Setting

Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 1 ADOPTION SERVICE

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WA4 6BB

Lead Inspector Jayne Ivory Announced Inspection 19th February 2007 10:00 am Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 2 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:

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• Put the people who use social care first • Improve services and stamp out bad practice • Be an expert voice on social care • Practise what we preach in our own organisation

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Reader Information Document Purpose Inspection Report Author CSCI Audience General Public Further copies from 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Copyright This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI Internet address www.csci.org.uk Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 3 This is a report of an inspection to assess whether services are meeting the needs of people who use them. The legal basis for conducting inspections is the Care Standards Act 2000 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for this establishment are those for Adoption. They can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or obtained from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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Every Child Matters, outlined the government’s vision for children’s services and formed the basis of the Children Act 2004. It provides a framework for inspection so that children’s services should be judged on their contribution to the outcomes considered essential to wellbeing in childhood and later life. Those outcomes are: • Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and achieving • Making a contribution; and • Achieving economic wellbeing.

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In response, the Commission for Social Care Inspection has re-ordered the national minimum standards for children’s services under the five outcomes, for reporting purposes. A further section has been created under ‘Management’ to cover those issues that will potentially impact on all the outcomes above.

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Copies of Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004 are available from The Stationery Office as above. This report is a public document. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the prior permission of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 4

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Name of service

Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service

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Name of service

Address St Werburgh's Office Irwell Road Warrington WA4 6BB

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Name of service

Email address ljamieson@warrington.gov.uk

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manager (if applicable)

Type of registration Local Auth Adoption Service Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 5

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Brief Description of the Service:

Warrington Metropolitan Borough Council offers a full range of adoption and adoption support services through a combined family placement team. The team manager for adoption is accountable to the principal officer for children’s resources, who is directly responsible to the assistant director for the children and families service. The assistant director is the adoption agency decision maker, with overall responsibility for the service.

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Brief Description of the Service:

Warrington provides the following services for children and adults:

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To match and place children with adopters who can best meet their assessed needs throughout childhood and beyond once adoption has been identified as being the most appropriate plan for permanence.

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To prepare children prior to introduction and placement with adopters in an age appropriate way whilst ensuring that the child’s own history is understood and preserved.

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To recruit, prepare, assess and approve adoptive applicants who can meet the needs of children needing adoption both locally via Adoption 22 and nationally through the National Adoption Register. This includes the recruitment of adopters for older children, sibling groups, disabled children and children from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To provide a range of adoption support services, either directly or through contractual arrangements with another agency for adopted children and their families. This includes financial support where appropriate.

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To offer a range of services and information to birth parents in order to make effective plans for their children, where adoption has been identified as being in the best interests of their child.

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Brief Description of the Service:

• To provide a service to families who wish to adopt a child from overseas through a relationship with a voluntary adoption agency registered for inter-country adoption. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 6

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SUMMARY

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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SUMMARY

The inspection was well prepared for with all required pre-inspection material being forwarded as requested. The agency provided the best facilities available to them and engaged in the process as willing participants. The programme that was arranged was well coordinated and very manageable. This enabled the inspection to be carried out with the minimum of disruption and maximum efficiency.

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SUMMARY

The inspection was carried out over four days, with one extra-day being allocated to the observation of the adoption panel. During the course of the fieldwork interviews were held with key managers and staff. The Independent Panel Chairperson of the adoption panel was also interviewed. An examination of personnel files was undertaken in the offices of Human Resources.

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SUMMARY

Visits were made to four adoptive families. In addition to this one service user in receipt of adoption support services agreed to participate in the inspection. The views of adopters are incorporated into the text of this report. One birth family member also participated in the inspection. Completed questionnaires were received from adopters/prospective adopters (10), placing social workers (4), and specialist advisers (2). Two questionnaires sent to birth families were returned.

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SUMMARY

The case files of the adopters visited were read – and the files of children placed with them. Other case files were also examined. Written materials relating to the operation of the agency were read, including policies and procedures, protocols and information provided for children, prospective and approved adopters and social workers.

