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| Proposals
for action |
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| c)
New ways of discharging responsibilities in partnership |
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The third proposal
is to look at new ways of planning and carrying out the core responsibilities
of the Authority which work across existing boundaries. The boundaries
may be within the Local Education Authority but between different
departments; between one Education Authority and another; or between
the Education Authority and alternative public, voluntary or private
sector providers of services. A number of cross-border models are
already operating where new unitary authorities have been established
from one larger Authority, but still combine to offer a full range
of services. But the principles can be equally effective in other
areas.
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| As
indicated in Part 1 of the paper, a number of Authorities have successfully
piloted regional collaboration projects focused on catering for pupils
with special educational needs, particularly low incidence needs;
and all Authorities in England are now part of a regional collaboration
project of this kind. It is not possible for a competitive market
to provide for all essential needs in areas of scarce specialism or
minority requirements, or for accessible services across great distances.
Collaboration has therefore been widely welcomed. For some time, too,
Authorities have been working with non-maintained special schools
and with charitable organisations such as SCOPE, RNID and RNIB to
secure specific provision for children with special educational needs.
Other good examples of cross-boundary working are the Early Years
Development and Childcare Partnerships; and Education Authority involvement
in the planning and delivery of the Quality Protects programme for
especially vulnerable children, particularly those in care. |
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| Sharing
the delivery of services with public, private and voluntary sector
partners is less well advanced than inter-Authority collaboration.
New models have also been tried in interventions, but the Government
recognises that this is the most difficult territory in which to introduce
radical change. For this reason the Department has recently invited
bids for developing pilot projects designed to test out new models
of delivery of Local Education Authority services. The interest generated
shows that this has encouraged the best Authorities to engage in new
thinking about their role in providing services. Most of the new models
are expected to involve some private sector partnership, but the Department
is encouraging models which work across Education Authority boundaries,
cut across local departmental boundaries, and bring together new partnerships
for more effective delivery. This is very much in line with Best Value
principles. |
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| A
number of Authorities have made clear that the involvement of other
partners is made much more difficult by the current rules which do
not allow the Local Education Authority to contract with any other
body, whether public, private or voluntary, to deliver a service which
requires the exercise of discretion in individual cases – even if
that discretion can only be exercised within clearly defined Local
Authority policies. Such contracting is possible under a DfEE direction,
but only where the current service is inadequate. In any other individual
case a Statutory Order must be made requiring debate in both Houses
of Parliament. |
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| The
Government would be happy to give Local Education Authorities greater
freedom in this respect by making a general Order which would allow
them to contract with another body to discharge any of their functions
apart from key strategic functions in the areas of planning the supply
of school and pre-school places, school organisation plans, admissions
and budget setting. The Order would be an enabling measure and would
not impose any new obligations on Authorities to consider contracting
out, beyond the general duties under Best Value to ensure their services
are competitive. The Government plans to consult on a detailed Order
later in the autumn. |
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