Lorimer Foster Services

Lorimer Foster Services Inspection report for Independent Fostering Agency

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Unique reference number SC059742 Inspection date 17/09/2010 Inspector Marian Denny Type of inspection Key

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Setting address 2a Carrington Lane, Sale, Cheshire, M33 5ND

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Telephone number 08701 203520 Email Registered person Lorimer Foster Services Ltd Registered manager Ashley James Higgins Responsible individual Jonathan Khan Date of last inspection 29/05/2007 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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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 Crispins, 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.

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About this inspection

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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

Lorimer Foster Services is a privately-owned independent fostering agency, which was registered in July 2004 to provide placements with approved foster carers for children and young people from birth to 18 years. The range of placements includes short term, long term, bridging, emergency and respite placements.

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Brief description of the service

The service is based in Sale, Greater Manchester and covers the north west of England. The agency has 46 children and young people in placement and 42 approved foster carers.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This announced inspection covered all the key standards under every outcome area. The inspector found that this is a good service with an outstanding outcome achieved in the area of enjoying and achieving.

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Summary

This is generally a well-managed agency, which is supporting carers well and providing good outcomes for the children and young people placed. The agency has suitably qualified, experienced and dedicated staff, who are child focused and have access to appropriate training and supervision. The quality of work undertaken by the staff team is good.

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Summary

There is a clear commitment to promoting health and education and supporting contact with significant people. Children are well matched with carers and are settled in their placements.

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Summary

The agency has policies and procedures in place to ensure that the safety and well- being of the children and young people is supported. However, the health and safety checklist is not comprehensive, monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust and unannounced visits are not always completed within the prescribed timescales.

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Summary

Carers are effectively supported with ongoing supervision, training and the development of their skills and experience. Both staff and carers in their daily behaviour and actions demonstrate their commitment to delivering a good service and achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last full inspection was carried out in May 2007 and resulted in five recommendations being made, which related to three key outcome areas, staying safe, positive contribution and organisation. At the time of this inspection, the agency had effectively addressed these matters and all the recommendations had been met.

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Helping children to be healthy

The fostering service actively promotes the health care needs and well-being of children and young people in placement. Placing authorities provide information regarding the children they wish to place with the agency, at the time of referral and after placement. Children's care plans are obtained and copies provided to carers. These care plans contain information on health care and identify the responsibilities of those involved with the care of children. They are regularly reviewed through the statutory reviewing procedures, which is the responsibility of the placing local authority. Review minutes record the decisions and actions made and carers receive their own copies of these minutes.

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Helping children to be healthy

The agency’s foster care handbook provides clear information about looked after children’s health needs. It also emphasises the importance of all people involved with their care, working together to identify and meet children’s health care needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

The training provided foster carers includes the promotion of health and well-being. This training clearly identifies the role of the carers in supporting children and young people and the required formats and information to complete, including when a child is unwell, has had an accident or any issues affecting their health. Foster carers say that this training is helpful and provides them with clear guidance and information.

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Helping children to be healthy

