Setting

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Lead Inspector Mr Graham Robinson Announced Inspection 2 nd February 2006 10:30 Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 2 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:

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• Put the people who use social care first • Improve services and stamp out bad practice • Be an expert voice on social care • Practise what we preach in our own organisation

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Reader Information Document Purpose Inspection Report Author CSCI Audience General Public Further copies from 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Copyright This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI Internet address www.csci.org.uk Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 3 This is a report of an inspection to assess whether services are meeting the needs of people who use them. The legal basis for conducting inspections is the Care Standards Act 2000 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for this establishment are those for Fostering Services. They can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or obtained 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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Every Child Matters, outlined the government’s vision for children’s services and formed the basis of the Children Act 2004. It provides a framework for inspection so that children’s services should be judged on their contribution to the outcomes considered essential to wellbeing in childhood and later life. Those outcomes are: • Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and achieving • Making a contribution; and • Achieving economic wellbeing.

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In response, the Commission for Social Care Inspection has re-ordered the national minimum standards for children’s services under the five outcomes, for reporting purposes. A further section has been created under ‘Management’ to cover those issues that will potentially impact on all the outcomes above.

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Copies of Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004 are available from The Stationery Office as above This report is a public document. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the prior permission of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 4

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Name of service

Address Whalley Road Wilpshire Blackburn Lancashire BB1 9LL

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of places

Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 5

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Conditions of registration:

Date of last inspection 6th September 2004

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Brief Description of the Service:

Child Action North West (CANW) is a registered charity and operates its fostering service as one of a range of children’s services provided by them. Placements were available for children and young people aged between 0 – 18 years, covering short/long term, emergency or planned. Remand and mother and baby referrals were also considered.

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Brief Description of the Service:

A total of fourteen staff were employed by the service. This included, an operations manager, manager, social workers, support workers, placement/administrative staff, therapeutic social worker and a teacher (Care Services).

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Brief Description of the Service:

Twenty-one foster carer families were caring for a total of twenty-four children and young people. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 6

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SUMMARY

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

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SUMMARY

The inspection covered a two-week period starting on the 2 February 2006 and finishing on the 17 February 2006. Prior to the inspection starting, questionnaires were sent to each foster family, each (age appropriate) fostered child and their placing social worker. Nine foster carers, eight young people and eight social workers returned questionnaires.

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SUMMARY

Four foster families were visited in their own homes as part of a tracking exercise. Fifteen foster carers attended a group discussion held on the 8 February 2006. Three evening clubs organised to provide support to young people were visited on the 7, 8 & 9 February 2006 where a total of twelve young people were present. Eight staff from the fostering service were spoken with individually. Observation also took place of the Fostering Panel that met on the 9 February 2006.

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SUMMARY

The comment received from young people about their carers and the agency was positive. No issues of concern or complaints were raised. They were well informed about their rights and demonstrated knowledge of what to do if they were worried or had a complaint. One young person summed up the general feeling by confirming she was “… accepted az family.” She asked for the following comment about the fostering service to be put into the report. “It’s a gud service and they care about all the kidz in the service.”

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SUMMARY

The feedback from foster carers was in the main, positive. Some individual frustrations were aired about a lack of information from placing social workers and difficulty in planning for the future, as some placing authorities were reluctant to commit to long term fostering. Some confusion existed about ‘extras’ (payment for annual holiday, school uniform etc). There was some worry about vacancies not being filled and a core of carers expressed concern regarding the proposed expansion of the service.

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SUMMARY

Despite those concerns, the overwhelming feeling was that the service being provided was good. Favourable comments were made about the visits and support from link workers (the services own social workers), the regular foster carer meetings, the out of hours telephone helpline, the range of training opportunities and the support, both individually and in groups, provided for fostered children/young people.

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SUMMARY

Feedback from placing social workers was unanimously positive. One social worker captured this response by stating, “The Fostering Service have been professional throughout. They have provided a good service and support to the foster carers and demonstrated flexibility to benefit the foster children.” They also acknowledged the level of difficulty presented by many young people and that previously difficult to place children were being treated the same as birth children in many families. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 7 The fostering service staff spoken with demonstrated a sense of purpose and direction. They felt well supported and that the service was being well managed. There was a sense of optimism regarding how the service was developing. The recent creation of the therapeutic social worker and teaching posts, as well as a trainee social worker post, were seen as a positive addition

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SUMMARY

Since the previous inspection, the agency had expanded its service to cover the Greater Manchester area. This part of the service had been registered independently with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) at their Bolton office. It will be inspected from that office as a separate service.

