Orchids – Fostering for Children LLP

lancl Orchids – Fostering for Children LLP Inspection report for independent fostering agency

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Unique reference number SC065958 Inspection date 23/01/2017 Inspector Lee Kirwin 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 Registered manager Elizabeth Onuchi Responsible individual Tomilola Oseni Date of last inspection 15/02/2016 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. 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. The agency operates from an office located in a self-contained building in the grounds of the provider's home in Sutton. Three office areas are available, which allow for meetings to be held in privacy on the premises. In addition, the agency will hire appropriate venues for training, meetings and panel sessions. Placements can be provided for children and young people, irrespective of gender, aged from birth to 18 years, although the agency would not seek to terminate a placement that was agreed to continue beyond 18 years. The agency currently has ten approved foster carers and six households accommodating five young people.

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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

The agency has made significant improvements since the previous full inspection. The agency’s approach to matching placements, training and induction of foster carers, and risk management means that young people are safe. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Overall effectiveness

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. All young people currently placed with agency foster carers are engaged in full-time education. They maintain high levels of attendance and punctuality. Carers work effectively in partnership with education providers to ensure that each young person receives the support they need to make progress in education.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are well behaved, and benefit from clear and consistent boundaries. They establish healthy routines, and reduce behaviours that are likely to put them at risk of harm. When incidents of concern arise, the agency works effectively in partnership with the professional network to keep them safe.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have a positive experience in their foster families. They all indicate that they feel welcome in their foster homes and feel part of the family. They have positive, nurturing relationships with their primary carers. This helps them to feel a sense of belonging, and gives them a safe space to share any concerns they may have.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are supported to have positive contact with their families. Foster carers work effectively in partnership with parents, and intervene to encourage young people to build strong and lasting relationships with their birth families. This helps young people come to terms with the reasons why they are in care, strengthens their family support network and gives them a consistent experience of care.

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Overall effectiveness

The supervising social worker knows the families and the young people very well. She provides effective supervision to foster carers. They appreciate this and value the support they receive from the agency. Parents comment positively about the care their children receive in foster families.

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Overall effectiveness

Placing social workers are unanimous in their praise for the quality of care provided by the agency. They feel that the foster families frequently go ‘above and beyond’ to support young people. They also comment favourably about the agency communicating effectively. They appreciate the professionalism and skill of the agency supervising social worker.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the agency is judged good because young people are safe, have a positive experience of care and make progress in all areas.

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Overall effectiveness

The quality of service is not yet judged to be good because of shortfalls in relation to the training provided to agency social work staff and agency back-up carers. The agency does not have an effective fostering support group. Members of the fostering panel do not undergo annual appraisals, and the panel minutes do not record the discussions clearly or outline the rationale for the recommendations it makes. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Overall effectiveness

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. The effectiveness of leadership and management is judged as requires improvement. This is because not all of the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection were met.

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Overall effectiveness

The impact of the shortfalls in relation to the quality of service and the effectiveness of leadership and management will be discussed in more detail under the relevant sections of this report.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

35: Review of quality of care. (1) The registered person must maintain a system for reviewing the quality of care.

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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 (unless, in the case of a fostering agency which is a voluntary organisation, it is also the placing authority). (Regulation 35(3)) 15/04/2017

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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 the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose are child-focused and show how the service will meet outcomes for children. (National Minimum Standards 16.2) Ensure the Children's Guide includes a summary of what the fostering service sets out to do for children. The agency must also ensure that foster carers are trained to Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Recommendations

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. meet the needs of the range of young people and parents admitted, as described in the statement of purpose. (National Minimum Standards 16.4) Ensure peer support, foster care associations and/or self-help groups for foster carers are encouraged and supported. (National Minimum Standards 21.4) Ensure suitable arrangements exist for the professional supervision of the agency's registered person. (National Minimum Standards 24.3) Fostering panels and decision-maker: The panel chair ensures written minutes of panel meetings are accurate and clearly cover the key issues and views expressed by panel members and record the reasons for its recommendation. (National Minimum Standards 14.7) Ensure that there is a good-quality learning and development programme, which

