Orchids – Fostering for Children LLP

Orchids - Fostering For Children LLP Inspection report for independent fostering agency

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Unique reference number SC065958 Inspection date 15/02/2016 Inspector Ms Mayers Type of inspection Full Provision subtype

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Setting address 10 Chaucer Road, SUTTON, Surrey, SM1 2QP

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Telephone number 020 8644 8114 Email info@orchidsffc.co.uk Registered person 'Orchids' Fostering for Children LLP Registered manager Vacant Post Responsible individual Tomilola Oseni Date of last inspection 07/03/2013 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

Orchids Fostering for Children LLP is an independent fostering agency, providing placements to children and young people from birth to 18 years on an emergency, short and long-term basis. The agency comprises of a registered person and a supervising social worker who is currently acting as interim manager. At the time of this inspection, the agency has six approved fostering households , accommodating seven young people between the ages of 15-17 years

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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

This is a small agency, with foster carers who have been with the agency for a number of years. The agency has been unsuccessful in recruiting new carers. The registered manager took adoption leave in March 2015, resigning from her post in January 2016. This inspection has identified an inadequate service with has failed to meet fostering regulations and national minimum standards

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Overall effectiveness

Leadership and management is inadequate. The responsible person, supported by an interim manager who acts as the supervising social worker, primarily runs the agency. The interim manager is the frontline practitioner, and is effectively monitoring her own work.

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Overall effectiveness

Safeguarding is not a high priority. Risk assessments are not completed in a timely manner and complaints procedures are unclear to young people. Placements are not always well planned to meet the needs of young people: matching is often inappropriate, and this weakness threatens their safety and protection. Not all assessments are sufficiently clear about key practical information about fostering households. The agency does not take account of foster carers’ experience, induction and training needs. Foster carers’ reviews and changes to approval are not consistently rigorous, nor do they build a picture of foster carers’ behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

The agency lacks recording systems for monitoring the educational achievements, progress and school attendance of young people. They do not hold good records of children’s care, placement plans and delegated authority arrangements. The agency has poor systems in place for monitoring the overall progress and achievements of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Learning and development programmes for social workers and foster carers are incomplete, and contain little information on how the agency will ensure that staff and foster carers are equipped with the skills to work with a diverse range of needs. Training for panel members is not in place, and therefore panel members’ learning needs are not transparent. In this absence, it is unclear if the panel is suitably equipped for their respective roles.

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Overall effectiveness

Arrangements for quality assurance monitoring are poor, and do not include consultation with young people, parents and placing authorities. They omit key information and do not provide the registered individual with the quality of information needed to improve the service.

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Overall effectiveness

The agency’s statement of purpose fails to provide sufficient information on the aims and objectives of the service, and how they will ensure good outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection, eight requirements and 12 recommendations are raised. This is to improve the service’s function across a range of areas, including leadership and management, safeguarding policies and procedures, approval, induction and training of foster carers and quality assurance monitoring.

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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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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the welfare of children to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. This in particular relates to ensuring that foster parents have completed the formal assessment process and have been approved as suitable to foster by an independent fostering panel. (Regulation 11(a)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times, and before making any decision affecting a child placed or to be placed with a foster parent due consideration is given to the child's wishes and feelings (having regard to the child's age and understanding). This is with specific reference to assessment, matching, and placements. (Regulation 11 (a) (b) (i)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy which is intended to safeguard children placed with foster parents from abuse or neglect, and set out the procedures to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

Procedure under paragraph (1) (b) must, subject to paragraph (4), provide in particular

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Requirement Due date

(a) for notification of the instigation and outcome of any protection enquires involving a child placed by the fostering service provider, to the Chief Inspector,

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Requirement Due date

(e) consideration to be given to the measures which may be necessary to protect children placed with foster carers following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 12 (1) (a) (b) (3) (c) (e)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must implement a procedure for monitoring the educational achievement, progress and school attendance of children placed with foster parents. (Regulation 16 (2) (a)) 15/04/2016 The fostering provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support as is necessary in the interest of children placed with them. Such training must specifically ensure new carers complete a formal induction package, prior to the placement of any children.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that foster parents are familiar with, and act in accordance with polices established in accordance with regulations 12 (1). (Regulation 17 (1) (2)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

If a fostering service provider decide to approve X as a foster parent they must, enter into a written agreement with X covering the matters specified in Schedule 5 (the "foster care agreement") with specific reference to complaints and representations. (Regulation 27 (5) (b)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals and improving the quality of care provided by the fostering agency.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (1) must provide for consultation with foster parents, children placed with foster parents, and their placing authority. (Regulation 35 (1) (a) (b) (3)) 15/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

