Foster Cares Ltd

Foster CARES Limited Inspection report for Independent Fostering Agency

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Unique reference number SC036057 Inspection date 11/10/2011 Inspector Stephen Smith Type of inspection Key

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Setting address The Cares Group, The Old Hall, Byers Green, SPENNYMOOR, County Durham, DL16 7PS

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Telephone number 01388 458800 Email colin.rice@cares.co.uk Registered person Foster CARES Limited Registered manager Colin Rice Responsible individual James David Cassie Date of last inspection 08/06/2007 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

Foster Cares Ltd is a privately run independent fostering agency. It is a part of a larger organisation providing social care to children.

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Brief description of the service

The agency provides foster care to around 25 young people with approximately as many fostering families. Children are fostered in placements on a long-term, permanent, time-limited and short-term basis. The agency also provides placements for children living with its carers with other carers on a 'respite care' basis. Since the last inspection the service has relocated its office. The service comprises the manager, a team leader and three social workers. There are two administrative workers who provide support to the agency and its panel. A worker is employed on an independent basis to undertake the reviews of 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 is a good agency that provides strong outcomes for children that are outstanding in some areas.

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Summary

The agency is effective in its foster carer recruitment and undertakes very thorough assessments. This, combined with effective decision-making processes, ensures that the agency provides foster carers who are suitable and competent to care for children. The fostering panel is robust, but minutes do not record the reasons for their recommendations well enough

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Summary

Children receive the support they need from very well trained foster carers. The agency provides its carers with outstanding levels of support, and children are very carefully matched with suitable foster carers when placements are made. The agency is well managed and monitored. It engages with carers, young people and stakeholders, and reflects on its practice. This means the agency continues to refine and improve its practices further. Good records about carers and children are maintained that underpin the care provided. However, records do not protect children’s confidentiality in every case.

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Summary

Children are provided with good support for their health, education and the preparation for their independence. They are well consulted by the agency and are encouraged to express their views about their care, their foster carers and the operation of the agency. The working practices of the agency and its foster carers promote children’s safety and well-being, although the health and safety assessment of carers' homes is not wide-ranging enough. Children are well cared for in their foster homes. Social workers and foster carers enjoy very positive, supportive and beneficial relationships with each other. Workers’ caseloads allow them to provide very high levels of support to carers and their children. This high level of support promotes relationships between children and their carers that are of outstanding quality. This ensures that they receive excellent support, in a positive manner, to learn to manage their behaviour. The children’s guide does not contain all the

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Summary

information needed to ensure that children know who they can contact if they are not happy with the care they receive.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the agency was asked to improve the quality of information in records and placement agreements for children placed by the agency. It was also recommended that safe care policies for individual children were agreed by their social worker to ensure their appropriateness. The agency has acted on these recommendations and this improves the quality of care provided to young people.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The agency was asked to ensure that panel minutes made clear that each panel was correctly constituted and quorate. The agency has done this. This has improved the records of the decision-making process and ensures that clear decisions are correctly made.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The agency was also asked to improve the quality of some aspects of foster carers’ records to ensure that carers were properly managed, supported and trained. These recommendations have also been addressed by the agency. This means that the agency is better able to ensure that children receive good quality care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children’s health is well promoted by the agency. They live in homes that provide them with the space and environment needed. Foster homes are visited regularly by supervising social workers, on both an announced and unannounced basis. The appropriateness of the environment is monitored at these visits. Young people have access to, and are encouraged to take part in, a range of activities that will promote their health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Placements are well planned and matched. This allows full health information about children to be shared as placements are made. Consent arrangements for medical treatment are fully agreed at placement. This reduces the risk of necessary treatment being delayed. Children receive the support they need to attend any medical appointments, and the agency ensures that foster carers seek any health treatment, support or appointments needed by children. The agency ensures that carers undertake good training in health matters. The agency and its carers work well with health professionals to ensure that any specialist health support required is provided. The provision of any health care, administration of medication and any incidents of illness are well monitored by the agency and notified to the young person's social worker and any other relevant agency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The agency provides children with foster homes that promote their safety. Safe care procedures are developed for each young person that reflect their individual situations and are agreed with their social workers. Foster carers are trained in safe care and child protection issues. The agency communicates well with all other agencies involved to keep them informed of children’s progress. Allegations against carers are infrequent and handled well by the agency should they occur. The relationships between children and their carers are very good and children are provided with outstanding levels of support to develop these relationships and manage their own behaviour. Consequently, children feel safe in their foster homes. For example, one young person said: 'I am safe here, loved and well cared for; it’s my home.'