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What the service does well:

The service was well organised and managed by a team with a clear sense of purpose and direction.

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What the service does well:

Provided high levels of support to both foster carers and fostered children that took account of individual need.

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What the service does well:

Had established good levels of communication that allowed staff, carers and young people opportunities to evaluate the service and make suggestions for further development.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Because of the expansion of the previous manager’s role to that of operations manager, two manager posts had been created. One for the East Lancashire and the other for the Greater Manchester services.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The creation of the therapeutic social worker, teaching and trainee social worker posts.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improved organisation and frequency of the looked after children’s groups, providing fostered children with an opportunity to attend weekly as opposed to fortnightly.

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What they could do better:

Staff files would benefit from having photographs added as part of the requirement for proof of identity.

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What they could do better:

Ensure that foster carer reviews do not take place beyond the twelve month deadline. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 8 Alleviate the confusion of some carers about the system in place to claim extra payments such as holidays and school uniform.

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What they could do better:

Please contact the provider for advice of actions taken in response to this inspection. The report of this inspection is available from enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk or by contacting your local CSCI office. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 9

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CONTENTS

Statutory Requirements Identified During the Inspection Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 10

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The intended outcome for this Standard is:

• The fostering service promotes the health and development of children.(NMS 12)

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The Commission considers Standard 12 the key standard to be

inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at the outcome for Standard:

The fostering service was promoting the health of looked after children in a positive manner.

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EVIDENCE:

Promoting health and the responsibilities of foster carers in this matter was clearly laid out in the section entitled Health (sec 13.1) of the Statement of Purpose. Registering young people with doctors, dentists and other health professionals was not a problem for most carers. Only one reported a problem that was linked into securing dental services. This matter was passed to the manager during feedback in an effort to generate extra assistance.

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EVIDENCE:

A variety of training linked into promoting health was being provided for carers. For example, records showed the dates of and who attended training courses such as, first aid, the mental health of looked after children, talking to young people about sex and relationships and food hygiene – infectious diseases in childhood. Training courses were run by the services own personnel or specifically bought in.

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EVIDENCE:

One carer had experienced difficulty in getting Looked After Children documentation from the placing social worker. This meant they had little information resulting in no health plan. The inspector had reviewed the relevant file as part of the tracking process and noted that the link worker had written to the social worker (letter dated 20/1/06) expressing concern and requesting the documentation. No other concerns were raised or noted. Carers produced health plans and information on request during foster carer visits conducted by the inspector. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 11 Evidence was viewed to show that some young people were receiving therapeutic services from an external agency. Relevant agreements had been provided. The therapeutic social worker, in post since November 2005 had a remit to co-ordinate the work and liaise with those concerned. Foster carers

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EVIDENCE:

confirmed this had occurred. Once fully established, this role should prove to be beneficial to young people and carers. It is viewed as an extra component in the support mechanisms provided by the service. A description of the role and expectations of how the post may develop were provided. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 12

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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)

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The Commission considers Standards 3, 6, 8, 9, 15 and 30 the key

standards to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following Standard(s):

The fostering service had systems built into to its operation procedures that were designed to protect young people.

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EVIDENCE:

A selection of staff files was randomly selected for the purpose of checking if suitable recruitment and clearance procedures were taking place. They all represented staff employed directly by the fostering service since the previous inspection. Based on the evidence contained in the files, (Criminal Record Bureau Checks [CRB], proof of identity, written references, full employment history etc), it was possible to judge that the recruitment and clearance procedures were suitable and appropriate.

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EVIDENCE:

Although staff files contained some proof of identity, they did not contain a photograph. As this is a requirement under the regulations, the fostering service has been advised to address this matter with some urgency.

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EVIDENCE:

A similar exercise took place for the recruitment of foster carers. Evidence was available (CRB checks, references, health references etc) to show that carers were being recruited appropriately. A completed form F1 (used to gather information and record the processes undertaken prior to carers being approved) was also held on each file, along with a record of the panel decision to approve them as foster carers. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 13 The service took the matching of young people to appropriate carers seriously. None of the carers reported they were put under pressure to admit young people and confirmed their satisfaction with the way they were approached when a referral was made. Matching issues were observed being discussed by the panel.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers provided positive feedback about the training programme organised and run by the fostering service. They confirmed they were actively encouraged to participate in training. They recognised they needed to complete certain training referred to as ‘core training’. A number spoke about having the opportunity to engage in further training, with NVQ 3 (Caring for Children) given as an example. The inspector was provided with a training matrix that showed details of all the training undertaken by carers.

