Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) scorecard 2008
You are currently viewing a Comprehensive Performance Assessment made under the 2008 methodology. View the most recent Comprehensive Area Assessment.
Overall performance for this Council
This is a council that is improving strongly and demonstrating a 4 star overall performance.
We reached this overall rating by looking at:
- What progress Kent County Council has made in the last year – direction of travel
- How Kent County Council manages its finances and provides value for money – use of resources
- How Kent County Council's main services perform – service performance
- How Kent County Council is run – corporate assessment
Service assessments, use of resources and corporate assessments are scored on the Local Services Inspectorate Forum scale:
1 = Inadequate performance – below minimum requirements
2 = Adequate performance – only at minimum requirements
3 = Performing well – consistently above minimum requirements
4 = Performing strongly – well above minimum requirements
Direction of travel
The progress Kent County Council has made in the last year
| Direction of travel |
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|
| This assessment indicates the progress being made, or otherwise, to achieve improvement. | improving strongly | improving strongly | improving strongly | improving strongly |
The following summary has been provided to support the 2008 direction of travel assessment:
Kent County Council is improving strongly. Educational attainment of children has improved in all Key Stages with significant improvements in some areas, including attainment of care leavers at Key Stage 4. Participation in, and outcomes from, an ambitious vocational skills and learning programme have increased, with numbers in apprenticeships exceeding national levels. There has been a sustained improvement in adults’ social care from an already high base. Recycling and highways maintenance have increased but the cost of waste disposal remains high. Contributions to wider community outcomes are strong. Road accidents have reduced significantly. Crime continues to fall with fewer young people entering the youth justice system, exceeding the reduction target. With partners, the number of empty homes brought back into use has exceeded stretched targets. Easier local access to a range of public services continues to transform, including through the expanding Gateway programme. The Council continues to provide excellent value for money. Strong leadership and capacity, coupled with a consistent and effective approach to performance management and improvement planning, ensures the Council is well placed to sustain its strong track record and deliver future improvements.
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Use of resources
How Kent County Council manages its finances and provides value for money
| Use of resources |
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|
| We have assessed how well the Council manages its finances and provides value for money. |
3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
This use of resources judgement is drawn from five individual judgements provided by the Council's appointed auditor:
| Auditor judgements | 2008 |
|---|
| Financial reporting | 3 |
| Financial management | 4 |
| Financial standing | 3 |
| Internal control | 3 |
| Value for money | 4 |
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Service performance
How Kent County Council's main services perform
| Service area |
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|
| Children and young people - The Council's performance in providing children's services, such as children's education and social care. The joint assessment is made by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (external link) and Ofsted (external link) following a review of the Council's overall performance and key indicators. |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Culture - The Council's performance in services, such as libraries and leisure, as assessed by the Audit Commission. More details |
2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Environment - The Council's performance in services, such as transport, planning and waste, as assessed by the Audit Commission. More details |
3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Social care (adults) - The Council's performance in adult social care services. The assessment is made by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (external link) following a review of the Council's overall performance and key indicators. |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Corporate assessment
How Kent County Council is run
| Corporate assessment |
2005-2008 |
|---|
In assessing how the Council is run, the Commission considers what the Council, together with its partners, is trying to achieve; what the capacity of the Council, including its work with partners, is to deliver what it is trying to achieve; and what has been achieved?
Under CPA - The Harder Test, corporate assessments were undertaken once for each single tier and county council between 2005 and 2008. |
4 |
Corporate assessment reports
View corporate assessment - 2008 score 4
Joint Area Review (JAR) of children's services report
This assessment is conducted in partnership with the new-style corporate assessment and is published on the Ofsted website (external link).
Percentage figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.