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s activities and behaviour are risk assessed, with management plans being implemented where necessary. The agency undertakes health and safety assessments of foster carers’ homes at approval and these are updated yearly. However, these are not sufficiently wide ranging to ensure that all parts of the home are fully safe for the children placed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children rarely go missing from their foster homes. When they do, the reasons are identified and risk management plans developed to respond to this. Appropriate procedures are in place and all relevant people are informed of incidents in which children go missing. Children are seen by social workers on their return, to ascertain the reasons for their absence. This helps the agency and its carers work with children to discourage them from continuing to go missing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency and its carers demonstrate a highly effective commitment to establishing positive relationships with children. Carers commit to their fostered children and treat them as part of the family. They challenge children’s behaviour in a positive manner, and carers work hard to help young people understand and take responsibility for their own behaviour. The agency provides very high levels of support for foster carers and their children. Supervising social workers support foster carers by working with young people to help them behave appropriately. Young people are supported to understand their own backgrounds and life story. Foster carers understand that this can cause problems for young people and lead to incidents of challenging behaviour. The agency supports them to work with young people in a way that accepts their past and the difficulties they face, but helps them develop good relationships and appropriate behaviour. Young people have very good relationships

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with their foster carers. One young person said that their foster carers ‘understand me and that makes me trust them'. Foster carers are very well trained in managing behaviour and in non-confrontational methods of responding to incidents. This leads to very positive relationships, which help young people respond to carers’ expectations of them. Foster carers advocate strongly for the children they foster and work with other agencies to ensure that consistent, good quality care is provided. For example, carers work with schools to ensure a consistent approach to young people’s behaviour across both settings. The agency works very hard to ensure that foster carers receive full information about children when they are placed. It is careful in how it matches children with foster carers, so that children are placed with carers who are suitable to meet their needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are able to access a wide range of activities in the community and within their foster home. Risk assessments are undertaken to be sure that risks relating to activities children undertake are kept to a minimum. Placement agreements identify the arrangements for consenting to activities and these are regularly reviewed. Young people know what activities they are able to take part in. They are supported to have friends to visit and are able to visit them. They take part in activities informally with friends, or more structured activities arranged by their carers identified as appropriate for them. This means that young people are able to establish relationships, and develop their confidence and skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The agency and its carers promote children’s educational achievement. Their attendance at school is well monitored and managed. Where children are missing school, the agency and its carers work closely with the young person and school to address this. Any patterns of absence are identified and the reasons for these considered. For example, one young person’s absence from school was found to correspond to some difficult times for the young person. In this situation, the carer worked with school to establish an appropriate response. Absences from school are infrequent, and the agency and carers support and encourage young people to work hard and achieve as well as they can at school. Educational achievements for young people are positive given regard to their starting points. This is supported by close links with schools and the provision of help and support for young people with their homework. Educational achievement is recognised and rewarded by the agency and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency consults children about the care they receive and their carers. It does this formally using forms and questionnaires, but also on a more informal and ongoing basis. Fostering social workers meet regularly with children and seek their views. These are addressed in day-to-day work and also in reviews of their plans of care. Foster carers involve young people in the running of the home so they are consulted about matters ranging from meals eaten, activities undertaken and holidays, as well as matters relating to their care. The agency involves young people in its work. There is a young person’s forum, and young people are involved in developing some of the documentation used by the agency. For example, the young person’s guide was developed with input from young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency and its carers help young people to understand their past and develop the resilience to come to terms with their situation. Foster carers help children to understand the events that have happened to them and involve them in decisions being made about them. Social workers from the agency meet with children and provide any support needed. The agency monitors any life story work being undertaken and supports this work. Foster carers help young people to retain photographs, mementos and important belongings that contribute to their recollection and understanding of their life events. Young people have opportunities to take part in a range of structured and unstructured activities that help them develop skills and to develop and maintain friendships.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency and its carers support children’s contact with their families where this is appropriate. Contact arrangements are considered when placements are made, and placements are matched taking into account the need for contact. Placement agreements make clear the contact that young people have and specify any situations in which contact may be restricted for safety reasons. Foster carers support children’s contact both in a practical manner and by the provision of emotional support. Carers monitor contact arrangements and record outcomes in terms of its success and the young person’s demeanour before and after the contact. This helps ensure that contact remains a positive and helpful experience for the young person concerned.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency makes well considered and matched placements of children with its carers. Placements are made against a background of increasing requests for emergency placements by local authorities. However, even in these circumstances the agency gets as much information as possible about children and endeavours to find a good match. The agency does not accept referrals of children it cannot match with appropriate carers. Foster carers and the agency's social workers are under no pressure to make placements they do not consider to be in young people’s best interest. Placement agreement meetings always take place and young people visit carers prior to placement wherever possible.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The agency and its carers work hard to ensure that children move from foster carers in a planned manner. For example, carers experiencing difficulties with one young person are working hard to ensure that the child’s next move is to a long-term placement rather than an interim move being made. Carers continue to support young people after they leave long-term placements and retain links with children after they move to other carers where this is beneficial.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The fostering agency works with placing authorities to ensure that children are supported and assisted with the transition to adulthood. Good communication exists between the agency and children’s social workers. This ensures that support provided to young people is in line with their plan of care.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Foster carers help young people to develop skills they will need for independent living. They also help children and young people to develop the emotional maturity they will need. Foster carers provide children with good support to succeed in their future and encourage them to have high expectations of themselves. Carers continue to support young people as they prepare to leave the foster home and in many cases, this support continues after young people have moved away.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The agency recruits carers from a range of backgrounds and cultures to meet the diverse needs of children. Foster carers are well prepared to care for children in a non-discriminatory manner and to promote equality. Children are carefully placed with carers who can meet their individual needs. This matching is based on good information which ensures that each child’s individual needs are considered. The agency and its carers work hard to reduce the disadvantage faced by looked after children. They are supported to have positive lifestyles that allow them the opportunity to achieve.

