Two lists of ‘must knows' are being produced to assist lead members of children's and adults' services. The web-based resource ‘Must knows for lead members' is being developed by the IDeA, in response to lead members requests for clarity about their role and how to prioritise the ‘must knows' when trying to balance ‘information overload'. Initial work has already been carried out by the development agency, following feedback from members at events, including the national and regional networks and the specialist leadership academies. Each must know is presented in question format, for example, ‘How do you know children's trust arrangements are working effectively?' ‘How do you know assessment processes are high quality and robust enough to meet the demands of individualised budgets?' and ‘How do you know that all staff are receiving the training and support needed to offer a high-quality service to the public?'. The IDeA is now seeking feedback from members on its initial ideas. The final must knows will be launched at the national councillor network for children's services in February next year.
