultation documents should conform to the seven criteria from the Code of Practice on Consultation. These are listed opposite. No Department is exempt and ministers are obliged to explain any departure from the code.

The seven consultation criteria
All DCSF public consultations are required to conform to the following criteria within the Government Code of Practice on Consultation:
Criterion 1: Formal consultation should take place at a stage when there is scope to influence the policy outcome.
Criterion 2: Consultations should normally last for at least 12 weeks with consideration given to longer timescales where feasible and sensible.
Criterion 3: Consultation documents should be clear about the consultation process, what is being proposed, the scope to influence and the expected costs and benefits of the proposals.
Criterion 4: Consultation exercises should be designed to be accessible to, and clearly targeted at, those people the exercise is intended to reach.
Criterion 5: Keeping the burden of consultation to a minimum is essential if consultations are to be effective and if consultees buy-in to the process is to be obtained.
Criterion 6: Consultation responses should be analysed carefully and clear feedback should be provided to participants following the consultation.
Criterion 7: Officials running consultations should seek guidance in how to run an effective consultation exercise and share what they have learned from the experience.

 

    This consultation seeks views on proposed guidance to help local authorities establish quality improvement networks and support and develop childminders and childminding in their areas.
    Launch Date: Thursday 1 April 2010
    Closing Date: Thursday 24 June 2010
    Childminding Quality Improvement Networks - Draft Guidance.
     
    The draft statutory guidance for family and friends care aims to ensure that children and young people who are living with relatives or friends receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. In particular, it sets out a requirement on local authorities to develop equitable and transparent policies for delivering effective services to those children, young people and their carers across the range of legal arrangements which underpin family and friends care.
    Launch Date: Friday 26 March 2010
    Closing Date: Friday 18 June 2010
    Family and Friends Care Guidance
     
    Currently children who are voluntarily accommodated (under s 20 of the Children Act 1989) by the local authority are no longer looked after following a custodial sentence.   This change of status may mean that this vulnerable group will not be supported by children's services on release.  The Care Matters white paper made a commitment to extending the requirement  of local authorities to ensure visits to looked after children to those who lose this status because they have been sentenced to custody.   These draft Visits to Former Looked After Children in Detention (England) Regulations 2010 and accompanying guidance aim to ensure that this group of children are appropriately assessed and supported during detention and on release.
    Launch Date: Friday 26 March 2010
    Closing Date: Friday 18 June 2010
    Consultation on Visits to Former Looked After Children in Detention (England) Regulations 2010; and related Guidance
     
    This formal consultation seeks views on draft statutory guidance covering Part 2 of the Child Poverty Act: ˜Duties of local authorities and other bodies in England'. Part 2 of the Child Poverty Act places duties on local authorities and named partner authorities to cooperate with a view to reducing, and mitigating the effects of, child poverty in their local areas. That cooperation must lead to the production of local child poverty needs assessments, which in turn inform local child poverty strategies.
    The draft statutory guidance relating to Part 2 of the Act seeks to enable local authorities, named partner authorities and others to make the most of the opportunities presented by the Child Poverty Act. Authorities and named partner authorities must have regard to this guidance in taking forward the Part 2 duties.
    Launch Date: Friday 26 March 2010
    Closing Date: Friday 18 June 2010
    Statutory Guidance for Local Duties on Child Poverty (Child Poverty Act 2010)
     
    This consultation seeks views on draft regulations and proposed arrangements to implement the extension of free school meals eligibility to primary school children from low income families.
    Launch Date: Thursday 25 March 2010
    Closing Date: Monday 17 May 2010
    Extending the Eligibility of Free School Meals
     
    Local authorities have had responsibility for securing information, advice and guidance (IAG) services since April 2008. The directions and statutory guidance provide a framework for a coordinated approach to planning, managing and reviewing IAG services.
    Launch Date: Wednesday 24 March 2010
    Closing Date: Wednesday 16 June 2010
    Information, Advice and Guidance Services for Young People: Directions and Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities
     