Carers are fully aware of their responsibilities to children and young people placed with them and ensure they are registered with doctors, dentists, opticians and receive the specialised health services that they need. Older children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own health care in accordance with their needs and abilities. Consents to medical treatment are obtained and given to foster carers. Carers keep records of the care and treatment children receive. The agency monitors how well foster carers are meeting health needs on supervisory visits. Monthly summaries reflect how these needs have been addressed and are forwarded to individual social workers. Children say that they are well looked after.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The manager and responsible individual are suitable to carry out a fostering service and have the necessary business and management skills, as well as financial expertise to manage the work effectively and efficiently. The manager has considerable child care experience and holds a social work qualification. He is registered with Ofsted. All the necessary checks and references have been taken up. The recruitment policy and procedure ensures that there are robust and effective systems in place for appropriate vetting of all staff. A full employment history is requested and where gaps in employment have been identified these are explored. References are sought and all staff have appropriate enhanced Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) disclosures in place. These are updated every three years in line with good practice. Personnel files examined contain all the required information to demonstrate that staff are suitable to work with children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A similar system is in place for the recruitment and selection of foster carers, which includes CRB enhanced disclosures. There is a renewal process, which is in line with staff who work for the agency. References for carers are in place and the agency ensures that the views gained from prospective foster carers' own children, both adult children and those still living at home, are clearly recorded. In addition, the views from previous partners are also gathered to ensure a holistic assessment is undertaken. Health and safety checks, including pet assessments and vehicle checks, are completed and updated annually in each foster home. However, the health and safety checklist is not comprehensive, for example, window blind chords are not included.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A range of training opportunities is provided for carers on the topic of safe care. This includes courses on substance misuse, safe caring, caring as a male carer, sexual abuse and child protection. Each placement has a written safe care agreement, which is agreed with their supervising social worker and placed on file. Children's behavioural needs are taken into account through risk assessments and behaviour plans that are regularly monitored to ensure they support carers in meeting safe care requirements. Accident forms are completed by foster carers and monitored by the agency. Foster carer agreements reflect the current status of carers when a variation or change is introduced.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The agency places the needs of the child at the forefront when making matching decisions and works hard to ensure that all appropriate matching documentation is obtained from the placing authority. Matching decisions are made in consultation with placing social workers and foster carers. This ensures children and young people are placed with carers, who are assessed as able to meet their needs. Foster placement agreements contain all the required information. Visits made to foster carers and the children placed with them demonstrate that good matching procedures are in place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The fostering service safeguards young people and foster carers are positive about the value of their training. Appropriate policies and guidance are in place which inform carers about protecting children, bullying, absence without authority and behaviour management. Children are given information, support and advice by foster carers to ensure they are able to take responsibility for their own safety, where this is in line with their abilities and wishes. Young people and carers are provided with information about the complaints procedures. The agency has informed social workers and Ofsted of significant events and can demonstrate that child protection issues have been dealt with appropriately to safeguard children. The fostering panel is child focused and organised to ensure that good quality decisions are made about the approval of foster carers. The panel chair and members have a wide variety and range of relevant experience which contributes to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the decision making process. The panel exercises robust scrutiny of information presented and have a quality assurance function, which informs improvements in agency practice.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency greatly values and actively promotes equality and diversity for all children and young people. This is clearly reflected in the agency’s policies, procedures and practice. Foster carers are recruited to meet the diverse needs of children requiring a foster placement. They are well trained and supported to ensure children's needs are met in relation to religious, cultural, ethnic and disability factors. Foster carers demonstrate a very good understanding of their role in promoting equality and diversity. They work very hard with children and young people to promote self-worth and encourage them in any interests or talents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency actively promotes children and young people's educational needs. The importance of education and school attendance is emphasised during the training and assessment of foster carers and at the point of placement. No placement is offered unless transport to and from school can be managed. Monthly supervision of foster carers covers education issues. Carers complete daily records of significant events and they also complete a monthly report for the placing authority. This report addresses the Every Child Matters outcomes, including the educational progress and attainment of a young person. Care plans address the educational needs and support arrangements of a young person, which are regularly reviewed through the statutory reviewing procedures. Older children are assisted and supported in college placements and their case records, include college and tutor review reports. Children have a statement of special educational needs, where this is appropriate, and these

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency has a system in place to collect information about school exclusions. There is also a procedure to manage both permanent and temporary exclusions to ensure the number of days a young person misses school or college is minimised. Since the last inspection, there has only been one exclusion.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency’s foster carers advocate on behalf of children and young people and provide consistent care, where there are changes to local authority social workers. The agency ensures the leisure needs of children and young people are promoted. Each child has a leisure plan, which outlines the specific interests and abilities of children and young people. Carers support them to develop these abilities and interests, through involvement in the various community activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency promotes contact to meet the needs of children and young people and foster carers are committed to supporting them to maintain relationships with friends and family members. Foster carer training includes the importance of maintaining contact and the agency's expectation that carers will work with parents for the benefit of the young people. Foster carers are often involved in maintaining complex contact arrangements and are understanding of parents' perspectives when their child is being fostered. Contact arrangements are effectively monitored, with records kept on the impact of contact on children, which is discussed with the supervising social worker.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency has a welcome pack and a children and young people's guide, which details the agency's complaints procedure. It also provides information about other agencies and services, which offer support and advocacy and can be accessed directly. There is also a children and young people's forum, which is a useful consultative system for children and young people using the fostering service. Young people enjoy attending the forum and it provides an opportunity for them to raise any concerns or complaints. Supervising social workers visit foster carers' homes every two weeks and they routinely meet with children and young people on home visits. This provides the agency further consultative opportunities and for the views of children and young people obtained. Carers' monthly summaries also includes the views of the young people. The agency also ensures children and young people are supported through the care planning review process and involved in discussion about

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Helping children make a positive contribution

their own progress in accordance with their abilities and wishes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Foster carers are also encouraged to participate in the development of the agency and to express their views and ideas for change.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Children are well supported by this agency to develop the skills to move into adulthood. The advice and guidance young people receive from the foster carers and the agency's social workers complements the support provided by the placing authorities. Children's specific needs are identified in the agency's own pathway plans. Children feel involved in the process and are able to influence the support they receive. Foster carers are supported and equipped to understand their role in helping children develop independence skills. The agency advocates for placements to continue after young people's 18th birthday where this is identified as being in the best interests of children.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

