Child Action North West

Child Action North West Inspection report for independent fostering agency

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SC036972 Unique reference number 15 June 2007 Inspection date Lynn O'Driscoll / Sharon Lloyd Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Child Action North West Address Dixon House Whalley Road Wilpshire BLACKBURN BB1 9LL 01254 244700 Telephone number

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Email

Child Action North West Registered person

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Registered manager

John Tempest Responsible individual 25 September 2006 Date of last inspection .

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Registered manager

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Registered manager

You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007

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Brief description of the service

Child Action North West is a registered charity which offers a range of children's services. At the time of this inspection 22 carers were working for the fostering service offering 34 placements for children and young people aged between 0-18 years. There were three vacancies. Referrals are considered in an emergency, for respite, short term, long term, pace, remand and for mother and babies. A total of 14 staff work for the agency comprising a suitably qualified and experienced, link workers who support and supervise the carers, two placement officers, one teacher and one trainer.

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Summary

This judgement was made following a five day visit to the service by two inspectors. During this time, carers, children and young people were visited, staff were interviewed, files and records were examined and there was a tour of the premises. At the start and end of the process there was a meeting with the management team. Prior to the inspection, questionnaires were sent to all young people nine years and over, their social workers and to all carers. A self assessment questionnaire was also sent to the agency which was completed and discussed in detail with the management team on 4 June 2007. That same week, the panel was observed and panel papers scrutinised. The overall quality rating is inadequate. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The seven requirements and two recommendations made at the last inspection in September 2006 have been addressed, some quite recently following an improved management structure. The inspectors acknowledge the recent positive developments made by this management team who stated their commitment to efficiently address all the new actions made. One manager concluded, 'we are in a much better place, strengthened by the new management team, but we still have a long way to go'. Another manager is optimistic that, 'by next year we will be flying.'

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. All the children spoken to and questionnaires returned confirmed they are given useful information on healthy eating and get involved in choosing, buying and cooking meals. One young person wrote 'really nice meals-very healthy' and one social worker wrote, 'I often visit at tea times and meals are healthy'. The carers met were all trained in food hygiene. Two specific examples were given of carers significantly improving children's diets. One carer, however, was dissatisfied with the 'junk food' provided during sessions with the fostering Agency's support workers. Discussions would suggest that this is gradually being addressed with fruit being provided instead of crisps during direct work sessions. Children say they attend medical appointments when they need to and they are looked after properly when they are ill. Carers are clear about their responsibilities to ensure every child and young person placed with them,

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Helping children to be healthy

has access to services which meet their physical, emotional and social development. Any appointments are recorded in carer's diaries and outcomes discussed with their link workers during supervisory visits. The young people visited were all registered with a general practitioner 4 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007 and dentist and were involved in constructive physical activities including swimming, football, bike riding, walking and dancing. Child Action North West (CANW) also offer a good variety of activities for looked after children and carer's own children. CANW raise issues about the health needs of young people in pre approval training and provide more intensive courses once approved. These include, first aid, talking with young people about sex and relationships, emotional needs of looked after children, attachment and trauma, infectious diseases, food hygiene and talking with young people about drugs and alcohol. Some children are receiving

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Helping children to be healthy

specialist help from the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to meet assessed needs and carers have access to CAMHS training. Information received from local authorities prior to placement is not always in sufficient detail to ensure holistic needs are met. Secondly not all the carers were up to date with their first aid training and medication training is not a mandatory course. Thirdly, information received from the agency prior to this inspection shows that all children and young people are not receiving annual statutory medicals to ensure they remain fit and healthy. This included one young person visited. A recognised area for development by the Agency is to develop better links with local authority's looked after nurses. Carer's are also looking forward to the vacant post of therapeutic worker being filled in June, to provide specialist input to individual children and young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. All the children and young people visited were happy and felt safe with their current carers. One child said, 'it’s like being in a real family. I feel like I’m in Heaven'. The new manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Overall the recruitment files examined on carers and staff were in good order, but safeguarding issues were raised in respect to criminal record bureau checks. Panel members files do not include all the details required by Schedule 1. The recent introduction of a checklist, signed off by the operations manager, should ensure all files meet the required standards and thereby demonstrating that all staff are suitable to work with children. Most of the home's visited offer a good standard of accommodation and two young people spoken to really like their bedrooms and said they had everything they needed in them. Two homes, however, do not provide sufficient space for the numbers approved, resulting in