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SUMMARY

The inspection also considered the council’s arrangements for adoption support services and interviewed staff involved in the assessment, review and provision of these services. The inspection also took place shortly after a full inspection of the fostering and private fostering services in Warrington. Readers may find it helpful to consider all three reports for a full overview of the Family Placement Service to Looked after Children in the town. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 7

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What the service does well:

Warrington has sound systems to ensure that the needs of children waiting for or likely to need an adoption placement inform recruitment activity.

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What the service does well:

Warrington promotes good outcomes for children with a plan for adoption, by ensuring that matching is a thorough and well-supported process. Much time and effort is invested in the matching process, and the close working relation between the adoption team and their colleagues in the care planning team ensured that Warrington’s adoption service experienced consistently low disruption rates. As one placing social worker said ”The service is good at providing information and helping children to settle within the placement.” There are very few children waiting for adoption placements at the time of the inspection and this is as a result of a clear focus upon family finding in the adoption team, and close collaborative working across the service.

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What the service does well:

The quality of recruitment, preparation and training for adopters was of a high standard. Adopters made positive comments about their first contact with the agency and the timely response they received at the beginning of the process.

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What the service does well:

All adopters said that they thought that the preparation training was meaningful and was a helpful resource later on in their adoption journey. One adopter said “We both really enjoyed our training course, all the staff were friendly and helpful,” and another adopter said “The preparation training was very thorough and made us more aware of parenting skills required to look after and care for children. As a result we think that we’ve improved our skills since training started.”

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What the service does well:

The majority of adopters confirmed that they considered that their assessing social worker was professional and thorough. One adopter said, “We had a great social worker who really got to know us and kept us informed of all procedures.”

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What the service does well:

The service has a strong relationship with a voluntary adoption agency that provide an independent adoption support service to birth parents, and a range of other support services to individuals touched by adoption. Warrington offers an excellent intermediary service for birth family members by staff who are skilled and knowledgeable in this work.

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What the service does well:

The adoption service had experienced some problems with staff sickness, including the long-term absence of the adoption team manager. A new adoption team manager had been appointed and it is to their credit that service provision has been maintained despite the challenge of implementing the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 8 Warrington continues to benefit from effective performance management systems, and supportive senior managers, who communicate effectively with the staff in their division. The service had acknowledged the need to enhance the quality of assessments, and service delivery for children and had created a senior managers post to take a lead role in this.

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What the service does well:

The inspection also confirmed that corporate parenting is well developed and developing in the borough, with a real commitment from the elected members to promote good outcomes for all looked after children.

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What the service does well:

The inspection confirmed that Warrington has sound recruitment and selection practices, which ensure that vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The service has been pro-active in ensuring that the majority of requirements and recommendations have been met from the action plan, which came as a result of the first inspection. This improvement was also noted in the follow-up visit in March 2006.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The service has invested additional resources in the adoption team and adoption support service. In 2004 the adoption and fostering team had one team manager and two group leaders or senior practitioners in the fostering and adoption team. Warrington acknowledged the need to enhance management support and oversight into the adoption service and now have a team manager with a lead in adoption and a team manager in fostering. In addition to this the principal officer for children’s placements has also had their area of management responsibility reduced to reflect the growing demands of the fostering and adoption service.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Managers in Warrington had negotiated with a voluntary adoption agency to ensure that those wishing to adopt a child from overseas received a specialist service, appropriate to their needs.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Warrington has ensured that support services are available to all those touched by adoption and have ensured that their partnership with after adoption is well managed. The information from the commissioned service was of a good quality and provided evidence that birth parents were able to access services appropriate to their needs. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 9

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What they could do better:

The manager and the staff in the adoption service recognised that they needed to develop the recruitment strategy to more effectively recruit a range of adopters for the needs of the children coming through the care planning process and who may have been waiting for an adoptive placement.

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What they could do better:

The quality of assessment practice varied across the service, from very good to poor. The service had acknowledged that the quality of children’s assessments was not of a consistently high standard and were seeking to commission training on assessment and analysis to address this.

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What they could do better:

A number of adopter’s expressed concern about the delays they were experiencing in receiving their child’s life-story book. The service must ensure that children and their families receive life story work and their life story books in a timely way.

