Fostering Solutions Limited

Fostering Solutions Limited Inspection report for independent fostering agency

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SC033219 Unique reference number 7 December 2007 Inspection date Lynn O'Driscoll Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Fostering Solutions Ltd Address Unit 4 Burnden House Viking Street Bolton Lancashire BL3 2RR 01204 522667 Telephone number

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Email

Fostering Solutions Ltd Registered person John Joseph Paul Keane Registered manager David Johnson Responsible individual 10 July 2006 Date of last inspection .

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Email

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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Email

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 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007

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Brief description of the service

Fostering Solutions was established in June 2000. In 2006 this agency became part of Acorn Care and Education Limited which specialise in the provision of education and care for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Fostering Solutions (North West) is organised into three teams covering the Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Liverpool areas. They have approved a diverse range of carers to meet young people's assessed needs and are supported by qualified staff to provide 327 placements.

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Summary

The arrangements in place for all the outcomes areas are good to outstanding. All the documentation is maintained to a particularly high standard and there are effective monitoring systems in place. Staff are suitably qualified, experienced and highly motivated. There are an excellent range of carers to ensure the unique needs and diverse preferences of fostered children are met. The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no actions arising from the last inspection and the five recommendations made by CSCI were efficiently addressed. In particular the service has improved accessibility to support groups and training courses by offering more localised venues. Three monthly training programmes are also now sent out to carers allowing them to plan the courses they need or want to attend which carers report to be 'much better' and statistics show that attendance has significantly improved.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. There are good arrangements in place to help ensure children and young people remain fit and healthy. Most say they 'always' get support and advice from their carers about being healthy and enjoy a good variety of meals and lots of exercise including ballet, netball, kung fu, running and cycling. They have plenty of vegetables, salad and fruit and drink lots of water. Children are registered with a doctor and dentist and attend health appointments as needed. Fostering Solutions are proactive in ensuring all children have an annual medical and immunisations are up to date. Children under five are not placed with carers who smoke in line with the recent guidance from the British Agency for Adoption and Fostering. Carers are equally satisfied with the guidance, support and training provided by Fostering Solutions on promoting healthy lifestyles. The carer's handbook includes guidance on promoting the holistic health needs of

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Helping children to be healthy

children and young people and courses available include first aid, promoting healthy eating, HIV/aids, drugs and alcohol misuse. The latter is now also offered to young people. Carers benefit from the services of a psychologist and specialist training from the child and adolescent mental health services to promote emotional and behavioural wellbeing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007 Overall there are outstanding arrangements in place to help ensure children and young people and all members of carers' households are kept safe. The organisation's survey confirmed that 100% of under seven year olds who responded like where they live. The registered manager and the operation managers are suitably qualified and experienced, child focused and highly committed to developing the service. They are very knowledgeable about carer's abilities and individual circumstances and the unique needs of the children and young people, which helps ensure good matches. There are robust recruitment and selection procedures in place to ensure a safe and suitable workforce and the human resources files are in particularly good order. All the required checks and references are carried out and any gaps in employment history are

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

accounted for. An effective system is in place to renew criminal record checks every three years. Carers homes are maintained to a good standard and provide clean and safe environments for fostered children. Health and safety checks are undertaken annually and short timescales set to address any required actions. Children and young people like their bedrooms which they can personalise and they confirm that their privacy is respected. There are very tight systems in place to ensure carers can meet the assessed needs of individual children and statistics show excellent placement stability. The documentation in respect to matching is very thorough, includes young people's views and is clearly linked to individual risk assessments. Respite placements are now included in this process. Carers are suitably trained in child protection, safe care and behaviour management. Safe caring policies are in place, child specific and updated

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

during a carer's annual review process. There is no written evidence, however, that they are produced in consultation with all members of the household and with the child's social worker. Excellent complaints and allegation records are maintained showing they are quickly responded to, all taken seriously, fully investigated, outcomes reached and any actions needed to improve services efficiently put into place. Members of the main fostering panel offer a wealth of expertise across children's services and consequently the discussions reflect all aspects of children's needs. The panel benefit from detailed minutes and receiving papers in good time to thoroughly prepare themselves. They have consistently exercised their quality assurance function and will defer decisions if they do not have sufficient information to make a fully informed decision. Overall panel members confirm a excellent standard of Form F assessments

