The Annual Performance Assessment (APA) is undertaken each year in children's services authorities. This is the responsibility of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). It replaced the former performance assessment of children's social care undertaken by Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in 2006/07.

The APA assesses the council's specific contributions to improving outcomes for children and young people through the development of children's services in the local area. It focuses on the council's contribution through its education and social care functions.

The spreadsheet details indicators from social care functions, in particular expenditure on social services for children. This data is used to assist in the forming of judgements on Service Management, section 6 of the APA 2007. The sources of the data is the expenditure (PSS EX1) return, more details can by viewing information on our social care collections.