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Recommendations

includes induction, post-qualifying and in-service training, that staff and volunteers are supported to undertake. The programme equips them with the skills required to meet the needs of the children, keeps them up to date with professional, legal and practice developments, and reflects the policies, legal obligations and business needs of the fostering service. This refers specifically to registered social work staff. (National Minimum Standards 23.1) Ensure panel members undertake an annual appraisal. This should identify strengths and areas for development. (‘The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services’, p.41, para 5.15) Update policies, procedures and guidance in relation to child sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation. This should contain guidance for staff on vulnerability factors, preventative measures and the steps carers should take if they identify

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Recommendations

concerns. (‘The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services’, p.25, para 3.67) Ensure back-up carers are trained to meet the needs of the young people they are caring for. (National Minimum Standards 21.5) Ensure the premises and its contents are insured (or there are alternative prompt methods of replacing lost items). This refers to the need for the agency premises to comply with fire safety regulations in order to ensure that they meet the conditions required by the agency insurance company. (National Minimum Standards 27.2) Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Recommendations

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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and young people

All the young people currently living with their foster families are well matched. They all comment positively about feeling settled at home and well cared for. One young person described how the foster carer ‘treats me like her own, she takes me on holiday and teaches me things, like how to cook’. He went on to comment that his foster carers get on well with his mum and that this makes it easier for him to have overnight stays with her. Another young person said, ‘My foster carers always help me and take care of me.’ She feels part of the family and loves the food. She also appreciates the fact that her foster carers have taught her skills for independence, such as cooking, budgeting and cleaning.

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and young people

Young people are mostly well matched in terms of their culture. All young people felt that their foster carers understood their culture and made efforts to ensure that their cultural needs are met.

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and young people

All young people are in full-time education and have excellent attendance. Foster families and agency staff communicate effectively with education providers. One young person described how his foster carer often takes him to school when she doesn’t have to. He said, ‘She goes out of her way to do stuff for me when I don’t ask.’ All young people get the support they need to overcome barriers to learning. This helps them make progress and achieve results. They have a positive attitude to education and have ambitions for the future.

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and young people

The relevant care plans for each young person are understood and acted upon by carers. Foster carers promptly carry out any agreed actions that are identified to promote young people’s welfare and health, and to facilitate family contact. All young people have a clear pathway plan. This identifies the support they need to learn skills for independence. Young people are involved in these plans and help identify the areas they feel they most need help with. This helps them understand and engage with tasks that are designed to help them learn skills for independence.

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and young people

Young people are healthy. They have healthy routines and are supported to make healthy lifestyle choices. They undergo regular health checks and, when necessary, access specialist health services to promote their physical and emotional well-being.

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and young people

Young people report that they feel able to confide in their carers if they have concerns. They feel that their carers listen to them. One young person described how Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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and young people

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. her foster carers made compromises and extended her curfew time when she felt their expectations were too strict. They did this in a way that ensured she remained safe and they knew where she was at all times. Young people also talk positively about the agency’s supervising social worker. They get on well with her and feel that they could talk to her if they had any concerns. All care and support plans relating to young people reflect their views. This helps foster carers have a clear sense of what matters to young people and how they are experiencing care.

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and young people

All young people in placement have made significant progress in all areas. They have improved their engagement with education and have reduced their risk-taking behaviours. Secure, stable placements and nurturing relationships help young people adhere to clear boundaries and to stay safe.

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and young people

Young people engage in a range of after-school activities. Some attend clubs and play sports. All young people felt that their foster carers were responsive and supportive if they wanted to do activities or take up a hobby.

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Quality of service

This area is judged to require improvement because not all the shortfalls identified at the previous inspection have been addressed. There are no effective arrangements in place for a foster carer support group. This removes an opportunity for foster carers to learn and gain support from each other’s experience.

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Quality of service

The fostering panel is chaired by a suitably experienced person. The panel is made up of suitably qualified individuals who are able to contribute a range of views and experience to inform panel recommendations. However, the panel minutes do not always accurately record the contributions of panel members or clearly outline the evidence considered to inform panel recommendations. In addition the panel chair does not undertake annual appraisals for each panel member. This means that there are no effective mechanisms in place to promote the learning and development needs of panel members.

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Quality of service

All foster carers undergo an annual review to ensure their continued fitness for the role and to identify any learning, development or support needs. The agency supervising social worker provides a comprehensive annual review report on each carer. This takes into account the outcomes for young people in placement, the views of young people and foster family members, and feedback from placing social Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Quality of service

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. workers. If circumstances change, the supervising social worker will propose amendments to the carer’s terms of approval. The needs of young people are central to decisons about terms of approval. This ensures that young people are only placed with carers who can meet their needs. Annual reviews are considered by the agency’s fostering panel. All recommendations made by the panel are scrutinised by the agency decision-maker. She is a qualified social worker and the responsible individual for the agency. She records clearly the evidence she has taken into account to support decisions about foster carer annual reviews.

