Performance Pointers are principally targeted at senior officers in children’s services (but will also be of interest to other staff, such as front-line team managers).

The briefings should guide local performance improvement planning. They contain key questions drawn from the evidence base for readers to ask about practice and services locally (‘performance pointers’).

NIs for children’s services were finalised in February 2008 and flow from the priorities identified in Public Service Agreements and Departmental Strategic Objectives. They replace all previous indicators for local government, including Best Value and the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF).