Sunflower Fostering

Family Options Inspection report for Independent Fostering Agency

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Unique reference number SC398387 Inspection date 27/09/2010 Inspector Suzanne Young Type of inspection Key

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Setting address Lamledge Lane, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8SD

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Telephone number 01952468258 Email adrian.sewell@optionsgroup.co.uk Registered person Young Options College Ltd Registered manager Adrian John Sewell Responsible individual Alison Lord Date of last inspection 13/07/2009 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

Family Options operates as part of the Young Options service, providing an integrated programme of therapeutic care and education to children and young people experiencing complex emotional difficulties, attachment disorders, abuse reactive behaviours, trauma and crisis. Family Options is a specialist fostering service for young people who have successfully completed a residential placement within Young Options and where family placement is considered to be part of their ongoing care plan. Family Options also takes direct referrals from local authorities of young people with complex emotional problems and attachment disorders requiring specialist therapeutic family care. Family Options' Statement of Purpose states 'Family Options will strive to enable children within foster care to build and maintain successful, meaningful relationships, in order that they can fulfil their potential and participate effectively and ethically in the wider world.'

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

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

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Summary

Since the last inspection the various parts of the Young Options service amalgamated into one company. This has been purely an administration process which has had no effect on the day-to-day running of the agency. This is the first announced full inspection of Family Options since its reorganisation and subsequent re-registration in 2009. At the time of this inspection Family Options is supporting 11 foster carers and nine young people.

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Summary

During this inspection all key standards were inspected. The standards relate to the outcome areas of health, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, achieving economic well-being and organisation. The inspection also included consideration of additional standards relating to the management of the agency and the supervision of foster carers. All areas of the Every Child Matters framework were assessed.

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Summary

The inspection finds Family Options to be outstanding overall with outstanding outcomes in all outcome groups apart from economic well-being which is considered to be good.

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Summary

The agency has some minor shortfalls in relation to its records which do not impact on the outcomes for children and young people.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This is the first inspection following the reorganisation and re-registration of the fostering agency. A recommendation was made at the last inspection to ensure that all foster carers develop safe care plans for their own home and that it is cleared by the placing social worker. Detailed and comprehensive safe care plans are now in place.

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Helping children to be healthy

The fostering agency delivers excellent health outcomes for children and young people. Children and young people receive health care which meets their needs for physical, emotional and social development. Young people's health care needs are identified and met during the referral and planning stages and through excellent matching with foster carers. Arrangements for medical consent are clear and all necessary and available information regarding the young person's health is acquired at the point of referral.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people are provided with excellent guidance, advice and support on health and personal care issues. They benefit from an informed, coordinated and planned approach to meeting their needs. Young people are registered with General Practitioners and other appropriate health professionals. Staff, young people and foster carers work in partnership with therapeutic professionals attached to the company's professional and clinical multi-disciplinary team. This ensures that young people's health needs are promoted. Staff and foster carers are assisted in meeting the emotional and psychological needs of young people placed with them.

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Helping children to be healthy

In addition the agency supports young people and foster carers by providing funding for specialist health assessment, training and adaptations to the carers' home environment if required.

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Helping children to be healthy

