Kasper

Kasper Inspection report for independent fostering agency

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Unique reference number SC036530 Inspection date 13/07/2015 Inspector Mark Blesky Type of inspection Full Provision subtype

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Setting address 79 NELSON ROAD, WHITSTABLE, KENT, CT5 1DX

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Telephone number 01227 275985 Email linredman@kasperfostering.org Registered person Kasper Limited Registered manager Melinda Redman Responsible individual Malcolm Ornsby Date of last inspection 18/06/2012 Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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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

This is a privately owned, not for profit, fostering service that has been in operation since 1997. The service currently has 40 young people placed within 33 fostering households. It provides a range of fostering opportunities for children and young people from birth to 18 years. In addition, ‘Staying Put’ arrangements are in place for young people to remain with carers beyond their 18th birthday. Specialist psychotherapist and counselling services are commissioned by the agency to support young people with more complex needs.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : An agency demonstrating and exceeding the characteristics of a good judgement where children and young people are making significantly better progress and achieving more than was expected in all areas of their lives. Good : An agency where children and young people, including those with the most complex needs, have their individual needs met and their welfare safeguarded and promoted. They make good progress and receive effective services so they achieve as well as they can in all areas of their lives. Requires improvement : An agency that may be compliant with regulations and observing the national minimum standards but is not yet demonstrating the characteristics of a good judgement. It therefore requires improvement to be good. There may be failures to meet all regulations or national minimum standards but these are not widespread or serious; all children's and young people's welfare is safeguarded

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

and promoted. Inadequate : An agency where there are widespread or serious failures which result in children and young people not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are highly motivated and confident in expressing themselves. They are encouraged and supported by their carer’s and the agency to share their thoughts and views openly. These are then used to improve services and quality assurance processes. For example, young people helped to write the social media guidelines and the risk assessment forms for high-risk activities. A group of young people prepared the excellent leaving care guide. This evidences how young people’s views and input is valued by the agency.

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Overall effectiveness

Care practice promotes young people’s welfare and education attendance. Children and young people have improved attendance rates with a significant number achieving over 90% attendance from very poor rates in previous placements. In some cases attendance rates have risen over 300%. Young people make good progress in education and learning relative to their starting points. The agency uses commissioned counselling and therapeutic services to support carers achieve change for children. The agency engages with leaders in the field to ensure services are focussed and up to date. Carers are motivated, enthusiastic and demonstrate confidence in the organisation. Carers receive both practice supervision from supervising social workers and clinical supervision from qualified therapists. Clinical supervision helps carers to understand the impact of childhood trauma and attachment difficulties. This knowledge is used to support carers to address

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Overall effectiveness

behaviour. For example, one young person is now able to accept responsibility for her actions and make amends quickly.

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Overall effectiveness

Foster carers are considered an integral part of the team and their views and opinions are valued.

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Overall effectiveness

Careful matching and care planning results in stable placements meaning disruptions and unplanned endings are rare. The average length of placement is over 3 years. Many children and young people have been in placement for over 5 years. Complex placements are discussed with therapeutic consultants and extra support is provided to carers where required. These bespoke packages are funded by the agency where necessary. Outcomes for young people often exceed expectations.

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Overall effectiveness

Managers have high expectations of carers and staff. Research into management and motivational approaches is used to drive practice, analyse performance and direct appraisals. The agency has a transparent learning environment and a culture of continuous improvement. Quality assurance procedures are embedded and the senior management team regularly appraise the service. This results in robust oversight and prompt action planning. Innovative work includes care leavers assisting recruitment of agency staff, use of non-verbal methods to collate feedback where children struggle to express themselves.

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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 (England) Regulations 2011 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

Ensure there are comprehensive arrangements for preparing and supporting young people to make the transition to independence. This includes appropriate training and support to foster carers caring for young people who are approaching adulthood. Arrangements are consistent with the young person’s care plan, including their placement plan, pathway plan and transition plan for children with disabilities and special educational needs. (NMS 12.3) Ensure that entries in records are clearly expressed. In particular, achievement records should measure progress and make clear where young people have not reached their goals and the further support that is needed. (NMS 26.5)

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and young people

Good planning prior to placement ensures that carers have sufficient information and an opportunity to consider placement requests. Children and young people are given information about their carers, how they will be cared for and their new home that helps them settle and reduces anxieties. Children’s guides are available in different formats including widget to ensure all children are fully informed. Profiles of the foster families are presented in brightly coloured journals and DVD’s. Children are sent personalised letters to welcome them to their new home.

