Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI): Guidance for Practitioners
Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) together undertake a programme of Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAIs) in a local area.
JTAI is an inspection of the local area arrangements and how leaders, managers and practitioners work together across the local authority, police, health providers and partner services to safeguard children and promote their welfare.
Ofsted’s National Director for Social Care, Eleanor Schooling said:
“The responsibility of safeguarding cannot rest with one agency alone. These inspections will provide a comprehensive picture of how several agencies work together in an area to ensure children are safe.
The joint approach will allow us to act swiftly where we are concerned about specific issues in an area so we can ensure that every agency is doing its part. Equally, it will give us an important opportunity to look at good practice and really understand how local areas are tackling the challenges they face. We are confident these inspections will support improvement and have a positive impact on the experiences of children and young people.”
What does JTAI focus on?
There are currently two types of JTAI inspection:
- One type evaluates the multi-agency response to identification of initial need and risk (or the the ‘front door’ of child protection)
- The other type looks a particular theme or cohort of children, currently the focus is on the multi agency response to child sexual abuse in the family environment.
Each focus is subject to change periodically.
Scope of the inspection
The scope of this inspection reflects the definition used in the National Panel Report 2024.
‘While there is no single agreed definition of child sexual abuse within the family environment, this is broadly understood as sexual abuse by a relative, for example, a parent, stepparent, sibling or grandparent, those closely linked to the family, such as a parent’s partner, or someone within the home environment with caring responsibilities, such as a foster carer. However, intrafamilial child sexual abuse often overlaps with other forms of sexual abuse. Most online child sexual abuse material is created at home, with research indicating that around half of those producing this type of online content are family members, often biological/adoptive parents, or stepparents.’
The agencies within the scope of this inspection are the police, children’s social care, probation services and relevant health services. When evaluating the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements put in place by the partners in the local area, we will take into account the guidance set out in Working together to safeguard children. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and early years providers to identify and respond to children who are victims of child sexual abuse in the family environment.
Inspectors will evaluate how local agencies work with the voluntary and community sector to respond to children who are victims of child sexual abuse in the family environment.
Inspectors will evaluate the multi-agency arrangements for:
- responding to children who are at risk of, or are victims of, child sexual abuse in the family environment, at the point of identification
- assessment, planning and decision-making in response to notifications and referrals of children who are at risk of, child sexual abuse in the family environment
- protecting, supporting and caring for children who are at risk of, or are victims of, child sexual abuse in the family environment
- preventing children from becoming victims of child sexual abuse in the family environment
Inspectors will also evaluate how effectively the local partnership, through its multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (MASA), monitors, promotes, coordinates and evaluates the work of the statutory partners. Inspectors will base their findings on recent practice. This will usually be practice in the six months before the inspection. The inspection will evaluate how well current practice takes account of relevant history in children’s cases.
All JTAIs need to balance the breadth and depth of what we evaluate. The scope of the inspection therefore needs to be focused so that the inspectorates can gather sufficient depth of evidence to add value and learning for the sector. Following discussions with stakeholders, it has been decided that these JTAIs will:
- focus on children who are victims of child sexual abuse in the family environment
- evaluate the role of probation services in relation to the multi-agency response to children who are at risk of, or victims of, child sexual abuse in the family environment, but will not evaluate the role of youth justice.
When looking at the experiences of children, inspectorates will consider the support for other children and non-perpetrating adults in the same household.
Who undertakes the Inspection?
The inspection team will usually consist of:
- 3 social care inspectors from Ofsted – one will be the lead inspector
- 1 education inspector from Ofsted
- 3 inspectors from HMICFRS
- 3 inspectors from CQC
- 2 inspectors from HMI Probation
A Senior His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) from Ofsted will be the quality assurance manager.
CQC, HMICFRS and HMI Probation may appoint additional quality assurance managers to the team if there are specific circumstances that require additional oversight.
What does activity consist of?
Inspectors will prioritise gathering evidence about direct practice with children and families.
Inspectors will:
- Undertake case sampling
- Undertake case tracking (a more in-depth look at practice and at least five cases will be selected from performance and management information provided in advance of the on-site activity (week 3)
- Evaluate the quality and impact of audits undertaken locally
- Interview practitioners, managers, leaders and stakeholders
- Meet with representatives of our multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (NYSCP)
- Review documents, performance and management information
- Observe practice and multi-agency meetings, e.g. ICPC, Strategy Meeting, Multi-agency Panels etc.
There are several ways for inspectors to hear the views of children and their families. These include:
- talking to children and their families directly, either in person or by phone or video call
- reading views recorded in case records and meeting minutes
- listening to views expressed by advocates on behalf of children
- listening to views expressed by practitioners, based on their work with the child and their family
- analysing the responses to consultations with children, families and carers, particularly those the local partnership uses to evaluate and improve the help and protection it provides
How long does the inspection last?
Inspection Timeline
Week One
- Inspectors notify the local leaders of the inspection 10 working days before the fieldwork begins. This will usually be on a Monday but may happen earlier if a there is a bank holiday in week 1 or 2 of the inspection.
- Inspectors request information to support the inspection (this information is set out in Annex A of the inspection guidance).
- Inspectors and local leaders hold a set-up discussion (inspectors are off site).
- Local agencies share information to support the inspection.
- Inspectors select some children and ask the local agencies to evaluate the children’s experiences through an audit.
- Inspectors carry out planning and pre-inspection analysis.
- A multi-agency meeting is held with local partners for them to explain strategic arrangements to respond to children who are at risk of, or are victims of, child sexual abuse.
Week Two
- The local area evaluates 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.
- Inspectors work with the local agencies to agree a fieldwork timetable.
- Inspectors may meet virtually with local leaders to discuss arrangements for the inspection and the local context.
Week Three
- Fieldwork – inspectors gather evidence.
- Inspection findings are fed back to the local partnership on Friday.
Weeks Four and Five – Inspectors Off Site
- Ofsted draft the findings letter for the local partnership
Week Six
- Draft findings report sent to the local partnership on Friday of week 6 (15 working days after fieldwork).
Weeks Seven and Eight
- Director of Children’s Services has 9 working days to co-ordinate comments from the partner agencies as part of a factual accuracy check of the report. Comments are returned to inspectors by Thursday of week 8.
Week Ten
- Final findings report is sent to local partners on Monday of week 10 and this is an embargoed version until Friday of this week when the report is published and available to the public.
What is happening in North Yorkshire?
There is a multi-agency JTAI working group which is co-ordinated by the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership. The function of the group is to support preparation, self-assess and digest learning identified from JTAI’s in external areas.
For further information on the work of the group please contact NYSCP – nyscp@northyorks.gov.uk
Page updated: September 2025
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