Children’s Commissioner for England (CCE) (2020) Private provision in children’s social care, https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/private-provision-in-childrens-social-care/
Portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of separate pieces of work that when presented together give an overview of the author’s interaction with a range of different elements. They can cover a long period of time, for example when architects collate their most successful designs to showcase to a new client. Alternatively, they can cover a shorter time-span, when someone collates different materials and sources on a topic of interest.
The total wordcount for the portfolio is 2,000 words (not including reference), with roughly equal wordcounts for each section. Each section needs to be coherent in itself, with a brief but correctly presented reference list, i.e 4-5 sources, and correct in-text referencing.
The topic the first two sections is: children’s social care provision – see link above
Section 1: What are children’s social care services?
Present an overview of what social care services are available and needed for children. This is a descriptive task, but be careful not to rely on central government sources only. Use information from organisations such as the Local Government Association, Citizens Advice Bureau, Institute for Government.
Section 2: What are the main dilemmas for accountability in private sector provision of children’s social care services?
This section needs to include a conceptual discussion, showing you understand different elements and ideas of accountability. You then need to discuss any tensions between the public sector’s need for accountability and the private sector’s tendency towards escaping accountability. This section needs to be based on academic sources, using correct referencing.
Section 3: Are there examples of good and bad practice in private provision of public services?
Find case studies of where private provision of public services has worked well, and other cases where major problems have occurred. This section is not based on academic sources and can include stories in different media. This is a descriptive section, but you still need to be careful how you present your information, e.g. be careful not to present emotive/colloquial language, or to rely on statements from politicians. Present one positive example and one negative example. This section is based on public services of any kind.