Integrate Families

Inspection report for adoption support agency

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Unique reference number SC068832 Inspection date 3 December 2008 Inspector Stephen Smith Type of inspection Full Type of registration Adoption Support Agency

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Service address The Meridian 4 Copthall House Station Square Coventry CV1 2FL Telephone number 07799885100 Fax number N/A Email address N/A Website address N/A Registered person Renee Potgieter Registered manager Renee Potgieter Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 2 of 10

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This document may be freely reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided the source and date of publication are stated. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 3 of 10

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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 relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The key 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 Not judged: this aspect of the provision was not judged Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 4 of 10

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Brief description of the service

Renee P Marks is a small adoption support agency based in a village near Huddersfield. It provides specialised therapy based on children's individual needs and focusing on issues of attachment and trauma. Work is carried out with the whole family. The service comprises the Registered Provider, a part time administration manager, an administrative staff member and five sessional therapists. At the time of this inspection, it was providing therapeutic services to children and adoptive parents from around 25 families.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is Satisfactory

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Summary

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

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Summary

This was an announced inspection undertaken to assess how the agency complies with all the National Minimum Standards and regulations applicable to an adoption support agency.

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What the service does well

The agency provides specialist and personalised therapy for children and their adoptive families, to help to maintain adoptive placements that are in difficulty. The agency works extremely well with its client families, who are highly satisfied with the service they receive. The agency employs skilled and experienced therapists and provides a personalised service. The agency is very good at consulting with families and working closely with them and any other professionals involved. It provides assessment reports of impressive quality and its ongoing therapeutic work is relevant and highly valued. It is well managed financially and the appointment of an administration manager provides a sound basis for continued development.

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What has been improved since the last inspection

This is the first inspection of the agency.

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What they could do better

The most important thing the agency must do is to improve the robustness of its recruitment procedure. It must ensure that all people working for the purposes of the agency have their suitability checked thoroughly, to ensure that they are appropriate people to work with children. It should also develop additional policies to underpin and ensure the quality of its practice. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 5 of 10

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Statement of purpose

The agency’s statement of purpose provides clear and comprehensive information for families about the services provided. This helps prospective clients make informed choices about whether to approach the service for support. Therapists employed by the agency know the contents of the statement of purpose and policies, to ensure that practice is in line with it. The agency’s children’s guide is extremely child focused and available in different forms, depending on the composition of the child’s adoptive family. However, the guide does not tell children how they can, if they wish, access an independent advocate or contact the Children’s Rights Director.

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Safeguarding and promoting welfare

The adoption support agency has a very detailed and comprehensive child protection procedure in place, which is in line with local safeguarding board procedures. This policy covers all the areas required by the National Minimum Standards and is supported by good ‘safe working’ guidance for therapists. The therapists employed by the agency are experienced in social work and therapy professionals, most of whom have significant previous child protection experience. Children are further protected, by good record keeping and close communication between therapists and children’s social workers.

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User focused services

Adoptive families receive therapeutic support from the agency, that is based entirely upon their individual needs. The agency is specific at first contact, what services it can provide and those it does not. This clarity ensures that families have reasonable expectations of the service. Careful panning and assessment takes place and a detailed assessment report is provided, which identifies whether a service can be provided. Clear communication between the agency, adoptive families and their social workers is ongoing, with open discussion about the effectiveness of help provided. Support group meetings take place for adoptive families using the agency and clear information about how to complain is provided. Good information is provided to families about what the service can provide. The agency understands the needs of the families it supports well and focuses its work to meet these. The agency does not have a written policy covering how it will work with people with disabilities

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User focused services

or communication or language difficulties. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 6 of 10

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Service delivery

This adoption support agency provides therapeutic services that are highly valued by its client families. It helps families to fully understand the service they will receive and also any financial support that might be available to them from their local authority.

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Service delivery

The agency undertakes very thorough and detailed assessment work, to decide whether therapy will be of benefit. Clear agreements are drawn up regarding the nature and frequency of therapy. Regular reviews are undertaken and the views of families receiving support are taken into account. The agency works closely with any local authorities involved with its client families, to ensure that services are provided in a way that has regard to any wider support provided. Families understand the support they are receiving and value it highly, as do other professionals involved. For example, one said that the agency provides ‘excellent therapy with traumatised children’.

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Fitness to provide or manage an adoption support agency

The Registered Provider is a highly qualified and experienced therapist, with a background in the provision of the therapeutic services provided by the agency. The provider possesses the necessary qualifications and is a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

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Fitness to provide or manage an adoption support agency

The Registered Provider and manager is a suitable person to work with vulnerable children and their families. The provider has undertaken a CRB check and has a process to update this check every three years.

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Management of the adoption support agency

The agency is managed in such a way that the services it provides are clearly identified and the effectiveness of its work can be monitored. Clear job descriptions are in place, identifying areas of responsibility and clear arrangements are made for the management of the service in the absence of the Registered Provider. The highly specialist role of the agency and the demand for its services has led to a period of significant growth. This has caused some difficulties for the agency, in continuing to ensure that its procedures are appropriate for the growing size of the agency. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 7 of 10

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Management of the adoption support agency

However, the recent appointment of an administrative manager has ensured that the agency is now able to address these matters.