    The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) includes a category of controlled activity in relation to children or vulnerable adults, comprising posts in the Further Education, health-care, and Local Authority sectors.  This consultation asks for views on whether the Government should propose in the medium term to reduce this category in the VBS or remove it entirely, by moving some posts into regulated activity, and removing others from regulation by the VBS.
    Launch Date: Tuesday 23 March 2010
    Closing Date: Thursday 17 June 2010
    Public Consultation on continuing need for a controlled activity category in the Vetting and Barring Scheme
     
    The existing statutory requirements and Government advice for CRB disclosures for safeguarding purposes, in relation to workers who will, in the future, be already registered with the ISA under the new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS).  This consultation asks for views on whether the Government should propose to amend requirements, or should amend recommendations, in some of these cases.
    Launch Date: Tuesday 23 March 2010
    Closing Date: Wednesday 16 June 2010
    Consultation on statutory requirements and advice, for CRB disclosures for safeguarding purposes, on workers already registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority
     
    The Government's guidance Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education was published in November 2006 and came into force on 1 January 2007. The guidance is being updated primarily to reflect the changes brought about by the introduction of the Vetting and Barring Scheme.  Additionally, in Sir Roger Singleton's recent report Drawing the Line, he recommended that we review the statutory requirements, and the Government's advice, for CRB disclosures for safeguarding purposes on those who work with vulnerable groups, when they are already registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority, and the consultation will also seek views on this.  The guidance sets out the statutory framework and underlying principles for safeguarding children and young people in educational establishments in England, covering recruitment and vetting of staff and volunteers, the procedures for dealing with allegations against such staff, the new Vetting and Barring Scheme administered by the ISA and the circumstances in which a referral to the ISA might be required.
    Launch Date: Tuesday 23 March 2010
    Closing Date: Tuesday 15 June 2010
    Revised Guidance on Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education
     
    This document forms statutory guidance for local authorities in England to underpin their responsibilities towards education and training for young people detained in youth custody as set out in the Education Act 1996 (as amended by the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning (ASCL) Act 2009). This document should be read alongside the relevant legislation, and does not seek to replace it.  This consultation is being launched at the same time as a consultation on Modification of Enactments Relating to Persons Detained in Youth Accommodation (England) Regulations 2010.   These are available on the DCSF consultation website.
    Launch Date: Monday 22 March 2010
    Closing Date: Tuesday 15 June 2010
    Learning for Young People in Youth Custody in England: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities
     
    The Secretary of State has a regulation making power under Section 562A of the Education Act 1996 (as inserted by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning (ASCL) Act 2009).   These regulations need to be in place prior to commencement of the new  €˜offender education' duties in order to modify certain provisions of the Education Act 1996 in relation to young people detained in youth custody.   This is necessary because it is not appropriate for some of the provisions to apply - e.g. requiring parents to ensure their child attends school whilst they are detained in custody.
    Statutory guidance for Local Authorities on Learning for young people in custody is launched at the same time as this consultation and is available on the DCSF consultation website.
    Launch Date: Monday 22 March 2010
    Closing Date: Tuesday 15 June 2010
    Modification of Enactments Relating to Persons Detained in Youth Accommodation (England) Regulations 2010
     
    Consultation on draft regulations and statutory guidance which strengthens local authorities' duties under The Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) 2008to ensure the welfare of children is safeguarded and promoted when they are placed in health, education and other establishments for consecutive periods of three months or more.   It requires representatives of Local Authorities to visit the children and provide services to help them maintain contact with their families.
    The regulations and guidance will apply to Local Authorities in England and Wales.   The Welsh Assembly Government is carrying out its own consultation alongside this one.
    The regulations pertaining to this guidance aim to be brought into force on 1 December 2010.   They are one of a raft of regulations and guidance arising from the CYPA.
    Launch Date: Friday 19 March 2010
    Closing Date: Friday 18 June 2010
    Consultation on Draft Regulations, and Associated Statutory Guidance regarding accommodated children in long-term residential placements visiting and support arrangements.
     