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

one child sleeping in a lounge and the inappropriate use of bunk beds for a teenager. Annual health and safety assessments of carer's homes are undertaken but there is no clear system in place to ensure actions identified are efficiently addressed. CANW provide ongoing training in child protection, safe caring and health and safety. Two social worker's questionnaires confirmed their satisfaction that particular carers are 'conscious' and 'vigilant' in respect to safe caring, but overall there was a lack of understanding in this area. None of the carers spoken to had specific safe caring guidelines in place and incidents of sexualised behaviours had not been appropriately followed through. There was only one individual risk assessment seen on the children's files examined. Moreover, this was not dated so it was not possible to assess if the details were still accurate. Allegations records were poor and inappropriate language used. All

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the paperwork had to be read to ascertain the serious issues raised, judgements were made prior to any investigation and there are still unacceptable delays in responding. Within this documentation there was also written evidence of a physical intervention which has not been recognised and therefore not recorded in line with the Regulations. All this is poor practice and does not safeguard children. One carer wrote that 'as per their policies and procedures, any investigation should be completed within 28 days. Ours took three months during which time we received no support'. The data set received from the Agency stated that there have been no complaints since the last inspection, but inspectors found at least two complaints from 5 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007 carers and two from young people which have been appropriately responded to, but not recorded. Since the last inspection only trained social workers have been undertaking

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

assessments. It was found, however, that CANW recommend and approve very broad approvals so it is difficult to assess if carers are competent to meet assessed needs and receive the training and support they require. It can also make 'matching' meaningless. The placement agreements do not clearly identify how the fostering service will compensate for any 'gaps' in the match between the child and the foster carer. Good practice was observed at the fostering panel. Carers felt at ease, everyone participated and relevant questions were asked. It is not constituted in line with the Regulations, however, so all carer's approvals will have to be urgently reviewed. Second, the service is not adequately conversant with the Regulations in respect to the panel's establishment and functions. A review panel was cancelled, for example, as it was not quorate, but this is not required except for first reviews. Consequently not all reviews are taking place

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

within twelve months, which is another breach of regulations. As recommended, the chair of the panel has recently attended training but as a consequence has recognised that this role needs to be much more proactive to ensure the panel carries out all it's regulatory functions, including advice and quality assurance. The management team have already acknowledged the need to undertake a full review of their panels and processes and their recommendations will be presented to the board of trustees in October 2007.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The agency clearly demonstrated that children and young people are treated and valued as individuals in their own right and their unique needs and diverse preferences are respected and responded to. A good range of training courses are available to carers to reinforce this message. The children and young people visited are actively involved in a range of constructive leisure activities of their choice. The leisure opportunities offered by CANW during holiday periods is really appreciated by carers and enjoyed by the children. The role of support workers are valued by carers and good examples of direct work to address assessed needs were shared, including for example, building confidence to use public transport and to mix with other children. Carers were clear about their role of building up young people's confidence and esteem resulting in one young person actively contributing to decisions about his future. This fostering service

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

gives high priority to meeting the educational needs of the children in their care which has resulted in some excellent outcomes. As examples, one young person visited has officially left school after taking ten GCSE's and has a place at college to study at an advanced level. Another has improved so significantly that he won a trip to Italy. The school reports and attendance of two other children 'has dramatically improved' since moving to their current carers. There are some good examples of carers advocating on behalf of children to ensure they receive the most appropriate education to meet their assessed needs. For one individual this meant he has 'come on leaps and bounds' and has recently been awarded three certificates from the Mayor of Preston. There are no children permanently excluded. Carers were very clear about their responsibilities to actively encourage good attendance, ensure completion of homework,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

supervising internet use and attending parent's evenings. A teacher is employed by CANW and her input has proved invaluable. A carer spoke of how she sat with one young person to successfully re-introduce him back to mainstream school for 40 days. The service offers on line facilities for young people to use and specific computer programmes to improve reading, including a programme for dyslexic students. Examinations can be undertaken at the Agency's own learning centre which has really benefited some children. Recognised areas for development include more work experience opportunities and timely advice on further education and career 6 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007 options. The Agency also intends to develop better systems to monitor educational attainments. The two GCSE results provided for the last academic year were above government statistics for looked after children. To further emphasise the importance this fostering service places on