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

which are updated before every review and new placement. Regular statistics are presented to the panel by an operations manager. The review panel offers carers the opportunity to reflect upon the highs and lows of the last twelve months. Sufficient time is allowed for a full discussions and reports are very detailed and produced in good time for members to fully prepare. Independent members are impressed with the quality of carers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Overall there are good arrangements in place to ensure children and young people reach their full potential. They are respected and treated as individuals in their own right and carers respond appropriately to sexuality, identity and disability. All children of very different abilities enjoy a wide range of constructive leisure activities and are actively encouraged to pursue specific interests and talents including arts and crafts, dancing, knitting, drama and scouts. Carers also take them on holidays including Canada and Thailand. The agency's Statement of Purpose states it's 'commitment to promoting equality and valuing diversity' and Fostering Solutions has significantly raised the profile of diversity issues throughout the organisation. A clear marketing strategy is now in place for targeting and recruiting carers from diverse backgrounds. The diversity working party is representative of the organisation including for example carers,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

panel members, supervising social workers, managers and members of staff from the recruitment 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007 and human resources team. It meets quarterly 'to help ensure Fostering Solutions promotes equality of opportunity, acts in a non discriminatory way and values the diversity of carers and staff in the service delivery to children and young people'. They are 'moving towards a position where diversity is at the forefront of all working practices and addressed in all departments'. Carers are highly satisfied with the way Fostering Solutions addresses issues of equality and diversity and their own knowledge base is developed through training courses on, for example, cultural diversity and disability awareness, articles in the newsletters and discussions in support groups where expertise is shared. Education is actively promoted and consequently 98% of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children and young people placed with Fostering Solutions are attending school or college. Some carers travel long distances each day to ensure young people remain in the school of their choice. Most fostered children say they 'always' receive the right help with their education including extra lessons and achievements are highlighted in the young people's newsletters. Carers attend and inform personal educational planning meetings and reviews, parents evenings and award ceremonies. Carers are satisfied with the support they receive from Fostering Solutions in respect to the education of the young people placed with them including access to an educational liaison officer and training on supporting young people's educational achievements.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Fostering Solutions actively promotes positive contact with family and friends in line with legal directions and young people's choice and some good relationships are now established within local communities. Some carers have successfully advocated on behalf of fostered children to ensure contact is established and maintained by, for example, regular telephone calls, travelling long distances and providing contact in their own home. The actual arrangements are clearly specified in individual placement agreements. Carers have also established good relationships with parents who are happy with the care provided. There are excellent opportunities for fostered children and young people to contribute to their day to day lives and their futures. These include seeking their views as part of carer's annual reviews, during supervisory visits and though annual surveys. Young people also have their own eye catching newsletter, a

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Helping children make a positive contribution

dedicated section on the website, away days and support groups and they are involved in the skills to foster training. Supervising social workers say because the frequency of visits to carer's homes is so good and building positive relationships with looked after children is prioritised, 'they know some children better now than they would as a child's social worker'. Fostering Solutions actively listen to young people and make changes following consultation. Examples include removing the logo from the welcome pack bag so they do not need to explain where they acquired it and changing the recording form as young people felt the set questions were too restrictive. Annual surveys are collated and published and any individual issues are immediately followed through to the young person's satisfaction. Young people say their carer's 'always' listen to them and take notice of their opinions and they help and encourage them to

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Helping children make a positive contribution

think about their futures including further education and employment. Carers are equally satisfied that they can contribute to the development of the service through, for example, annual surveys, support groups, training and forums. Staff say it is a 'proactive and approachable organisation who actively seek out their views and act upon them'.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007 Young people say that they are helped to think about and prepare for their future including cooking, using public transport, further education, part time employment and budgeting. The agency has a pocket money policy which outlines the expectation that fostered children and young people have opportunities to earn and save money in their own bank accounts. Some carers are saving money for children from an early age to ensure they have a adequate sum to set them up in independence. Social workers confirm constructive joint working with carers to ensure young people are adequately prepared for independence. The agency has successfully moved some young people on into supported lodgings and others have remained in placement beyond their 18th birthday because they do not feel ready to live on their own. Carers who

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Achieving economic wellbeing

attended the recent Bolton support group gained a good insight into The Leaving Care Act 2000 and ongoing training is provided to enable them to support young people through this transition. Carers are satisfied with the allowances and fees provided by the organisation which are reviewed annually. This agency currently pays full boarding out allowances as set by the National Association called 'Fostering Network' and carers confirm they, 'get enough pay to rely on as a proper income'. No delays in payments were reported.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The Statement Of Purpose clearly sets out the aims and objectives of the agency and it is regularly updated to ensure it accurately reflects the continued developments to the service. Welcome packs are given to children and young people at the start of a placement which contain age appropriate information about the agency, their rights and how to complain. A customer service manager has been appointed specifically to ensure a child friendly process of making a complaint and outcomes are reached in a timely manner. There are three different versions of the children's guide appropriate to different age groups which is available on the website and on DVD. However. these have not been translated into different languages to ensure all young people placed fully understand the contents. Fostering Solutions have dedicated teams responsible for referrals, human resources, training, panel, customer services and recruitment.