There is a clear structure for foster carer payment. The rates are published in the foster carer handbook and are reviewed each year. The payment structure reinforces training and experience. The fee structure enables local authorities to tailor service provision to meet the needs of the child. The rates of payment are clear and consistently applied. They provide foster carers with sufficient finance to support children to pursue educational and leisure interests and participate fully in the community. Payments are made regularly and on time. This was also confirmed by foster carers visited and in the information received in the returned surveys.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The agency values and promotes equality and diversity, which is clearly reflected in their policies, procedures and practice. All staff and carers who work for the agency have undertaken equality and diversity training. Examples were given which demonstrate children and young people’s religious, ethnic and special needs are being met and foster carers are active in equipping themselves with relevant information through a variety of sources. Foster carers ensure that children have mementos, photographs and life story work to take with them when they move on. The views of children and young people are sought to ensure that they have an opportunity to voice their views and opinions.

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Organisation

The agency has a Statement of Purpose, which has recently been reviewed and updated. This document outlines the aims and objectives and services provided. Children's interests are the primary consideration of the agency. Its policies, practices and procedures inform the work of the agency and are implemented by qualified and experienced staff who themselves are well trained and supported to maintain their focus on child centred practice.

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Organisation

Appropriate policies and procedures are in place which inform the work of the agency. There is clear written information regarding supporting and working with foster carers, which outlines the expectations of the agency and their responsibilities to carers, including supervisory visits, unannounced visits and training. All foster carers are members of a national organisation giving them access to independent support in the event of an allegation being made against them. A foster carer handbook provides comprehensive guidance and is a useful resource for them. The whistle blowing policy includes guidance for all people involved, including foster carers.

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Organisation

The manager and responsible individual are suitable people to run an agency and have and have the necessary business and management skills, as well as financial expertise to manage the work effectively and efficiently. However the agency's procedures for monitoring the activities and performance of the agency are not sufficiently robust.

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Organisation

There is a management structure in place with clear lines of responsibility and accountability. There is good communication between the managerial and staff team and the agency is managed effectively and efficiently. The structure of the organisation is explained to carers and details are provided in the initial information pack, as well as in post approval training.

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Organisation

Supervising social workers are clear about their role and responsibilities and have the necessary qualifications, experience and knowledge to fulfil their role effectively. Caseloads are manageable and they all receive supervision on a regular basis. The agency ensures training is available to staff and they all have access to both internal and external training programmes. This training, together with the fact that staff are very well supported, ensures staff are able to work effectively.

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Organisation

There is a clear strategy for working with and supporting carers. The provision of support to enable foster carers to meet children's needs is a priority. Carers are supported by visits every two weeks and other contacts as required. Each carer has a supervision contract and every month formal supervision takes place. These supervisory visits carefully monitor outcomes for children and are fully recorded. Foster carers say they are very well supported, they can ring for assistance at any time and staff are approachable and available. An effective out of office hours system is in place and carers state that this is a very good service. Unannounced visits take place, however they are not always carried out within the prescribed timescales.

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Organisation

The agency has recently revised and re-organised its training for foster carers. Training is provided during the assessment process, after approval, as part of the induction process and thereafter as core training. The course programme is run twice a year, at local venues, so that the opportunity for carers to attend the training is maximised. Records are kept both centrally and on carers' files of the training that they attend.

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Organisation

There are appropriate policies and procedures in place for case recording. Foster carers' files are well organised and structured. Social workers keep records of their actions in contacting placing authorities to obtain necessary information. Carers record significant events on a daily log. They also provide a monthly report, on the Every Child Matters five outcomes on every child placed with them for the placing authority. This information is regularly evaluated by staff and managers.

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Organisation

Foster carers' annual reviews are undertaken on time by an independent reviewing officer. The first review goes to the fostering panel and thereafter the reviews are reported to panel every three years or as a response to particular situations.

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Organisation

The service has a clear system in place for receiving and recording notifications and complaints. Complaints are responded to within agreed timescales and a record is maintained of the action taken to address the complaint. All carers, children and staff are aware of the complaints procedure.

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Organisation

Records are kept on children in placement, which provides information, as well as evidence of the work undertaken by the agency, to meet their needs. Case records are well organised, legible and non-stigmatising. These records are organised in a consistent format to enable the effective monitoring of children and young people's progress. All agency records are stored securely and in accordance with the fostering national minimum standards.

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Organisation

The agency's premises are well resourced. There is space, storage, good information technology and communication equipment. The premises are compliant with disability legislation, accessible and fit for purpose. All the necessary insurance policies are in place.

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Organisation

There is a clearly written set of financial policies and procedures governing the agency’s financial management, which are properly operated.

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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):

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Recommendations

 ensure the health and safety checklist is comprehensive (NMS 6.6)  ensure procedures for monitoring the activities and performance of the agency are followed (NMS 4)  ensure unannounced visits are carried out in the necessary timescales. (NMS 22.6)

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