Integrate Families

Integrate Families Inspection report for adoption support agency

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Unique reference number SC068832 Inspection date 20/08/2014 Inspector Sue Winson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype

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Setting address Croft Head Business Park, Dale Lane, Skelman Thorpe, Nr Huddersfield, HD8 9BQ

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Telephone number Email Registered person Renee P Marks Associates Ltd Registered manager Leviena Catharina Frederika Roets / POST VACANT Responsible individual Lesley Ryan Date of last inspection 23/06/2011 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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Brief description of the service

Integrate families is registered as a small adoption support agency. A manager and four part time therapists work with 31 children and families. They specialise in providing a wide range of highly specialist assessments, therapies and services to children and their parents, geared to individual needs. Birth record counselling and intermediary services are very occasionally provided, as part of the integrated work with families receiving therapy.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

The agency is consistent and focussed in providing highly effective adoption support to families where children’s needs are complex. Some of the children have had multiple placements prior to adoption. There have been no family breakdowns during the course of the work. All families who took part in the inspection, or completed the agency’s feedback forms, were highly positive about the adoption support they received. They, and social workers involved, outlined their children’s progress and the high quality of the service they receive. Children and young people described the therapists as ‘outstanding’, said they like to visit and were proud to show the inspector the toys, games and facilities.

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Overall effectiveness

Families are actively engaged in the service planning and development. This helps parents grow in confidence and develop skills that in turn allows them to understand the experiences and trauma of their children, in order that they can provide them with therapeutic parenting. Parents say they now have strategies that benefit and work in the interests of their children. The lifelong implications of adoption are clearly understood and reflected in the agency’s practice.

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Overall effectiveness

All children and families gain from an integrated theoretical model where the work is flexible and geared to the needs of children. Clear agreements with parents and children where appropriate, lead to planned therapy sessions. These are highly flexible to meet the changing needs of the children. Parents are confident that the therapists will be ‘there for us at every step’ and that support will continue ‘for as long as needed’, sometimes over long periods of time.

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Overall effectiveness

The agency is dynamic and continuously learns from the work they undertake. This includes maintaining relevant up to date knowledge about developments and research in the sector, including involvement in international organisations. Staff are highly skilled and trained in the work that they do. The staff are committed to seeking new and effective ways to improve the service they provide. This demonstrates a reflective approach to their practice from which parents and children benefit. A recommendation has been made in regard to the agency maintaining a more detailed development plan, with clear actions and timescales, in order to more effectively demonstrate their continued progress as an agency. The present arrangements do not have a negative impact on the services they provide.

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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 the adoption support agency has a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the agency. Specifically that there are monitoring arrangements for the planned changes to enhance the services. (NMS 20.2)

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Outcomes for service users

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for service users

All service users receive very high quality adoption support. Parents consistently report positive changes in their lives following working with the agency, who they say have 'transformed our lives'. The majority of parents reported that their families were at crisis point when they first contacted the agency. It is evident that their confidence and parenting skills have grown, in order to meet their children’s needs on a daily basis. Other children in families have been supported to better understand their brothers and sisters and to build positive relationships.

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Outcomes for service users

Parents are in the therapy room with the children all of the time. Despite some children and young people having refused to engage in therapy in the past, they are all participating in the work. Children receive highly personalised children’s guides to the service, which are used as part of therapy. As a result, children better understand their own history, behaviours and feelings. Those children who need specific services that are outside of the scope of the agency are referred to specialist organisations or professionals so their needs can be better met.

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Outcomes for service users

Sometimes discussions with parents take place outside of the therapy sessions to explain the sessions, help them understand, and continue to add to their therapeutic parenting skills. Parents consistently said they were incorporated and included by the therapists, who they have grown to trust. They value the fact that they can contact the therapists by email or telephone between therapy sessions, and will always receive a helpful response.

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Outcomes for service users

Parents report that they are ‘still on a journey’ and talk about highly beneficial changes in their families. They also describe their children as less troubled, traumatised or aggressive. Some have received intensive therapy for a two week period, from which they and their children have made exceptional progress. They also gain from schools having better understanding of their children’s needs, as a result of the therapists’ involvement with them. The agency’s involvement of local authority adoption support workers enables families to receive a consistent and coherent joint service, from which they benefit significantly.