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

promoting the educational needs of looked after children, prospective carers would benefit from a session by the teacher during the 'choosing to foster training'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. There is good evidence that carers actively promote contact with family and friends in line with any legal directions and respecting young people's wishes and feelings. One young person, for example, is exercising her right not to see her siblings at the moment. All contact arrangements are regularly reviewed. Carers visited were also clear about their responsibility to record any changes in behaviour following contact and to pass this information on to the child's social worker. Child Action North West is committed to increasing consultation opportunities at all levels in the organisation. To this end a young people's group has just been established and they are reviewing the service user guide. One young person visited was really excited about being involved in this new development. Similarly a group of carers has recently been established and the agenda items proposed by the operations manager for the inaugural meeting showed

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Helping children make a positive contribution

that he is very aware of the main issues for carers. Carers were also actively involved in his recruitment. Birth children of families hoping to foster are included in the assessment process and their wishes and feelings included in the report presented to panel. Regular away days and outings are already firmly established for foster carers own children to allow them to share experiences and thereby inform future developments and training. The recent 'mission and vision' days, open to all employees of CANW were particularly well received. Individuals said they felt proud of the achievements to date, well informed of future developments and motivated to play their part. The children and young people said they can make informed choices in their placements, for example food, activities, contact arrangements and décor in bedrooms, and are actively encouraged to attend and participate in their own reviews. One young person

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Helping children make a positive contribution

visited has gained so much confidence living with his current carers that he is now fully engaged in this process. One social worker wrote of a carer, 'she is very good at encouraging the children to express their wishes and feelings'. Complaint records however, do not demonstrate that children's concerns are listened to and thoroughly investigated. There was also very little feedback from children and young people at carer's reviews. Third, most care plans had not been signed by all relevant parties, including the young people and their parents, so there is no confirmation of their agreement to them.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Most foster carers are satisfied that allowances are promptly paid and are sufficient to adequately cover the cost of caring for each child placed. Full and up to date details are now included in the recently revised foster carer handbook. Most of the children and young people are happy with the amount of pocket money they receive and the arrangements for buying clothes and personal items, but one example of poor practice in respect to withdrawal of pocket money had not been followed up by the agency. Moreover, two children say they did not receive any pocket money at their previous placement, which has also not been challenged. Several carers confirmed that they encourage young people to save and use every opportunity to demonstrate to them the value of money. 7 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Child Action North West was described as 'a fair and competent employer' and the Chief Executive as 'so committed to children and young people'. An experienced, dedicated and child focussed management team is now established and they are very committed to developing the fostering service in line with the National Minimum Standards and Regulations. They have made some significant changes in a relatively short period of time, which has been fully and actively supported by the Chief Executive, but they do accept that some of the fundamental systems needed to ensure all children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted are not yet fully in place. Monitoring of records has improved, but is still not sufficiently robust, in respect to, for example, complaints, allegations and restraints. There has been a significant turnover of staff in the last year and when the new manager commenced employ in February

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Organisation

2007 faced a very disillusioned team . Only four months on and the atmosphere is positive. Following a successful recruitment drive, there are now a sufficient number of qualified staff to ensure realistic workloads, lines of accountability are clear and there are good supervision arrangements in place for both carers and staff. Individuals spoken to acknowledge, 'there is still a long way to go', but are excited about facing the challenges ahead and 'proud to be part of the organisation'. The majority of carers continue to be well supported by the agency and enjoy good communication. One carer said, 'it is a very good agency to work for. They are always there when I need them. They are only a phone call away. They listen to what you say and act on it straight away. They try to sort things out'. Another carer described the organisation as, 'first class, prompt and very supportive'. Those spoken to are optimistic about the future

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Organisation

developments and most have seen a marked improvement already, especially in respect to the consultation opportunities and the stability of the staff team. They have also welcomed their own copy of the new comprehensive foster carer handbook and those who have read it confirm that it is user friendly. The Children's Guide is now being revamped in consultation with young people. All those spoken to were particularly satisfied with the quality and range of training offered to them and spoke highly of the dedicated trainer. The Inspector was impressed with the quality of the training session observed. The fostering service are currently producing individual training plans for all carers to ensure their identified personal training needs are met and thereby demonstrate that carers continue to develop their knowledge and expertise in caring for looked after children. Children and carer's files are not in particularly good order,