If any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 7 takes place in relation to a fostering agency, the registered person must without delay notify the person or bodies indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table.(Regulation 36 (1)) 15/04/2016

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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 that foster carers know what authority they have to make decisions about everyday matters involving the child. Arrangements for delegating authority from the parents to the local authority and/or from the local authority to the foster carers, must be discussed and agreed as part of the care planning process, particularly at placement planning meetings, and agreements should be recorded in the placement plan.(volume 4, statutory guidance, page 16, paragraph 3.13) The panel must pass its recommendations on to the decision maker for a decision to be made on behalf of the fostering service. Since no member of the fostering panel is permitted to take part in deciding to approve a person as a foster carer, the panel chair will not be in a position to discuss the case with the decision maker and the recommendations should be passed on by way of the written minutes of the panel meeting, setting out the main points of the discussion and reasons for the

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Recommendations

recommendation. Staff of the fostering service who are involved in decision making about the approval of carers , such as supervising social workers and managers, can not be involved in decision to approve a foster carer if they are on the panel. (Volume 4, statutory guidance, page 43, paragraph 5.23) Ensure foster carers are trained in appropriate safer-care practice, including skills to care for children who have been abused. (NMS 4.6) Ensure the foster home is warm, adequately furnished and decorated, is maintained to a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene and is in order throughout. Outdoor spaces which are part of the premises are safe, secure and well maintained. (NMS 10.2) Ensure foster carers are trained in health and safety issues and have guidelines on their health and safety responsibilities. Avoidable hazards are removed as is consistent with a family home. (NMS 10.3) Implement an effective strategy to ensure there are sufficient numbers of foster

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Recommendations

carers to be responsive to current and predicted future demands on the service (NMS 13.1) Ensure the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose are child focused and show how the service will meet outcomes for children. (NMS 16.2) Ensure the Children's Guide includes a summary of what the fostering service sets out to do for children, how they can find out their rights, how a child can contact their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children's Commissioner, Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors, and how to secure access to an independent advocate. (NMS 16.4) Ensure all new foster carers receive a comprehensive induction. (NMS 20.1) Ensure peer support, foster care associations and/or self- help groups for foster carers are encouraged and supported. (NMS 21.4) Ensure suitable arrangements exists for the professional supervision of the agency's registered person.(NMS 24.3) Ensure managers, staff, volunteers and foster carers are clear about their roles and

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Recommendations

responsibilities. The level of delegation and responsibility of the manager, and the lines of accountability, are clearly defined. (NMS 25.4)

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and young people

Young people speak positively about their carers. They know the carers understand their needs and work hard to help them reach goals and developmental milestones. Respectful and productive relationships result in young people learning how to manage behaviour. They build relationships with their carers that are resilient and enduring. A young person stated, ‘They understand my difficulties. I don’t have to keep speaking about how l feel, they understand and do their best to make me feel good about me.’

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and young people

Young people overall enjoy healthy lifestyles, which are supported by nutritious and well-balanced diets and effective medical intervention. Carers understand the importance of maintaining young people’s good health. They effectively guide them to make positive and mature lifestyle choices. A young person commented on the positive contribution and support given by the carer to change negative behaviours such as smoking and use of illegal substances.

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and young people

Young people do well in education, and 99% of young people placed have education or college placements. This enables young people to achieve their potential: they are ambitious and have long-term aspirations for their futures. Foster carers are engaged in supporting young people’s achievements. However, for young people who may experience disrupted education, carers are unaware of their delegated responsibility to advocate on young people’s behalf.

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and young people

Effective planning and preparation results in young people learning and achieving the necessary and essential skills for adulthood. Carers provide young people with safe environments where they practise and successfully develop these skills. Young people’s confidence increases as they take greater levels of responsibility for themselves and their self-care. A young person stated, ‘Due to the guidance of my carer, l now feel l can live independently when the time comes.’ The agency has a poor history of young people ‘staying put’. The agency has no commitment to this initiative, and says carers prefer to use available accommodation for fostering. This means that young people who may benefit from continuing to live with foster carers to adulthood are unable to do so. However, many carers and young people have remained in contact, enabling young people to receive informal support and engage in family activities.

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and young people

Young people develop confidence and, through the support of foster carers, regularly partake in leisure activities. One young person said, ‘From living with my carers, l have experienced so many new and enjoyable activities. I can also go out and meet with the new friends l have made and am learning to make good decisions.’ These opportunities help young people to extend their horizons and strengthen their positive self-image.