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Quality of service

The quality of the service is outstanding .

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Quality of service

At initial stages parents and social workers or commissioners are fully informed about the services the organisation the agency can provide. The work starts with information gathering, including observation of children in schools and nurseries. A detailed and thorough assessment leads to agreement with the parents resulting in a plan that is flexible, to meet the changing needs of children. Parents say they are listened to, involved and highly confident they will continue to receive support geared to their children’s needs. They consistently praise the skills and experience of the therapists.

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Quality of service

The agency provides a flexible service for families, some of whom live at considerable distances from their offices. Therapy is provided out of usual hours, to ensure that parents and children are able to attend after school or work, and at weekends. The therapists do travel to allow for intensive therapy, however, this cannot be facilitated to all families due to the small size of the agency. Ongoing support to families through email, telephone and skype increases their involvement, and they say that they no longer feel isolated. Parents are provided with DVD’s about trauma, attachment and healing the child for their ongoing learning at home and feel this is very helpful in helping them build their awareness and understanding of children’s personal history

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Quality of service

The effectiveness of the adoption support work is enhanced by the agency’s abilities and willingness to work with others. Therapists meet with teachers, and provide training, to explain more about trauma and the impact on children. They are also available to attend education meetings where appropriate. Commissioners and social workers report that the service works with very complex cases where the families may be on the verge of breakdown. The good communication and working together between the agency and local authority adoption support workers, ensures that parents and children receive a consistent service. Support workers learning and training through the agency, has a positive effect on their development in adoption support work.

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Safeguarding

The service is outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding policies and practices protect children and young people, who are informed as necessary, when therapists need to pass on information to relevant professionals. Staff have excellent awareness and expertise in child protection practice and understand the implications of historical abuse. They undertake training to increase their knowledge. Parents are also exceptionally supported to understand children’s past experiences, and how to parent them in safe ways.

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Safeguarding

Risk assessment practices determine the safety of working with each child, and therapists undertake safe handling training. Medical information on children is routinely kept on files. Health and safety assessments of the office are in place and all therapists hold a valid emergency aid certificate. First aid equipment is kept in the offices and fire checks are carried out.

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Safeguarding

The recruitment of staff is a strength and protects all those using the adoption support service.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the adoption support agency are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

Staff are ambitious for the development of the service, and the quality of adoption support services is rigorously monitored. All therapists receive formal clinical supervision and they meet regularly to discuss the work they are doing. In addition regular, open peer support provides scrutiny, and challenges where progress is not happening. The therapists gain from ideas, and discussion of alternative strategies. The service is highly committed to providing an effective service in the interests of service users.

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Leadership and management

As therapists are self-employed they are responsible for their own learning, for which they take responsibly and contribute to training, publications and research. A part time manager has been recently employed, and has applied to be registered by Ofsted. All the staff have a considerable range of qualifications, skills and experience to benefit the work they do.

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Leadership and management

The service has effective relationships with social workers and commissioners, and has provided feedback to local authorities concerning the progress made by families. Many of the families are self – funding. The agency is also providing information to support families’ applications for a funded service, or ongoing service, with the agency. Analysis of work carried out in the last financial year, demonstrates that there are slightly more families who are self-referred than by local authority. These include single parents, and same sex parents who have children and young people ranging from 4 to 18 years. Financial forecasts and statements are regularly monitored and any delays in payments are managed to ensure the service has the resources to continue its wide range of work.

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Leadership and management

Records and files are well organised and safely stored in a locked room. The two recommendations made at the last inspection have been fully addressed. The case record policies and practices, and the Statement of Purpose, now contain all the information required under the national minimum standards.

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Leadership and management

The offices are of a high standard and are well equipped with toys, equipment and resources. Children and parents like the therapy rooms and offices. Ramps are kept on the premises to allow for wheelchair access.

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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the inspection framework and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of adoption support agencies.

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