Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) – Guidance for practitioners
What is a JTAI?
A JTAI is a Joint Targeted Area Inspection, which is a multi-agency deep-dive review of how leaders, managers, and practitioners from local authorities, police, health providers, and other partner agencies collaborate to safeguard children within a specific local area.
The inspections examine the multi-agency response to specific themes related to child safeguarding, assess the effectiveness of local safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable children, identify areas for improvement in local safeguarding practices, and encourage learning across partner agencies.
The JTAI inspections currently address the following themes, with the areas of focus changing periodically:
Who undertakes the inspection?
The inspection is usually undertaken by a team consisting of:
What professionals can expect during an inspection?
During a JTAI, professionals can expect a thorough evaluation of their practices, policies, and procedures. Inspectors will assess how well different agencies work together to safeguard children, including the quality of assessments, planning, and decision-making processes. Professionals should be prepared to provide evidence of their work, participate in interviews, and engage in discussions with inspectors.
The inspection will assess recent practices, typically within the 6 months prior to the inspection, but will also evaluate how effectively these consider the relevant history in the children’s cases.
Inspection Timetable
The inspection process typically follows a structured timetable:
- Week One: Inspectors notify the local leaders of the inspection 10 working days before the fieldwork begins and hold set-up discussions.
Inspectors request information to support the inspection, select some children and ask the local agencies to evaluate the children’s experiences through an audit.
- Week Two: Agencies evaluate children’s experiences and provide audits to the inspection team. Local agencies share information to support the inspection.
Inspectors carry out pre-inspection analysis and review the information set out in Annex A
- Week Three: Inspectors undertake on-site visits to observe practices, conduct interviews, and review case samples.
Inspectors collect evidence regarding direct practice, conduct meetings with relevant agencies and stakeholders, engage in discussions with practitioners, and speak with children and their families and/or carers.
Inspectors gather information that is necessary to help them evaluate how well leaders, managers and representatives of the MASA understand the experiences of children and families.
- Post-Inspection: Inspectors present their initial findings, followed by a full written report within 34 working days.
How can practitioners prepare for an inspection
Professionals should ensure that all relevant documents are up-to-date and easily accessible in case of an inspection. It is also important to be familiar with the inspection framework and the specific requirements for each theme. Regular internal preparation meetings and action trackers can assist to stay organised and ready for an inspection.
What is happening in Sheffield?
There are multi-agency JTAI working groups coordinated by the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Partnership to facilitate self-assessment, preparation, and the identification of both single and multi-agency practice development and learning needs.
Currently our working groups focus on the themes of domestic abuse, serious youth violence and children experiencing sexual abuse. For further information on these working groups, please contact SCSP scsp@sheffield.gov.uk