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and young people

The agency provides a children’s guide. However, it fails to sufficiently explain processes to young people on what they can expect from being in foster care, their rights and how to complain. For example, young people were unaware of allowances for clothing and personal care. One young person said that they were reluctant to ask for clothing, as they believed it came from the foster carer’s own money. In the main, young people said they did not know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy. Young people named a variety of people they would speak with, including birth family and local authority social workers. The agency does not make specific supervision time to meet with young people to gain understanding of their views, wishes or feelings.

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Quality of service

The agency currently have six approved fostering households, this has been a steady decrease in the number of fostering households from 16 in 2012/13, to nine in 2014/15. Recently, two households have resigned. The agency has a development plan in place, which includes recruitment, however, it contains no clear strategy on how it proposes to effectively attract and secure a larger number of foster carers. Furthermore, the infrastructure is poor, and this means systems are not in place to support moving forward. This is important if the agency is to grow and develop.

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Quality of service

At the time of the inspection, one prospective carer was due to be presented at panel, and this will be the first completed assessment for in excess of three years. The preparation of potential applicants is poor. Initial enquires are dealt with promptly. However, the written information is outdated and fails to adequately inform the applicant of the current assessment process of the agency. Applicants do not have access to preparatory ‘skills to foster’ training, and there is an expectation by the agency that completion of a fostering workbook plays an essential role during the assessment process. However, the agency cannot evidence that applicants have done so.

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Quality of service

Assessments are not focused, because they do not clearly address the fundamental basics of foster care, such as sleeping capacity in a household or the impact of personal changes in the household. Reports lack rigorous evaluation and analysis, and do not clearly identify competencies and strengths that foster carers have or need to develop. Some assessments are descriptive and contain some ambiguity on the terms of approval. This can result in the fostering panel not having the necessary information to make informed recommendations about potential foster carers. This is essential to ensure that any recommendations for approval look at the carers’ ability to offer safe care to young people.

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Quality of service

Foster carers’ reviews are not rigorous, nor do they build a picture of patterns in carers’ behaviour. The foster carers supervising social worker prepares the reports and presents these to the fostering panel. This results in a lack of independent overview on the decision-making process for re-approval. Foster carers who have been subject to allegations and investigations do not have post-allegation reviews. Annual reviews and/or changes to approval categories often fail to comment on concerns about the fostering household, and do not take into account the reasons for changes. This includes historical and ongoing concerns on health and safety matters, or foster carers’ inability to offer adequately furnished and well-maintained homes.

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Quality of service

Foster carers are from diverse and varied backgrounds. Some appropriate matching has resulted in placements being stable and sensitive to the needs of the young people. This maximises the likelihood of stability and longevity of the placement.

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Quality of service

Training for foster carers is an area of concern. The current level of training is not clear. The current programme does not provide for a formal induction or attendance on a ‘skills to foster’ training course. Foster carers do not have access to a varied training programme, and lack vital information on safeguarding to keep them updated with the knowledge and skills to meet their individual needs and the needs of young people to keep them safe. For example, despite identified trafficking and child sexual exploitation concerns for young people, the agency has consistently failed to identify appropriate training. Managers do not accept that the current programme requires attention if they are to provide a quality and comprehensive training programme to fully support the agency’s foster carers. This lack of knowledge and expertise at all levels of management results in poor governance of the agency.

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Quality of service

Foster carers report that they generally receive the information needed to care for young people. They encourage healthy and strong attachments with young people, who thrive in their care because of the quality of parenting and the responsibility that individual carers take to improve their learning and understanding. They help young people to make sense of their earlier lives. A social worker commented, ‘The carer has been brilliant. She has worked tirelessly to help the young person to think about the impact of her actions. This has resulted in the making of positive choices and improvement in behaviour.’

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Quality of service

Foster carers all report on the excellent level of support that they receive 24 hours a day. However, supervision is not focused on professional development, risk management or the progress and experiences of young people. Consequently, foster carers may not be enabled to meet the more challenging and complex aspects of their caring role.

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Quality of service

The fostering panel is quorate, and has a diverse, experienced membership. The panel chair is an experienced social worker. The chair provides appraisals to panel members and shares these with the responsible individual. There is good practice in the expectation that panel members will contribute their views on any new assessments and annual appraisal of foster carers. However, training for panel members is not in place and this has not enhanced the efficiency of the panel in making decisions.