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EVIDENCE:

Observation of the Fostering Panel took place on the 9 February 2006. A new chair had been appointed since the previous inspection and the inspector met with her on the 3 February 2006. Panel minutes for the previous three months were requested and supplied. The operations manager, (temporary) manager and a number of carers were spoken with and asked about their views on how the panel operated and how it could be improved. The responses were positive and no concerns were noted about the membership of, or the way the panel operated.

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EVIDENCE:

Appropriate policies, procedures and guidance were in place regarding young people missing without authority. Carers were aware of procedures to follow. A record of notifications made by the service to other professional agencies, including CSCI, were available. This included notifications of any young person missing. Discussion took place about the protocols that have been developed locally with the Police. The manager was advised to make enquiries with Lancashire Constabulary to find out more about the protocol entitled Young People Missing From Care. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 14

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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)

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The Commission considers Standards 7, 13, and 31 the key standards

to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

The service was promoting education, general achievement and diversity in a positive manner.

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EVIDENCE:

Valuing diversity was acknowledged in the Statement of Purpose (section 11, Matching). The policy statements made it clear that consideration of a young person’s racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic needs were paramount when considering placement. It also included guidance regarding the expectation should a trans-racial or cross community placement take place. Issues around diversity also formed part of the Foster Care Agreement. Training also covered this area with carers attending cultural awareness and valuing diversity courses. No concerns were raised by either carers or young people, which included a number from an ethnic minority background.

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EVIDENCE:

It is made clear to carers they are expected to make suitable educational arrangements for the young people in their care. Their link worker supported them when necessary. This was underpinned in policy statements and guidance. For example, in the Statement of Purpose, section 13.2 (Education) and the Foster Care Agreement.

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EVIDENCE:

Foster carers spoke about their experiences and one provided a good example of how she managed to secure placements in a local primary school for two young children she looked after. Most understood the processes that needed to be followed to secure finance for school trips and uniforms, although some Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 15 confusion with a minority existed. This was passed to the management team during feedback.

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EVIDENCE:

Since the previous inspection a qualified and experienced teacher had been employed, initially on a part time basis, but due to become full time in April 2006. A description of the role along with aims and objectives was supplied. The teacher, who had been in post since the beginning of January 2006, spoke about her role. It included offering support to carers and young people, should there be problems either finding a school placement or if problems existed at school. Ultimately, should a young person be excluded, education would be provided until further (educational) arrangements could be organised. This was viewed as a positive development and once fully established, should prove to be a useful addition to the support services in place. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 16

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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)

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The Commission considers Standards 10 and 11 the key standards to

be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Systems were in place to provide opportunities for young people to make a contribution and choice regarding their lifestyle and future plans.

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EVIDENCE:

All carers spoken with understood their role and responsibility in encouraging and facilitating appropriate contact with responsible adults for the young people in their care. This was demonstrated verbally directly with the inspector and in questionnaires. Specific examples of this occurring were provided. For example, one spoke (and wrote) about the arrangements in place, which included travelling to a town some ten miles away three times per week for supervised contact to take place.

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EVIDENCE:

The expectation of carers was clearly laid out in the Statement of Purpose (section 13.4, Family & Social Relationships). A record of all contact a young person may have had was recorded appropriately on case files.

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EVIDENCE:

Young people also spoke about their own arrangements, which they seem to accept as part of their normal routine. Most were satisfied with the arrangements in place for them and recognised the role their carers played in facilitating the arrangements. One young man spoke about the contact arrangements he had with his family expressing his sadness that he could not see them more often, but recognising the reasons why. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 17 A consistent response was received from young people about the levels of consultation (and choice) they had regarding their lifestyle and future plans. They confirmed they had appropriate influence within the foster home and a number felt they were just normal members of the family. They understood their rights and had access to information if they felt they needed to complain or felt unsafe.

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EVIDENCE:

There had been an improvement in the organisation and frequency of the looked after children’s groups. They were operating three nights per week and provided an opportunity for each young person to attend on a weekly basis. The inspector called in and spoke with young people from each of the three groups. Whilst primarily organised to provided activities, staff were observed discussing and talking with young people individually, checking out issues and concerns.

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EVIDENCE:

The primary role of the support workers was to work with and develop positive relationships with young people. Conducting visits to their home and taking them out went some way to achieving this. Young people and carers recognised the value of this work, which was appropriately recorded on case files. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 18

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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)

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The Commission considers Standards 29 the key standard to be

inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Payments to carers were made regularly, although some confusion existed regarding ‘extra’ payments.