Carers maintain records of medical appointments and any other health related issues appropriately. The agency has developed a health passport for each fostered young person to track and record health needs. This will remain with the young person through transition to further placements and into independence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The agency ensures that young people are cared for in a safe and secure environment. There is a range of policies to safeguard young people in their care and to promote their welfare. The agency has robust recruitment processes in place for new staff and people working for the agency to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people. Staff ensure foster homes remain safe through regular supervision, health and safety checks and unannounced visits. Young people are happy in their placements and are able to personalise their own rooms. This contributes to the good levels of placement stability.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people's needs are promoted and safeguarded because they are placed with foster carers who are able to meet their needs. The matching process with foster carers and the planning for transition into placement is excellent. This often occurs over a period of several weeks involving the young person, previous carers, local authority and the identified foster carers. Comprehensive matching reports are presented to the agency's fostering panel detailing the needs of young people and skills of proposed carers. These cover all areas of young people's needs and requirements and any areas where additional support is required. If additional support is required it is clearly identified who will offer this support and the timescales for this to be done.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Foster placement agreements are completed along with other placement planning information prior to or at the time of placements being made. There are shortfalls in relation to respite placements. However, all foster carers have sufficient information needed to understand their role and responsibilities in relation to each child placed which is crucial to ensuring good outcomes for young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Excellent safe care plans have been developed for each fostering household and reviewed on placement to reflect the individual needs of each young person placed with foster carers. These ensure the individual needs of all within the fostering household are addressed to enable them to be protected from the risk of harm.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a robust fostering panel in place which ensures good quality decisions are made about the approval of foster carers. There is a wide range of experience among panel members which contribute to the effectiveness of discussions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency performs very strongly in increasing the self-esteem and participation levels of young people and in supporting them to achieve their full potential in education. The agency has a clear equal opportunities and anti-discrimination statement in place. Equality and diversity is also embedded in the agency's policies, procedures and practice. The agency is targeting recruitment to concentrate on obtaining carers from more diverse backgrounds.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency demonstrates a positive and proactive attitude to diversity. Staff and carers are aware of the importance of promoting individual needs within the foster placement. The agency tailors the care given to each young person to ensure it carefully meets their individual needs. This ensures that young people receive excellent levels of personalised care and support that matches their needs. Referral, matching and placement processes take into account issues and concerns around ethnicity, religion, disability and cultural needs when matching a young person with a family. Specific support or guidance assessed to be required by young people is clearly identified which take into account these requirements. This ensures foster carers are well informed about young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff and carers meet the ethnic and cultural needs of young people by putting in place a number of provisions to promote heritage and identity. For example, foster carers promote positive cultural identity through seeking and developing positive relationships within the community. Staff also research information regarding different cultures and religions in order to gain a better understanding when assessing prospective foster carers. Training is provided to carers and staff in working with asylum seeking young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The fostering agency actively promotes the educational needs of children and young people and is committed to promoting the educational achievement of young people to enable them to reach their potential. Young people looked after by Family Options can either attend mainstream school or access a range of education services provided by the Young Options Group. This has allowed the agency to provide a number of bespoke education packages to young people arriving in placement with no education placement. The fostering agency can also access the support of outreach workers for young people who are out of school for any length of time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Family Options staff and foster carers positively promote and support young people’s contact with their family. The agency has clear guidance in place for making the arrangements for contact. These are discussed and agreed during the referral, planning and matching process and are clearly recorded. This ensures young people are placed with foster carers who are able to facilitate these arrangements. The agency has clear procedures in the foster carers' handbook, which set out how contact arrangements are to be established and maintained. This ensures foster carers are aware of the range of methods for contact. These include telephone, internet, written and face to face, and developing safe practice strategies with young people to ensure contact is a positive experience.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The importance of maintaining positive contact with birth family and friends is discussed during the assessment process of foster carers and through training. Positive contact is further promoted through the carers' supervision sessions and reviews. This contributes to the development of emotional stability in children and young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are actively encouraged to express their views regarding their care and the service provided by the agency. They are aware of how to make a complaint if they are unhappy about the service they are receiving. Each young person has access to an independent advocacy service. Information regarding the advocacy service and how a young person can make a complaint is clearly identified in the young people's guide.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency has developed some excellent practices to gain young people's views which have resulted in improvements to the quality of care given to young people. Young people are encouraged to actively participate in the planning of their care. Their views are sought during the matching and introductory period of a placement. During their placement, supervising social workers regularly meet with young people to seek their views. Young people are involved in training to foster carers and preparation of the young people's handbook and interactive guide. The birth children of foster carers are also regularly consulted about their feelings regarding fostering.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

General comments from young people gave very positive feedback about their placements and the help and support provided by the foster carers, their families and the agency.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The agency provides good support to young people in developing independence skills so that they are able to successfully move into adulthood. There are policies in place for foster carers to help prepare young people for adulthood. Carers are also expected to attend training in promoting young people to gain independence. Young people over 16 years have pathway plans in place or are in the process of being completed.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The agency is able to link in with a leaving care service run by the Options Group which supports young people towards the end of their placements. Foster carers and young people are supported to identify networks and resources in their local communities and how to access them effectively.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Foster carers are further supported to work with young people to develop independent living skills during supervision sessions with social workers.

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Organisation

The organisation of the fostering agency supports good and outstanding outcomes for children and young people. The agency has developed excellent management and organisational practices to support the fostering task.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. The agency tailors the care given to each young person to ensure it carefully meets their individual needs. Referral, matching and placement processes take into account issues and concerns around ethnicity, religion, disability and cultural needs. Staff and carers are proactive in promoting young people's ethnic and cultural needs. There are clear management structures in the agency. Family Options is a relatively small fostering service operating as part of the Options Group. The agency has sufficient staff to provide a high quality service to foster carers and young people. The fostering team consists of the Registered Manager who is well qualified and experienced, a practice manager, social worker and social work assistant. They are supported by an administrator. The agency also uses assessment social workers to assess prospective foster carers and present them to the fostering panel.

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Organisation

There are procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the fostering service and ensuring quality performance.

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Organisation

The Statement of Purpose, policies and procedures and foster carers' handbook are well presented and reflect the agency. They provide useful information of the aims and objectives of the agency to inform staff, foster carers, parents and placing social workers. Young people receive a copy of the young person's guide to inform them of what they can expect while placed with foster carers. This guide has recently been developed in an electronic, interactive form to make it more accessible and user friendly to young people.

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Organisation

The agency has a clear strategy for supporting foster carers. Good support and supervision practices are taking place. This ensures that children's care remains appropriate and foster carers are able to appropriately care for the young people placed with them. Foster carers speak highly of the manger and social workers and of the support they receive.

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Organisation

The agency ensures that foster carers are trained in the skills required to provide high quality care and meet the needs of each child and young person placed in their care. There are excellent training opportunities for both foster carers and staff with a wide range of training opportunities on offer. The training required by the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is being undertaken by foster carers. On completion all foster carers are offered and encouraged to study for the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in the Caring for Children and Young People at level 3.

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Organisation

All foster carers have personal development plans in place. This ensures training is relevant to the carer’s development and to the young people placed with them.

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Organisation

The agency ensures that an up-to-date, comprehensive record is maintained for each foster carer and young person. However, foster placement agreements and looked after children documents, are not always being kept on young people's files. The impact on outcomes for young people is minimal as these are being completed and are kept by foster carers.

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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 written foster placement agreements take into consideration elements of matching with respect to respite carers (NMS 8.4)  ensure comprehensive case records are maintained by the agency for each or young person in foster care which include all required documentation. (NMS 24.1)

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