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Quality of service

The registered individual sits on the panel in her role as the agency’s business manager and acts as the panel adviser. She also holds the role of agency decision maker. This results in a conflict of interests, and shortfalls that undermine the robustness and function of the panel. Consequently, poor recommendations and decisions on potential and existing foster carers occur.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report feeling safe and are safe while in placement. Their relationships within fostering families are positive, with consistent and appropriate boundaries, which young people in the main adhere to.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report on not having information on how to make a complaint, who they can speak to and do not have information about independent advocates. The complaints procedure is not clear, and is not made known to young people. For example, the young people’s guide does not contain information on the process for making a complaint, the contact details for Ofsted and the children’s commissioner. Furthermore, carers are unclear about what they should do if they need to make a complaint about management. The foster carers’ handbook, written agreement and complaints policy all contain different information. As a result, clear and accessible systems are not available to young people and foster carers, and this does not represent robust and safe practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safeguarding policies are poor and do not set out clear procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made about the fostering household or staff within the agency. Relationships with local authorities, the police, schools and other relevant agencies that protect children who engage in risk-taking behaviour are not strong. Systems are not in place for tracking safeguarding concerns, and monitoring systems do not monitor effective actions to be taken following incidents with foster carers. The agency failed to report two critical safeguarding notifications to Ofsted in the past three months. Incidents of young people at risk of sexual exploitation, trafficking and going missing are not monitored rigorously. Foster carers have worked closely with relevant professionals to put in place measures to secure young people’s welfare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The agency cannot evidence specific and targeted training for foster carers on child sexual exploitation and risk assessments that focus on keeping young people safe. The welfare of young people to be placed is not at the forefront when making decisions on placements. For example, during this inspection, staff at the agency were observed making plans to introduce and place a highly vulnerable young person with an applicant who had not been presented to the fostering panel and had not received any fostering training. This places young people at further risk of harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Foster carers do not have in place individual safer carer plans or risk assessments to alert foster carers and staff to known or potential risks and strategies to manage and counteract these behaviours. Behavioural management policies are not in place to guide and support carers. Good written guidance and training is not in place to assist foster carers in keeping young people safe and protected. Not all fostering households have a written safe caring family policy in place. Those that are in place are basic and do not explicitly give guidance for all family members.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Individual fostering households work well in providing nurturing and safe environments. However, supervision visits are not robust in risk management behaviour or the progress made by young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safer recruitment processes ensure that young people are safe and protected. The agency has procedures in place that ensure good vetting of foster carers, staff and members of the central list

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Leadership and management

The registered individual leads and manages the agency, with an interim manager who supports carers in the role of supervising social worker. The interim manager is in the process of applying to Ofsted for registration. Both members of staff are qualified social workers. The registered individual carries out supervision and appraisals of the supervising social worker.

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Leadership and management

Supervision and appraisals for the registered individual, who also acts as agency decision maker, are not in place. This means that a key person in the agency is without adequate support or ongoing development.

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Leadership and management

Staff know the foster carers and young people well, and foster carers have commented on the high level of support. However, this knowledge is not used to inform quality of care reports and future service development. These are important in providing managers with a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the agency. Reporting systems to meet the requirement do not include information on how the care provided by foster carers complies with care plans, or whether young people have current care plans. The agency fails to maintain quality information about young people going missing from care, or useful information about educational attendance, GCSE entries, predicted grades or exclusions.

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Leadership and management

Relationships with partner agencies are not in place. This leads to a lack of local knowledge and the opportunity to challenge on, for example, education entitlement or any local authority delay. The agency has not developed relationships with commissioners and local authorities, many of whom were unable to comment on professional working relationships. However, individual social workers have built links with foster carers and comment positively on the stability and good quality care provided to young people.

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Leadership and management

Systems to gather record and evaluate information on foster carers and young people are not in place. Tracking outcomes for young people are ineffective: the agency is reliant on individual knowledge of young people’s beginnings and progress, but managers cannot provide this from the agency’s records. Systems do not provide the agency with the information most likely to lead to improvements in young people’s care and positive progress.

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Leadership and management

The agency’s management structure requires change to better outline and support clear lines of accountability. The current structure provides for conflict of interests and lack of independent decision making. Currently, the responsible individual holds a number of key roles in the service. These include membership of the central list, fostering panel adviser and agency decision maker. The supervising social worker has responsibility for annual appraisal of the foster carers and purposes recommendations to the fostering panel. Leaders do not currently recognise these positions to be problematic, and do not recognise the conflict of interest or the breach of fostering regulations.

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Leadership and management

The agency’s statement of purpose does not provide stakeholders or interested parties with comprehensive information that outlines well the aims and objectives of the service and how it will deliver positive outcomes for young people. The children’s guide assumes high levels of literacy and fails to provide information on services offered. The guide does not include good information on making complaints and access to independent services.

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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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