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Quality of service

The agency has not approved any new foster carers since the previous inspection. One foster carer, who is currently being assessed, has undertaken skills for fostering training. She has also undertaken core child-protection training. The supervising social worker undertakes regular visits to reflect on learning and to support her to achieve the necessary competencies for the role of a foster carer. This addresses a significant shortfall noted at the previous inspection and evidences a robust induction process for new foster carers.

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Quality of service

The agency social work qualified staff have not all undertaken appropriate ongoing professional training to support their role. The responsible individual and registered manager have only completed online training designed for foster carers. They have not undertaken any recent face-to-face training or any specialist training to ensure their knowledge is up to date. This is necessary in order to understand both the need to keep skills and knowledge up to date and the importance of career-long learning (Health and Care Professions Council, Standards of Proficiency, 3.3 (2017)). The agency supervising social worker conducts the assessments of prospective foster carers but has not undertaken any recent training to support this role.

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Quality of service

The agency supervising social worker is well regarded by foster carers, young people and placing social workers. She undertakes regular supervision visits to ensure that foster carers are meeting the needs of young people in line with their relevant plans. She monitors foster carers’ performance and undertakes annual appraisals to identify learning and development needs. Foster carers appreciate the support they receive from her. They consistently reported that the agency is ‘always there for them’. If foster carers are facing particular challenges, the agency supervising social worker increases the frequency of supervision visits. Foster carers feel that this helps them to be resilient and to explore strategies to support young people, and helps them feel safe.

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Quality of service

Placing social workers value the professionalism, knowledge and commitment of the agency social work staff. One social worker said that she has ‘complete faith’ in the agency supervising social worker. She went on to say that the supervising social Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Quality of service

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. worker knows the young people and carers well, attends all relevant meetings, and makes valuable contributions to care and safety plans. The agency works effectively in partnership with the professional network. It communicates and consults appropriately to ensure that all parties are fully appraised and involved in decisions relating to the welfare, care and safety of young people.

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Quality of service

There has been very little placement activity since the previous inspection. When young people are placed with foster carers or back-up carers the agency matches them well. The agency carefully considers the needs of each young person and only places them when it is confident that carers have the skills, capacity and experience to meet their needs. However, back-up carers do not undertake child-protection training, and only trained carers from within the agency undertake overnight respite care. This means that, while back-up carers know the young people well and are often part of the extended foster family, not providing them with training creates vulnerabilities in the system, as they may not have the knowledge to identify or report concerns. It also means that young people may have to go to carers they do not know well when overnight respite care is needed.

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Quality of service

Currently, the agency only has older teenagers in placement, and foster carers are suitably trained to support them. The agency indicates in its statement of purpose that they offer parent and child placements and placements for children aged from birth to 18 years. The training available to foster carers does not include training to meet the needs of infants or support working with parent and child placements. This runs the risk of the agency making placements with foster carers who have not undertaken any recent training to ensure they can competently undertake the task.

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Quality of service

The agency has been particularly effective at working with parents to promote family contact. A placing social worker described how one foster carer overcame barriers to build a positive relationship with a parent. She felt that this helped the young person enjoy contact with his parent and ‘not feel he had to choose between his parent and foster care’. A parent spoke highly of the quality of care provided for her son. She said that the foster carer ‘does everything that I would want to do for my son’. She went on to describe how they kept in touch and worked together to ensure her child experienced consistency of care.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe. They benefit from living in stable placements with foster Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Safeguarding children and young people