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Organisation

Staff appreciate this clarity of roles and the opportunity to develop their area of expertise. The North West service is particularly well managed by a very dedicated and competent team who are committed to continually improving the service to children and young people and their carers. There is a sound management structure in place with clear lines of accountability. They are suitably qualified, experienced and child focused. All managers meet regularly to monitor, review, evaluate and improve practice. There are a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff who feel well supported and valued by the organisation. They benefit from regular good quality supervision and confirm manageable workloads and excellent administrative support. An indicator of satisfaction is the low staff sickness. The Director and senior managers say they have very committed staff in the North West. New supervising social workers applied

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Organisation

to Fostering Solutions because of their 'good reputation' and their complete satisfaction of using the service as local authority placing officers. They confirm particularly good conditions of service, a thorough induction process and a good range of ongoing training opportunities including external courses. There are excellent monitoring systems in place and a quality assurance group established to ensure policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated as needed. Any new developments are completed in an efficient and effective manner. Operations managers are provided with monthly performance reports and local authorities with service provision reports detailing, for example, placement stability. Events requiring notification and their outcomes are well recorded and the details forwarded to Ofsted in a timely manner as required. There are regular meetings and good communication between the offices to ensure

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Organisation

7 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007 consistency across the entire organisation. Carers and children's files are in particularly good order and are confidentially stored. Carers are highly satisfied with the 24 hour support they can access and the wide range and quality of the training they receive. Having listened to the views of carers some courses are now offered in the evenings and in local venues to enable them to attend. Support groups are well attended where professional discussions take place and carers benefit from each other's expertise.

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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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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure safe caring policies are produced in consultation with all members of the carer's household, agreed by the child's social worker and explained clearly and appropriately to the child (NMS 9.3) • ensure the children's guide is produced in formats suited to every child placed (NMS 1.5). 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service promotes the health and development of children (NMS 12) Ofsted considers 12 the key standard to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• any persons carrying on or managing the service are suitable (NMS 3) • the fostering service provides suitable foster carers (NMS 6) • the service matches children to carers appropriately (NMS 8) • the fostering service protects each child or young person from abuse and neglect (NMS 9) • the people who work in or for the fostering service are suitable to work with children and young people (NMS 15) • fostering panels are organised efficiently and effectively (NMS 30) Ofsted considers 3, 6, 8, 9, 15 and 30 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service values diversity (NMS 7) • the fostering service promotes educational achievement (NMS 13) • when foster care is provided as a short-term break for a child, the arrangements recognise that the parents remain the main carers for the child (NMS 31) Ofsted considers 7, 13 and 31 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service promotes contact arrangements for the child or young person (NMS 10) • the fostering service promotes consultation (NMS 11) Ofsted considers 10 and 11 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service prepares young people for adulthood (NMS 14) • the fostering service pays carers an allowance and agreed expenses as specified (NMS 29) Ofsted considers none of the above to be key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• there is a clear statement of the aims and objectives of the fostering service and the fostering service ensures that they meet those aims and objectives (NMS 1) • the fostering service is managed by those with the appropriate skills and experience (NMS 2) • the fostering service is monitored and controlled as specified (NMS 4) 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007

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Annex A

• the fostering service is managed effectively and efficiently (NMS 5) • staff are organised and managed effectively (NMS 16) • the fostering service has an adequate number of sufficiently experienced and qualified staff (NMS 17) • the fostering service is a fair and competent employer (NMS 18) • there is a good quality training programme (NMS 19) • all staff are properly accountable and supported (NMS 20) • the fostering service has a clear strategy for working with and supporting carers (NMS 21) • foster carers are provided with supervision and support (NMS 22) • foster carers are appropriately trained (NMS 23) • case records for children are comprehensive (NMS 24) • the administrative records are maintained as required (NMS 25) • The premises used as offices by the fostering service are suitable for the purpose (NMS 26) • the fostering service is financially viable (NMS 27) • the fostering service has robust financial processes (NMS 28)

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Annex A

• local authority fostering services recognise the contribution made by family and friends as carers (NMS 32) Ofsted considers 1, 16, 17, 21, 24, 25 and 32 the key standards to be inspected. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Fostering Solutions Limited, 7 December 2007

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