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Organisation

The agency has an effective recruitment process. This is combined with very rigorous and careful assessment of carers. This ensures that it approves carers who are suitable and competent to care for children. The fostering panel comprises people from a range of different backgrounds and experiences of fostering. This enables it to give careful consideration of the cases presented to it. It makes good recommendations to the decision maker, but the reasons for these are not cited clearly enough in the minutes. This means that the decision maker does not get as clear information about the panel's deliberations as should be the case. Decision making is effective and prompt.

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Organisation

As stated previously, matching is very careful and is well done in this agency. Children's needs are identified very carefully and considered against the good understanding the agency has of the skills and strengths of its carers. This ensures that children are placed with carers who are well matched to their needs, which helps promote positive outcomes for children.

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Organisation

Foster carers receive very good training. This is provided in a wide range of appropriate topics, many of which are mandatory and need to be periodically updated. Applicants who have completed the fostering preparation training are encouraged to access the training for approved foster carers. This is positive and helps them develop their understanding of the role, as well as to build links with approved carers. The agency ensures that carers start to work towards the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care as soon as they are approved.

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Organisation

Support for foster carers and, consequently, the children placed is excellent. Formal arrangements such as those for foster carers’ reviews, supervision and unannounced visits are effective and ensure that workers are able to monitor the quality of care provided to children. There is a good duty system which includes full out-of-hours support, and carers have access to an independent counselling and support service. The agency’s fostering social workers have caseloads which allow them to provide very high levels of support. This means that issues are identified early and can be addressed before they become a problem. Workers are also able to support carers by assisting their work with children. They visit very regularly and offer support at both emotional and practical levels. Foster carers regard this support very highly. For example, one carer said: ‘If Foster Cares was not there we would stop fostering. We

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Organisation

couldn’t wish for better support, they know us so well and are always checking that we are OK.’ Another said that there has ‘never been a time I have needed support that is wasn’t available’. The high quality of these working relationships means that very good joint working takes place which benefits the children in placement.

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Organisation

The agency is well managed. Staff members receive good training and support to undertake their work. Management support for staff and their caseloads allow them to work effectively with foster carers and children in a way that provides good outcomes. Quality assurance is effective. The agency has developed its practice since the last inspection and continues to keep its work under review. The manager monitors the operation of the agency and ensures that any significant events are recorded, dealt with and notified to the appropriate agencies. Recruitment of staff, panel members and carers is rigorous and this helps to protect children.

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Organisation

The Statement of Purpose accurately describes the agency and its purpose and function. Good information is provided to children about the agency and being 'looked after' in the children’s guide. However, this guide does not contact full information for children about who they can contact if they are unhappy with the care provided to them. This means that they would find it more difficult to raise a concern than they should.

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Organisation

Records within the agency are generally well maintained. There is appropriate secure storage for both paper and electronic recording which ensures that information is kept safe. Case recording and the records maintained underpin the work done with children and carers, and also provide a record of this work. However, records do not in every case protect the confidentiality of the information recorded should a young person request to see their records. For example, in one situation, the file of one child contained confidential information about the foster carer and another child in placement.

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Organisation

The agency operates from suitable premises and has suitable administrative arrangements in place to support its work.

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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 that children’s safety is promoted in all fostering placements. Specifically, that the health and safety assessment used is sufficiently wide ranging (NMS 4.1)  ensure that written minutes of panel meetings clearly cover the key issues and views expressed by panel members and record the reasons for it recommendations (NMS 14.7)  ensure that the children’s guide includes information about how a child can contact their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children’s Rights Director and Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors (NMS 16.4)  ensure that information about individual children is kept confidential. Specifically, that records relating to one child do not contain confidential information about other children or their carers. (NMS 26.4)

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