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What they could do better:

There was evidence that the quality of adopter’s assessments was also extremely variable. One adopter said “We have grave concerns over the lack of depth of our home study. It took nine months. We saw our social worker only on a handful of occasions and meetings were short. We had been led to believe that the assessment would be detailed and intrusive. It certainly wasn’t for us.” Other adopters were full of praise for their assessing social worker. Evidence seen in case tracking confirmed that the quality of prospective adopter’s reports was variable and this variation in practice is something the service must address, by enhancing management oversight and involvement in the assessment process. Second visits at the end of the assessment are already standard, however the introduction of adoption assessment agreements, and mid-way reviews may also assist to support and develop practice.

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What they could do better:

At the time of the inspection the adoption team had identified that they were struggling to meet the practice guidance timescales for completing prospective adopters reports. The team had been affected by a series of planned and unplanned staff sickness in the family placement team. Many adopters reflected that the adoption team were under pressure and that this had compromised the service they had received. The service must develop systems to ensure that assessment practice is delivered in a timely and effective manner in all cases.

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What they could do better:

The service must ensure that there is underpinning policy and procedures for staff undertaking adoption support assessments.

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What they could do better:

The excellent ideas for an adoption support service that is integrated within the wider children’s service should be formalised into a coherent multi-agency strategy as part of the services action plan. The plans to involve the therapeutic team in adoption support services should also be developed, as should Warrington’s own in-house adoption support service provision. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 10 The service would benefit from reviewing the current staffing structure of the adoption and adoption support service to ensure that the quality of assessment practice is enhanced.

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What they could do better:

The service must ensure that adopter’s and children’s adoption files meet the regulations and are audited to ensure that the content is appropriate.

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What they could do better:

Please contact the provider for advice of actions taken in response to this inspection. The report of this inspection is available from enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk or by contacting your local CSCI office. The summary of this inspection report can be made available in other formats on request. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 11

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CONTENTS

Being Healthy - There are no NMS that map to this outcome

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CONTENTS

Achieving Economic Wellbeing - There are no NMS that map to this outcome

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CONTENTS

Statutory Requirements identified during the inspection Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 12

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• The agency matches children with adopters (NMS 2) • The agency assesses and prepares adopters (NMS 4) • Adoptors are given information about matching (NMS 5) • The functions of the adoption panel are as specified (NMS 10) • The constitution and membership of adoption panels are as specified (NMS 11) • Adoption panels are timely (NMS 12) • Adoption agency decision is made without delay and appropriately (NMS 13) • The manager is suitable to carry on or manage an adoption agency (NMS 15) • Staff are suitable to work with children (NMS 19) • The agency has a robust complaints procedure (NMS 24 Voluntary Adoption Agency only) • The agency safeguards and promotes the welfare of its service users (NMS 32)

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The Commission considers Standards 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 24

and 32 the key standards to be inspected.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Quality in this outcome area is adequate.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

This judgement has been made using available evidence, which identified that Warrington has a number of skilled and experienced staff in the adoption service, however inconsistencies in the assessment of children’s and adopters needs must be addressed in order to ensure that all children with a plan for adoption stay safe and secure.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington had developed and kept under review a strategy to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption locally. The service had recognised that they needed to attract a broader range of adopters, with a real need to recruit families for large sibling groups. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 13 Staffing problems, which had been largely resolved, in the children’s placement teams had contributed to mixed practice in care planning for children. The quality of children’s permanence reports was inconsistent, although it is acknowledged that the change in format in the child’s permanence report (CPR) has been challenging for many child-care social workers. Warrington had recognised the need to improve the quality of assessment and analysis across the service and had invested considerable resource in establishing a senior management post to enhance practice standards.

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EVIDENCE:

Prospective adopters confirmed that the initial response from Warrington was very timely, and that the screening visit was an opportunity for information exchange.

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EVIDENCE:

Prospective and approved adopters confirmed that they had access to good, informative preparation training that had helped them to understand the full range of issues surrounding adoption. The majority of adopters confirmed that the home study had been completed with skill and sensitivity by the assessing social worker and that they had the opportunity of discussing the assessment with a second visitor. However some adopter’s were unhappy with their home study.

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EVIDENCE:

The service ensured that prospective adopters were subject to the full range of checks and safeguards that were evidenced on file. The existing health and safety questionnaire would benefit from being updated to include an assessment of whether adopters have weapons, and to include the risk to small children from window blinds.