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. carers who show them genuine love and care. They feel welcome as part of the family. This promotes a sense of belonging and security, which helps them understand that if foster carers do not allow them to do certain things, it is because they want them to be safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people have clear boundaries and, mostly, stick to these. They keep their foster carers informed if they are late and seldom go missing overnight. When young people do go missing, foster carers take steps to locate them and work effectively with the professional network to keep them safe. Foster carers show tolerance and understanding when supporting young people who may be at risk of harm. This helps young people reduce behaviours that may put them at risk.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All foster carers have completed the Children’s Workforce Development Council Standards. They undertake regular training to ensure they are alert to vulnerabilities young people may face if they are at risk of exploitation, missing from care or vulnerable to radicalisation. The agency completes individual risk assessments for all young people and has clear strategies in place to protect them from harm. Foster carers are aware of the vulnerabilities of the young people placed with them. They take action to reduce risks, and make use of the support offered by agency staff when they need help or advice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The fostering agency carefully considers all referrals and will only place young people if it is confident that the foster carers have the capacity, experience and training to meet their needs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people know how to raise concerns, and have close relationships with their carers and the agency supervising social worker. They report that they would feel able to confide in them and that any concerns they raised would be heard. There have been no allegations of mistreatment or concerns raised about the quality of care provided to young people. When incidents of concern do arise, the agency notifies Ofsted promptly. This was a shortfall identified at the previous inspection and is now addressed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Foster carers allow young people to take acceptable risks in order to develop independence skills. They also maintain good contact with the young people’s friends, family and wider network. This enables the young people to develop and maintain positive relationships with their peers. When it is safe to do so, young people are allowed to stay overnight with friends and family.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All adults who have access to young people undergo regular checks with the disclosure and barring service. Agency staff and panel members are subject to a Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Safeguarding children and young people

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. strict vetting process. This ensures that only adults who are deemed to be of good character and suitably experienced have access to young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The supervising social worker conducts annual health and safety checks to ensure that the physical environment is safe. She ensures that any shortfalls are promptly addressed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The foster carer handbook and the agency’s policies and procedures have been significantly improved since the last inspection. Induction and training arrangements now make it clear that young people cannot be placed until foster carers have completed induction and undertaken core training. The policies are now much clearer in terms of how any allegations of abuse should be treated. However, there are still some areas of guidance that need improvement. The guidance in relation to sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation does not clearly identify all vulnerability factors or how information should be shared if concerns are identified. In practice, young people are safe because foster carers are alert to these threats and demonstrate good knowledge of safeguarding procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The agency premises are not covered by effective fire safety measures. Fire drills for staff are not recorded and fire equipment is not regularly serviced. The office has a lot of electrical equipment but no fire extinguishers designed to safely tackle electrical fires. This is potentially unsafe for staff and visitors to the agency. There is also a risk that poor practice in relation to fire safety may invalidate insurance policies in the event of a fire.

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Leadership and management

This area is judged to require improvement because not all the shortfalls highlighted at the previous inspection have been fully addressed. Foster carer support groups do not take place. The responsible individual does not receive professional supervision in order to support her ongoing development as a qualified social worker.

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Leadership and management

The monitoring of the quality of care does not demonstrate how managers make use of feedback from foster carers, young people or the professional network, in order to inform service development. Systems for managing the quality of care are in place. The registered manager reviews records to ensure supervisions, annual reviews and statutory checks are completed. She has good oversight of the progress and outcomes for young people in key areas such as health, placement stability and Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Leadership and management

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. education attendance. This means that the registered manager has good oversight of the day-to-day work and the progress young people are making.

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Leadership and management

Some additional shortfalls were identified during this inspection in relation to panel members’ appraisals, training for back-up carers and further training needs for foster carers, in order to meet the needs of young people as described in the statement of purpose. The young people’s guide has been amended to include information as to how young people can raise concerns. It does not yet describe how they can expect to be supported in key areas such as health, contact with friends, basic care needs or education.

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Leadership and management

The leaders and managers have made significant improvements to address the shortfalls from the previous inspection. A new registered manager has been appointed. This means that there is a clear distinction between the registered manager’s role and that of the supervising social worker. The agency decision-maker now has clear separation from the fostering panel. This means that the independence of the panel is no longer compromised.

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Leadership and management

The supervising social worker and the registered manager of the agency receive regular supervision. This has a focus on their emotional well-being, the progress and welfare of young people, and tasks relating to the support of foster carers. They undergo annual appraisals to identify learning and development needs. The agency supervising social worker feels supported in her role, and feels that she receives good professional guidance and support from her managers.

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Leadership and management

Foster carers feel that the registered manager is accessible, and always available to provide support and guidance.

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Leadership and management

The shortfalls in relation to leadership and management have no significant impact on the welfare, progress and experience of the young people currently in placement. It is important, however, that shortfalls are addressed in order to ensure that the quality of service is maintained as the agency grows, recruits new carers and places more young people. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Leadership and management

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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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