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and young people

Young people say they feel part of the fostering family, are valued and know that their opinions and views are important. Systems such as PECs are used to aid communication where necessary. Some carers have received specialist training including British Sign Language. Skilled matching and placement planning ensures young people are placed appropriately. One young person commented, ‘my carers treat me like one of the family, they value my opinions and understand me’. Another commented ‘if I need help or I’m worried or anything I talk to my foster carers and they help me’.

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and young people

The ‘Secure Base’ model has been integrated into referral and matching processes, this provides a consistency of approach that helps all involved understand the impact of the decisions. This leads to placements stability and helps young people develop good attachments to their carers. Young people who have had multiple placement breakdowns settle well and remain in their placements. One young person commented, ‘there is room for my graduation photo’ on the carers wall; she is confident of her place within the family and the security of the placement long term. Other carers take on ‘grandparent role’ for adult foster children’s children. This demonstrates the successful nature of matching and placement stability.

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and young people

The agency supports positive outcomes in healthcare, education and social development. Young people are encouraged to identify hobbies, clubs, and interests, with over 95% of young people attending clubs regularly and pursuing hobbies such as Beavers, Cubs, football clubs, carnival associations, local youth and drama clubs. Children with a disability are supported to integrate into community activities; they go swimming, horse riding and attend drama clubs. As a result, young people have increased self-confidence and motivation.

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and young people

Carers say that young people take increasing responsibility for their own safety. Young people and carers complete comprehensive risk assessments together. This engages young people and prepares them for adult life. The agency promotes consultation through forums and events with young people and carers reporting they feel their voices are heard. Young people are informed of their rights and carers are keen advocates at meetings and statutory reviews.

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and young people

Complaints and representations are uncommon, but welcomed, well managed and used as learning opportunities. Carers are aware of the difficulties young people experience and understand the importance of establishing clear and negotiated boundaries. Behaviours that are more complex are addressed through targeted and therapeutic approaches. The agency’s commissioned counselling and therapeutic consultants help carers and agency social workers to devise effective behaviour management strategies. This is highly valued by carers and helps sustain placement stability. Individual packages have helped carers address behaviours such as stealing and refusing school.

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and young people

Young people’s health is promoted through robust monitoring and carers have high expectations of healthy living. Carers are trained and supported to promote physical wellbeing and have an in-depth understanding of the needs and abilities of each young person. Consequently, young people are supported to learn and make good lifestyle choices.

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and young people

Carers are proactive in promoting young peoples’ education and understand the importance of learning. Carers liaise closely with schools and are supported by the commissioned therapists to address school refusal, poor attendance and achievement levels. Two carers spoken to state that close liaison with the school had enabled a young person to achieve better exam results than anticipated. One Social Worker commented, ‘a young person has attended and maintained school attendance following a previous tenacious and sustained period of school avoidance’. The Social Worker attributed this to the sustained efforts of the carers and agency social worker. Disruptions in schooling are immediately addressed by carers and the use of sessional support from the agency. Young peoples’ achievements are celebrated by carers and the agency. The agency arranges award ceremonies, trips out and prizes for young people to acknowledge effort and achievements.

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and young people

Young people are helped to prepare for transition to adulthood. Carers work with young people to learn and develop the necessary skills for the future. Achievement records are kept but the format used makes achievement difficult to measure in some cases. The records do not always make clear where young people have not reached their goals and the further support that is needed.

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Quality of service

Robust and effective recruitment of foster carers provides a diverse range of carers in line with the agencies statement of purpose. Carers have the skills, experiences and knowledge to meet complex needs. Comprehensive support packages are provided through in-house and commissioned services to ensure young people with the most complex needs receive good care. Where more complex behaviours emerge, clinical supervision is provided to carers and their supervising social workers to further enhance this work. Research is used to enhance practice with carers receiving training in the secure base model and the impact of trauma on neuro- development. This gives carers additional skills in understanding and addressing the root causes of behaviour rather than just responding to the challenges presented. This helps children and young people make sense of their early experiences and learn different coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations. Young people are

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Quality of service

encouraged to engage in everyday tasks in order to develop a sense of responsibility and age appropriate self-care skills.