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EVIDENCE:

Social workers in the Adoption Team had accessed training in completing prospective adopters assessments. The quality of the assessments varied with some workers being far more able than others to analyse information and evidence parenting capacity within the competency framework. The need to identify prospective adopters strengths and vulnerabilities should be part of every social work assessment. The service would benefit if the adoption panel also considered using this practice in making their recommendations.

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EVIDENCE:

The need to ensure greater consistency and compliance with the regulations and practice guidance regarding the assessment of prospective adopters should form part of the service’s action plan.

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EVIDENCE:

Many adopters appreciated the skill and professionalism that their social worker had brought to their assessment. The majority felt that despite some delay after their preparation that once their case had been allocated their assessments had been progressed in an efficient and effective manner. The adoption panel has changed to reflect new legislative requirements and practice guidance. The adoption panel has separated from the fostering panel and now has an independent chairperson. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 14 The adoption panel has access to sound agency advice and specialist advisers. The adoption panel’s role and function is based upon policies and procedures which are in the process of being updated by Adoption 22, or which Warrington is a member.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption panel receives regular adoption service reports which detail the progress of children’s plans and approved adopter’s circumstances. The service may wish to consider developing a timescale-monitoring tool for all cases coming to panel.

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EVIDENCE:

The panel demonstrated sound practice concerning the quality assurance and scrutiny of all assessments and reports. The panel has developed a feedback tool, which is used to inform presenting social workers and their managers about any good practice or quality issues in the assessments presented at panel.

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EVIDENCE:

The service had developed a reciprocal arrangement with two other neighbouring authorities to provide a service manager to chair the adoption panel. This is an innovative arrangement, which is kept under review by the agency decision maker in Warrington.

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EVIDENCE:

Adopters were welcomed to the adoption panel and were asked to provide feedback about their experiences of attending to the agency. The independent panel chairperson and the agency adviser have developed and were in the process of implementing the panel member’s appraisal process.

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EVIDENCE:

The independent panel chairperson has a quarterly meeting with the agency decision maker to provide feedback to the agency and to receive feedback about their performance.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption panel’s deliberations and recommendations are captured in the adoption panel minutes. Adoption panel minutes were of a good standard, and the current interim-minute taker should be commended for stepping into the role of the vacant panel administrator.

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EVIDENCE:

The Agency Decision Maker remained committed to their role and ensured that the decision was made in a timely way. Written notifications were made from the agency decision maker, as is consistent with best practice.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington has safeguarding policies and procedures that clearly identify the needs of adopted children. The service must however update those policies to support staff in working with cases of historical abuse. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 15

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• The adoption agency provides support for adoptive parents (NMS 6) • The agency has access to specialist advisers as appropriate (NMS 18 • Services are tailored to meet the needs of people affected by adoption (NMS 33)

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Quality in this outcome area is adequate, given the resources available, the service provides ongoing adoption support and access to specialist services if required to all those touched by adoption.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

This judgement has been made using available evidence including a visit to this service.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington had recognised the need to develop their own post placement and post adoption support service, in addition to commissioning services from other agencies. The need to enhance the range of services offered in house, including a newsletter for adopters and family celebration days were works in progress.

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EVIDENCE:

Practices concerning assessments for post adoption support were developing in the service. Families and individuals in receipt of adoption support services stated, “I know who I would go to if we had any difficulties. My children’s social worker is always available if I needed any help.”

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EVIDENCE:

Adults who approached Warrington for an intermediary service were also positive about the response they had received from the adoption team Social workers played a key role in ensuring that children and their adoptive families accessed ongoing support services. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 16 Post approval and post adoption support groups were well established and provided in partnership with a local voluntary adoption agency. Warrington’s adoption service benefits from excellent access and support from the medical adviser who ensures children’s and adopter’s medical reports are scrutinised before panel. They are also available to offer advice and support to adopters concerning any proposed match. Legal advice to the service is also accessible. The support services are very effective within the available resources with good access to a range of multi-agency support.