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Organisation

but an audit system recently introduced should efficiently address any shortfalls. On some of the children's files examined, for example, the placement plans did not cover all the particulars as is legally required . Similarly, carers files did not include all the required information and were not in chronological order. Most of the findings had been identified by the operations manager, but not yet addressed. For example, some details of placement histories were incomplete and many did not include the reasons for a placement ending, which is crucial quality assurance information. One record stated, 'placement going well' without any entry about a new admission. Approval details are unclear as this information is not included on foster carer agreements or on the file checklist. Recommendation letters from panel and approval letters from the agency decision maker were not on the files examined. One foster carer agreement

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Organisation

had not been signed. A tour of the premises and discussions found that employees who work at the office in Wilpshire are very satisfied with the location and building but most complained about the marked lack of sufficient IT equipment which was recognised 'as an issue within the organisation'. The accredited learning centre offers excellent resources and is well used by CANW and the wider community, but the fire exit is not suitable for individuals with a physical 8 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007 disability. The detached house within the grounds is called 'Dixon House', which is used for direct work, education and activities over the summer, has an excellent range of craft equipment, cooking facilities, toys, games, computer, television and video, musical instruments, dance mat and gym equipment, but the banisters are unsafe. There is a good sized garden to the rear of

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Organisation

this building which is well used for outdoor play but there is no suitable disability access and no adapted toilet. The management team shared a detailed draft service action plan to March 2008 with clear timescales and outcomes. The operations manager will now include all the actions as required by the Regulations and the recommendations which ensure the National Minimum Standards are met as detailed in this report. This is to be presented to the Board of Trustees in October 2007. Once ratified, this will form the basis of their Regulation 42 report which will be forwarded to Ofsted following consultation with carers, children and placing authorities.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Fostering Services Regulations 2005 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Due date Action Standard

19 September 2007 ensure all carers are suitably trained in first aid. (Regulation 20) 19 October 2007 ensure all looked after children have annual statutory medicals. (Regulation 15) 18 June 2007 ensure there is an individual risk assessments in place prior to every placement. (Regulation 17(3). 18 September 2007 ensure a robust system is in place to follow through actions identified on annual health and safety assessments of carers' homes. (Regulation 11). 18 July 2007 ensure a written record is made of any complaint, the action taken and the outcome of the investigation. (Regulation 18(5)). 18 July 2007 ensure all restraints are recorded in line with the Agency's policy and procedures. (Regulation 13) 1 August 2007 ensure panel members' files include all the particulars as detailed in Schedule 1 (Regulation 20) 18 November 2007 ensure all foster carers' approvals are reviewed at a fully constituted panel and thereafter are undertaken at intervals of

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Due date Action Standard

not more than a year. (Regulation 29(2)). 18 August 2007 ensure the fostering panel is established in line with Regulation 24. 18 September 2007 ensure the panel undertakes all it's legal functions as detailed in Regulation 26. 9 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007 18 July 2007 ensure all the matters specified in Schedule 7 are closely monitored. 18 September 2007 ensure all foster placement agreements cover the particulars specified in Schedule 6. 18 September 2007 ensure all foster care agreements include all the particulars as specified in Schedule 5 and are signed and dated 18 October 2007 ensure all carer's files contain all the details as specified in Regulation 30 and are kept up to date. 18 December 2007 ensure the premises are free from hazards and provide suitable disability access, fire exits and toileting facilities. (Regulation 23) 30 November 2007 ensure a Regulation 42 report is produced and forwarded to

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure, before a placement begins, the carer is provided with as full a description as possible of the health needs of the child. • seriously consider providing medication training as a mandatory course for carers. • ensure there is sufficient space in carer's home to comfortably accommodate the approved number of children. • ensure individual safe caring guidelines are in place in every foster home, based on a written policy and agreed with the child's social worker. • consider including a session by the teacher on the choosing to foster training. • ensure one identified young person is given advice and support in respect to further education and/or employment opportunities. • ensure there is written evidence that the matching process considers the child's race, ethnicity, religion, culture and language needs and clearly specifies how any gaps will be

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Recommendations

met. • ensure all children and young people receive the pocket money to which they are entitled. • seriously consider producing the Children's Guide in different formats to meet all the different needs of the children and young people placed with Child Action North West carers. • ensure there is written evidence that children and young people are consulted during their carer's annual review process. • ensure all documentation is in place and signed by all parties prior to every placement. • seriously consider providing sufficient IT equipment. 10 of ? Inspection Report: Child Action North West, 15 June 2007

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