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Quality of service

The agency’s assessment, support and training of foster carers is excellent. This ensures carers are able to demonstrate the necessary skills and abilities to care for the children placed. Training and support helps carers gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of young people, their complexities and vulnerabilities. This shapes and influences effective and targeted care practices focussed on improving outcomes for young people. Young people are well prepared for transitions and adulthood.

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Quality of service

Training provided by the agency covers a wide range of knowledge and skills, including child sexual exploitation. Staff and carers are trained in the secure base model, and this is widely referred to in case discussions. Specific training has been made available where required to support individual care plans, for example, recovery from childhood trauma. Carers report that they value training including online training and they are able to influence and develop training programs. A range of different training venues have been provided following consultations with carers, social workers, police and partner agencies. Training is relevant and inspirational helping carers grow and stretch their knowledge base. Carers are provided with a learning pack this includes a summary of the Secure Base model and initial literature on the underlying principles. This prepares carers to make the most of the taught training and helps continued learning.

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Quality of service

Carers describe supervision as dynamic, engaging and thought provoking. One carer described supervision as helping them ‘to consider how I have done something or how I may have done things differently and then honestly appraise my practice’. Supervision was discussed at a carers forum held during the inspection and was viewed very positively.

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Quality of service

Close and effective relationships were observed between fostering agency staff and their carers. This enables good communication and working together. Carers view the agency as a ‘supportive extended family’ due to the emotional and practical support they receive. Carers say ‘our opinions are important in this agency and decisions are simply not made without consultation with us’. Carers are confident and strongly motivated to advocate for young people because they know their views are carefully considered and valued.

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Quality of service

Children and young people are supported to engage in meaningful and safe contact with birth families. Carers are encouraged to build effective working relationships with parents and trained to supervise contact where this is in the child’s best interest. This means children are able to discuss their families of origin without worrying about the impact this may have on the relationship they have with their carer.

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Quality of service

The fostering panel undertakes robust quality assurance of the agency and promotes exceptionally high expectations of the carers. Panel members’ skills and expertise is wide ranging and diverse supporting strong recommendations around registration of carers. Approval of carers is robust and their skills and needs for future development identified.