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EVIDENCE:

The service had plans to enhance and develop the role of the therapeutic team in relation to post placement and post adoption support. The plans are in the early stages of development, however the potential of the team to assess and provide adoption support services is exciting. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 17

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• Birth parents and birth families are involved in adoption plans (NMS 7) • Birth parents and birth families are involved in maintaining the child’s heritage (NMS 8) • The Adoption agency supports birth parents and families (NMS 9) • Service users receive good quality services based on their needs (NMS 34)

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Quality in this outcome area is adequate based upon the ability of the service to recognise and respond for the need to support birth parents and their families from the outset of their child’s plan for adoption. However the service must do more to ensure that a child’s heritage is preserved in the form of life story work to promote good outcomes for the child in their adoptive placement.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington’s preparation training, assessment and matching process provided adopters, in most cases with information about a child’s history and its relevance in enabling a child to develop a positive self-image. It also enabled adopters to understand and to develop strategies in assisting a child to address all forms of discrimination. The importance of keeping safe information provided by birth parents and families was clearly addressed through out the preparation and assessment process.

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EVIDENCE:

There was evidence that the service recognised the life – long implications of adoption. Placing social workers were encouraged to involve birth parents and families in the care planning processes for their child. In several files, there was evidence of the birth parents’ views about adoption and contact being clearly recorded, though this was not evident in every file examined. Many social workers had also struggled to evidence their consultation with birth parents on their child’s CPR. The inspection confirmed that this is an area Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 18 of practice, which has deteriorated, given Warrington’s excellent approach to working with birth parents and families.

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EVIDENCE:

In addition, the agency had a service level agreement with a voluntary adoption agency to provide an independent counselling service to birth parents.

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EVIDENCE:

Birth parents and families were given further opportunities to maintain and up- date their child’s heritage through direct or indirect contact via the agency’s letterbox system. Inspection of the letterbox scheme confirmed it was a well organised and an effectively managed system, which provided birth parents and their families a real opportunity to contribute to the maintenance of their child’s heritage.

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EVIDENCE:

Feedback from the quality of the work undertaken with birth parents confirmed that the independent social worker had been able to engage some birth parents that had been resistant to having any further involvement with Warrington. This had promoted good outcomes for some children in that their birth parents had felt more able to contribute information for their child, through their independent social worker.

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EVIDENCE:

There was close liaison between the independent social work service and effective systems to ensure that birth parents were referred at the point of the panel recommendation and agency decision that a child should be placed for adoption.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption team worked hard with their colleagues in the child-care teams to ensure that staff were aware of the need to preserve and maintain a child’s heritage. Child-care team managers and social workers confirmed that they were committed to gathering information at the earliest opportunity. However more must be done at a strategic and operational level to ensure that life work is completed within the child’s timescale, with a recommendation to bring the completed initial life story work to the first adoption review, or in some instances to the adoption panel. Concerns about the delays in completing life- story work were evident from adopters and from Independent Reviewing officers. There is an urgent need to address the issues concerning delays in life-story work across the service. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 19

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency and the adoption agency ensures that it meets those aims and objectives (NMS 1) • The agency provides clear written information for prospective adopters (NMS 3) • The manager has skills to carry on or manage the adoption agency (NMS 14) • The adoption agency is managed effectively and efficiently (NMS 16) • The agency is monitored and controlled as specified (NMS 17) • The staff are organised and managed effectively (NMS 20) • The agency has sufficient staff with the right skills / experience (NMS 21) • The agency is a fair and competent employer (NMS 22) • The agency provides training for staff (NMS 23) • Case records for children and prospective / approved adopters are comprehensive and accurate (NMS 25) • The agency provides access to records as appropriate (NMS 26) • The agency’s administrative records processes are appropriate (NMS 27)

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• The agency maintains personnel files for members of staff and members of adoption panels (NMS 28) • The premises used by the adoption agency are suitable for purpose (NMS 29) • The adoption agency is financially viable (NMS 30, Voluntary Adoption Agency only) • The adoption agency has robust financial processes (NMS 31)

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

Quality in this outcome area is adequate.

