The National Youth Agency - Joint Area Reviews (JARs)

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Joint Area Reviews (JARs)

This section provides an overview of each round of Joint Area Reviews (JARs). It also includes an overview of Annual Performance Letters (APAs).

Joint Area Reviews (JARs) examine how far children and young people in a local authority are achieving the Every Child Matters outcomes – i.e. are healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and experience economic wellbeing. They cover all education and social services directly managed or commissioned by a local authority, as well as health and youth justice services provided by partner agencies.

Also of interest...

Annual Performance Assessment letters (APAs) assess a local authority’s contribution to improving the lives of children and young people through its education and social care functions, and covers other services such as health and youth justice provided by partner agencies. APAs are linked with Joint Area Reviews to form an integrated approach.

Joint Area Reviews (JARs)

Joint Area Reviews, Youth Engagement and Neighbourhood Renewal

The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit commissed The National Youth Agency (NYA) to undertake an analysis of Joint Area Review reports in June 2006. These reviews, known as JARs, describe the outcomes achieved by children and young people in first-tier local authority areas and evaluate the way local services contribute to their well-being. JARs focus on the extent to which children and young people are healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and are well prepared to secure economic well-being (the Every Child Matters outcomes).

Ofsted also publishes Annual Performance Assessment (APA) toolkits for each local authority. These are the APA performance indicators that contributed to the assessments given to local authorities on their services for children and young people. The toolkits can be found at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/