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Quality of service

The agency is extremely tenacious in chasing relevant information to aid placement decisions. Comprehensive and individualised care planning underpins careful, thoughtful and research led matching thus ensuring young people’s diverse needs are suitably met. Plans are regularly reviewed with considerable input from young people and carers, for example, one young person developed a reward chart to manage their behaviour better and another developed their own comprehensive risk assessment. Carers and young people report that they are fully involved and committed to the plans; this contributes to high levels of placement stability. Young people’s self-confidence is enhanced through activities, clubs and hobbies, for example one young person was bought a pet to help them understand how to give and accept care. This nurtured his relationship with his carers and gave him additional skills in attachment building.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Carers’ help young people understand how to make safe choices and learn about the world around them. One young person stated that they used to run away but don’t now as they now understand the dangers they faced. This internalised learning prepares young people to make safe decisions in the future.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessment and safer care plans are effective, working documents that have been sensitively managed. This helps to build close relationships between young people and their carers. Episodes of missing and absent are infrequent because young people are stable, secure and feel part of the family. Young people with histories of going missing settle well and the episodes reduce significantly. Carers understand the risks and vulnerabilities of young people who go missing and work closely with them to identify and remove triggers. Guidance from the agency and good parenting models used ensure that each carer spends time with the young person discussing vulnerability and the risks involved with different forms of exploitation including trafficking, financial and gangs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Missing person protocols and strategies are robust, implemented promptly and all necessary action is taken in the event of a young person going missing. There are effective on-call and out of hours services available to carers. Carers feel able to rely on the guidance and support they receive at all times of the day and night. Relationships with partner agencies are strong and effective with agreed protocols of working together to safeguard young people; this includes the local and placing authority’s as well as the police missing person’s officer.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Good practice is informed by research in childhood trauma, attachment, neuro- development and secure base theories. Safeguarding and child protection practices are constantly and consistently reviewed through a number of key systems and consultation forums. As a result, young people achieve greater levels of stability and make better progress than was expected. All workers within the agency feel they play a part in service development and are thoroughly prepared for the tasks they undertake.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A strong focus on and understanding of safeguarding underpins the recruitment, assessment and supervision of carers and staff. Social workers undertake unannounced visits to carers’ homes annually; the monitoring of health and safety and safe care practices is in-depth and used to inform development.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust and effective recruitment systems are also in place for social workers and panel members. All checks, references and relevant enquiries are undertaken and recorded in detail. The Registered Manager verifies references and explores past roles working with children or vulnerable adults before an offer of employment is made. This ensures only suitable people are employed within the agency and as carers. This thoroughness extends to the upkeep of files and personal development plans.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Allegations are dealt with promptly and referrals made to the relevant authorities; the Registered Manager tracks and follows through on all referrals. Protocols have been agreed with the local authority establishing collaborative and efficient management of concerns between all agencies. Carers say the agency promotes effective whistleblowing procedures and a culture of transparency and openness, actively encouraging young people and carers to raise concerns where appropriate.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are aware of their rights and understand how they can complain or make representations. Three complaints were made in one year; all were thoroughly investigated, satisfactorily resolved with the complainant being kept informed of the progress and outcome. The organisation promotes a culture of learning from complaints and feedback.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager is described by all carers and staff spoken to as having a significant positive impact on the agency. They said she is inspirational, instilling confidence in their abilities that leads to effective professional development. One member of staff said ‘she is a strong and an effective leader, she has high aspirations for young people and works with passion and is tremendously committed’. Another said ‘she has high expectations of her staff and she vigorously drives practice that is very firmly focused on the child’.

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Leadership and management

Highly effective working relationships and partnerships have been formed and sustained with local authorities and placing social workers. Liaison with health services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and the police results in community resources carefully tailored to meet the needs of the young people. One Social Worker commented ‘if I need to place another young person in foster care this would be my first choice’. The Registered Managers robust oversight ensures that placing authorities receive frequent detailed communication, thorough regular updates, reports and reviews. This ensures care planning is effective, based on up to date information and incorporates the young person’s wishes and feelings.

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Leadership and management

The agency shows significant commitment to arranging events to maximise opportunities for young people to form friendships and take part. These are available for all young people, foster carers and their birth children. These events support young people and carers to widen friendships and networks. One foster carer’s child stated, ‘I get birthday and Christmas cards from the agency and feel very valued, recently a meal and evening out was arranged for all birth children’. Birth children therefore feel included and know that the agency values their contribution.

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Leadership and management

Effective quality assurance by the senior management and leadership team includes a monthly analysis of the progress of the agency through staff consultations, carer forums, team and strategic meetings. The resulting comprehensive development plans have enhanced practice by introducing clinical supervision for carers and staff and developing the role of the sessional worker. Team meetings are structured and themed to address salient issues such as self-harming.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager sources research and analyses trends and patterns in young peoples’ behaviour. This is used to direct carers training programmes, improve matching processes and expand the range of placements offered. New carers have been recruited in specific parts of the country to meet identified needs following local authority consultations.

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Leadership and management

Young people are given a detailed and comprehensive children’s guide that is tailored to their age and specific communication needs. An independent advocate is named and contact details are provided, however the recent address change of the advocate had not been updated potentially delaying contact. It is acknowledged that this has had no impact on young people at the time of the inspection and this was rectified immediately.

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Leadership and management

Individual training needs profiles are used to develop training programmes, which promote best practice models. Supervision records and discussions with staff confirm that their appraisals are candid and transparent enabling them to critically appraise both their own performance and that of the agency.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager ensures prompt and efficient reporting of all notifiable events to partner agencies and Ofsted. Effective and timely action is taken to safeguard and promote welfare of children and young people.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to inform 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 and to support services to improve.

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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 independent fostering agencies.

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