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Management of the adoption support agency

The agency is generally effectively managed and monitored. The provider produces six monthly reports on its operation and development. Effective financial procedures are in place and clear information is provided to families and purchasers of services, about the service provider and the charges for these. Generally the agency operates within a sound range of written procedures. However, some additional policies are required, to meet the requirements of national minimum standards 3, 22 and 23 and to underpin its practice, to ensure that quality is maintained.

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Employment and management of staff and volunteers

The agency’s staff recruitment procedure is not sufficiently robust to ensure that children are protected. The provider has worked with the therapists she employs in other capacities for a number of years and she has relied on this knowledge in determining their suitability. CRB disclosures from other agencies have been accepted, rather than the agency carrying out its own checks. Additionally, the processes of seeking and verifying references and establishing applicant's full employment histories, along with the reason for leaving positions working with children or vulnerable adults are weak. This means that the agency cannot be adequately confident in the suitability of the staff it employs.

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Employment and management of staff and volunteers

Arrangements for the delegation of work and the supervision and monitoring of this work are effective, with work being allocated only to therapists with the relevant skills and specialist knowledge. Regular group and individual supervision is provided to staff who clearly understand their role and the work of the agency.

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Employment and management of staff and volunteers

The agency has recruited additional therapists, who work on a sessional basis, as the agency has grown. The individual nature of the service is such that, as a new referral is received, consideration is given as to the therapist skills required and a new therapist is recruited if necessary. All therapists are appropriately qualified and experienced and are members of BACP. They are aware of their own professional responsibilities and they are clearly aware of the agency’s policy and their responsibilities regarding whistle-blowing. Therapists continue to undertake the necessary training, to maintain their professional registration and to develop their expertise. Training is provided by the agency and therapists also undertake training that they arrange individually. Effective induction into the agency takes place. However, the agency does not operate an appraisal scheme and this reduces its ability to plan for and to monitor the ongoing training needs of its staff.

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Individual practitioners

The provision was not judged. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 8 of 10

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Complaints and representations

The agency has a clear complaints procedure in place, that sets out the different steps in the process, timescales and independent avenues to make a complaint. The procedure contains clear information about how to access the registration authority about a complaint. Staff members have a good understanding of the complaints procedure and how it would operate. The agency communicates very effectively with its client families and this allows any minor difficulties to be resolved before they become complaints. Families using the service know how to make a complaint about the service, but the agency has not received a complaint to date. This reflects the extremely high regard in which the service is held.

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Records

The adoption support agency has a policy regarding case recording but this does not cover the purpose, content and format of records. More importantly, this does not set out the arrangements to be followed, to ensure the confidentiality of records is maintained.

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Records

Individual case records are well kept and comprehensive. Assessment reports are impressively thorough and well written and case recording provides clear information, about the work being carried out with a child or family.

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Records

Administrative records are well maintained and monitoring takes place, to ensure they are up to date and accurate. Storage of paper records is secure, with appropriate protection from potential damage from fire or water. A procedure regarding access to records is in place. As mentioned earlier, personnel files for staff do not contain records of all the matters required in the regulations, to ensure the suitability of staff.

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Fitness of premises

The agency has suitable premises from which to provide its therapeutic services. Therapy takes place in its own therapy room and also in rooms hired for therapy sessions, which are risk assessed to ensure their suitability. There are appropriate administrative systems in place and suitable arrangements are made, to ensure that appropriate equipment is available. The agency does not have a written disaster recovery plan in place, but the provider has clearly considered what contingency arrangements will be necessary. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 9 of 10

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Financial requirements

The adoption support agency's financial arrangements are well managed and controlled. The agency operates in such a way, as to ensure it continues to be financially viable and able to fulfil its obligations to its service users. The agency does not have a written procedure, setting out how continuity of support to service users would be provided, so as to protect their welfare in the event of a financial crisis. However, the provider knows what arrangements would be necessary, should such a situation occur.

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Financial requirements

Effective financial processes are in place and clear information is provided about its charges and services. The agency’s accounts are correctly maintained and audited. Inspection report Renee P Marks Associates Page 10 of 10

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered provider(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Adoption Support regulations and the National Minimum Standards. The registered provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Std Action Due date

• implement a robust recruitment procedure in order to effectively establish the suitability of staff before they are employed to work for the purposes of the agency. 20 February

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Recommendations

These recommendations relate to the National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice for the registered provider(s) to consider carrying out.

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Recommendations

• add information about how to secure access to an independent advocate and how to contact the Children’s Rights Director to the Children’s Guide • ensure that all written procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the adoption support agency and ensuring quality performance are in place and implemented • develop and implement a staff appraisal scheme • ensure that the agency’s written policy and procedure on case recording covers the purpose, format and content of records and ensures that the arrangements to maintain their confidentiality are appropriate.

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