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EVIDENCE:

Foster carers reported no problems regarding them receiving their regular payments. Some had issues about the uncertainty they faced if they were not caring for children or there was a lack of referrals. They did recognise that this was down to the ‘market’ regarding the agency having appropriate numbers of referrals made to them. It may be beneficial for representatives from the service to provided carers with a clear view of their intentions regarding the proposed development of the service in an effort to quell any misunderstanding. It is understood that a meeting with carers held on the 14 February 2006 looked at this issue.

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EVIDENCE:

Genuine confusion was expressed by some carers regarding the systems in place about accessing ‘extra’ payments such as annual holidays taken with young people and school uniforms. Examples of what appeared to be inconsistency were provided.

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EVIDENCE:

The general Service Level Agreements that the service had with placing authorities was provided. It contained details of what was and not included in the weekly fees agreed with placing authorities. The service is advised to look into this matter and provide all carers with clarification on this matter. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 19

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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) • 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)

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The intended outcomes for these Standards are:

• 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) • Local Authority fostering services recognise the contribution made by family and friends as carers.(NMS 32)

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The Commission considers Standards 17, 21, and 24 the key standards

to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

The management and general organisation of the service was good.

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EVIDENCE:

Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 20 An updated Statement of Purpose (January 06) was supplied prior to the inspection. It was felt to be an accurate portrayal of the service and the way it was operating.

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EVIDENCE:

Adverts had gone out nationally advertising manager’s posts for the East Lancashire and Greater Manchester services respectively. For this service (East Lancashire) a temporary manager was in post. A clear management structure existed, with clear lines of accountability and responsibility. All people spoken with understood and welcomed this development.

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EVIDENCE:

As well as the management side, growth had taken place within the staff side with the creation of the teaching, therapeutic and trainee social worker posts. Carers welcomed this, although there was some concern that link and support workers were liable to be overstretched, as the organisation grew.

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EVIDENCE:

The staff spoken with all felt well supported and confirmed they were supervised regularly. They felt that opportunities to train were good and that their professional development was being addressed appropriately. Written contracts of employment and job descriptions were held on staff personal files along with training data.

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EVIDENCE:

The annual review of two foster carers had gone beyond the twelve-month limit. For example, their previous reviews had occurred on the 9/12/04 with the current review taking place on the 9/2/06. It was felt the creation of a separate fostering panel, due to become operational in March 2006 would go some way to alleviating the problem. However steps should be taken to avoid this reoccurring.

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EVIDENCE:

The vast majority of feedback about the service and the way it was operating was extremely positive. This included young people, carers, placing social workers and staff, some who were external to and independent of the service. Staff and carers were highly motivated and apart from the odd concern dealt with previously in the report, were happy and satisfied with the management of the service and how it was operating. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 21

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

This page summarises the assessment of the extent to which the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services have been met and uses the following scale.

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

4 Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls) “X” in the standard met box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion “N/A” in the standard met box denotes standard not applicable

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

CarBEING HEALTHY ACHIEVING ECONOMIC Standard No Score WELLBEING 12 3 Standard No Score 14 X STAYING SAFE 29 2 Standard No Score 3 3 MANAGEMENT 6 3 Standard No Score 8 3 1 3 9 3 2 3 15 1 4 3 30 3 5 3 16 4 ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING 17 3 Standard No Score 18 X 7 3 19 3 13 4 20 3 31 X 21 1 22 3 MAKING A POSITIVE 23 3 CONTRIBUTION 24 3 Standard No Score 25 3 10 3 26 3 11 4 27 3 28 3 32 x Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 22 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? No

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Fostering Services Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 FS15 7 & 20 As part of the requirement for proof of identity, a photograph of each staff member should be held on their personal file. 31/03/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

2 FS21 29 The service should take steps to avoid foster carers reviews going beyond the prescribed deadline. 31/03/06

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RECOMMENDATIONS

These recommendations relate to National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice for the Registered Provider/s to consider carrying out.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1 FS29 The service is advised to ensure that all foster cares have clarified and fully understand the systems in place regarding ‘extra’ payments. Child Action North West DS0000036972.V278313.R01.S.doc Version 5.1 Page 23

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

East Lancashire Area Office 1st Floor, Unit 4 Petre Road Clayton Business Park Accrington BB5 5JB

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

National Enquiry Line: 0845 015 0120 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk © This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI

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