    This consultation seeks views on proposed arrangements for distributing the Dedicated Schools Grant to Local Authorities from 2011-12 onwards.  Respondents are invited to comment on whichever elements of the proposed distribution methodology relate to their area of interest or expertise.
    Launch Date: Monday 15 March 2010
    Closing Date: Monday 7 June 2010
    Consultation on the future distribution of school funding
     
    A JOINT DFID/DCSF GLOBAL LEARNING STRATEGY FOR SCHOOLS
    Global learning means that the 21st century curriculum should encourage learners to be aware of global issues, enable them to evaluate information and events from a global perspective and to realise their individual responsibilities in an interdependent world.
    DFID and DCSF have developed a new shared vision. We want all children and young people to be prepared for life in an interdependent world, to be empowered to engage with the global challenges they will face and to be encouraged to take action as global citizens. The strategy contributes to the existing curriculum and links with the duty on schools to promote community cohesion and the national framework for sustainable schools.
    A recent review of DCSF and DFID funded programmes concluded that important progress has been made in strengthening the teaching of global issues in schools. The report also highlighted that further progress can be made through a more aligned approach which could both strengthen individual programmes and provide greater overall impact for the resources invested.
    The draft strategy outlines a number of deliverables: a new governance structure; a new programme of support for schools; a new global teaching website; a new approach to the International School Award; anew approach to evaluating impact; and a new communication strategy.
    Launch Date: Monday 8 March 2010
    Closing Date: Monday 31 May 2010
    Global Learning Strategy
     
    This consultation seeks views on proposed new regulations for recoupment in England, which update the Education (Inter-Authority Recoupment Regulations [England and Wales] 1994 (SI 1994/3251) in accordance with changes to primary legislation.   Respondents are invited to comment on whichever elements of the proposed regulations relate to their area of interest or expertise.
    Launch Date: Monday 8 March 2010
    Closing Date: Monday 31 May 2010
    Education (Recoupment) (England) Regulations 2010
     
    The Education (Prescribed Public Examination) (England) Regulations 2010 consultation document sets out the proposal to revoke and replace the Education (Prescribed Public Examination) Regulations 1989 (also known as Statutory Instrument 1989 Number 377).
    The 1989 Regulations list qualifications which were prescribed for the purposes of sections 106 and 117 of the Education Reform Act 1988, and for the equivalent provisions in sections 402 and 453 of the Education Act 1996 which superseded their counterparts in the 1988 Act.
    The current 1989 Regulations are available from the Office of Public Sector Information website at;
    http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989 /Uksi_19890377_en_1.htm.
     
    The Department for Children, Schools and Families aims to ensure that new  regulations affecting schools will be brought into effect to coincide with the beginning of the new academic year. In order to meet this obligation for 1 September 2010, it has been necessary to shorten the consultation period from the suggested 12 weeks to 10 weeks. Please keep this reduced consultation period in mind while preparing your response.
    Launch Date: Tuesday 2 March 2010
    Closing Date: Tuesday 11 May 2010
    The Education (Prescribed Public Examinations) Regulations 2010
     
    The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010 document sets out how we want to build on the existing Teenage Pregnancy Strategy to strengthen its delivery in all local areas and make further progress towards halving the under 18 conception rate and improving outcomes for teenage parents and their children. The Strategy aims to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to delay early sex until they are ready, to ensure they are able and confident to access and use effective contraception when they do become sexually active, and to provide effective support for teenage parents. Success depends on the contribution from a range of agencies.  We welcome your views to help inform the next phase of the Strategy. A separate consultation with young people and parents will be starting next month through Brook and Parentline Plus.
    Launch Date: Thursday 25 February 2010
    Closing Date: Thursday 20 May 2010
    Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010
     
    This is a consultation about the information Ofsted are required to notify to all local authorities in England and Wales when they take specific actions against providers of children's homes, residential family centres, fostering agencies, voluntary adoption agencies and adoption support agencies. Actions include such things as restricting new admissions to children's homes or residential family centres or cancelling a provider's registration. The consultation asks whether the detail to be provided to local authorities within notification to them is appropriate and whether the circumstances where notifications are made to local authorities are appropriate. 
    Launch Date: Monday 15 February 2010
    Closing Date: Monday 10 May 2010
    Consultation on notifications to be sent by Ofsted to local authorities about children's social care providers]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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