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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for the following standard(s):

This judgement was made given that management systems are sound in the adoption service. However, the agency needs to ensure that social workers have the training, support and supervision to ensure that good outcomes for children and their families are achieved in a timely manner. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 20

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EVIDENCE:

There was a statement of purpose in place that had been reviewed in 2006 and had been formally approved by the executive of the council. It clearly outlined the aspirations and operations of the agency and was written in an easy to read style. The policies and procedures of the agency, many of which had been recently reviewed and revised, supported the statement of purpose and most indications were that the agency operated in line with these.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington uses the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) children’s guide, and gives information to younger children about the adoption process in age appropriate materials. Warrington must however develop its own service specific children’s guide, which advises children and those caring for an adopted child about their rights including a right to an assessment for adoption support services.

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EVIDENCE:

The information provided for prospective applicants is of a very good standard; it gives a clear indication of all the implications and processes of adoption, including profiles of the kind of children requiring placements, and it also specifies the range of people that the agency wishes to recruit. It is a well - presented pack that is welcoming and clearly aimed at providing all relevant information in an accessible and encouraging format.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption team reported that they were well supported by their manager, and the managers involved in the adoption service reported that they were well supervised and supported by their managers. Performance management continues to be a real area of strength in the service, and underpins operational activity and strategic direction.

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EVIDENCE:

All managers involved in the adoption service were qualified social workers and had considerable post-qualifying experience. The team manager for the adoption team was in the process of completing their NVQ Level 4 training in management.

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EVIDENCE:

The inspection found evidence that the Adoption Team worked reasonably well within the wider constraints of the service and that the relationship between the team and placing social workers was generally positive.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption team has a mixture of specialist adoption social work staff who take over case responsibility for children who have a placement order, and assessing/supervising social workers. All adopters spoke positively of their relationship with their child’s adoption social worker, however many adopter’s had concerns about the pressure that their assessing/supervising social worker seemed to be under. The service had resisted separating out the fostering and adoption functions of the supervising team, given the size of the agency and Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 21 the lack of business flexibility that this could bring. These risks need to be balanced against the views of some adopters and placing social workers that supervising social workers in Warrington are not as responsive and supportive as they would like. Further to this the quality of assessments across the team

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EVIDENCE:

is very variable from very good to poor. This is perhaps a reflection of a team of social workers who are too many things to too many people.

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EVIDENCE:

The managers of the service are aware of these issues, however the service should develop a strategy to improve the quality and consistency of adopter’s assessments and access to support.

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EVIDENCE:

The team manager dealt with the few complaints made against the agency sensitively, efficiently and effectively.

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EVIDENCE:

Staff in the adoption service had accessed training in the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Staff had also received training in competency-based assessments from an external training consultant. The service had recognised that the staff team would benefit from additional training in this area.

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EVIDENCE:

All staff said that they were familiar with the council’s personal development and annual appraisal system. Staff reported that they received regular professional supervision from their team manager.

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EVIDENCE:

Warrington continues to be regarded as a good employer, despite some recruitment and retention issues that continue to impact on the wider integrated service to children and families.

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EVIDENCE:

The service should establish, without delay, a robust system of file auditing: children’s adoption files showed little or no evidence of any management oversight, and the quality of some of the paperwork was poor. It is of utmost importance that children’s adoption files reflect an accurate record of all work undertaken in relation to the adoption, which will be readily understood by the adoptee at any future date.

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EVIDENCE:

Adopters’ files were generally well ordered, with many files keeping a copy of contemporaneous notes from the assessment. However these files too, lacked management oversight. Decisions made during supervision should be recorded on all files and any signatures on documents should be dated and supplemented by the manager’s or social workers full name.

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EVIDENCE:

The service should develop and implement effective quality assurance systems which evidence the supervision and management decision making process of children’s and adopters’ assessments.

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EVIDENCE:

Administrative staff had clear roles and responsibilities and were seen to be hardworking and sensitive to the nature of the work of the service. The service had coped extremely well with the absence of a community support worker with responsibility for letterbox. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 22

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

This page summarises the assessment of the extent to which the National Minimum Standards for Adoption have been met and uses the following scale.

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

4 Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls) “X” in the standard met box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion “N/A” in the standard met box denotes standard not applicable

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

BEING HEALTHY MAKING A POSITIVE Standard No Score CONTRIBUTION No NMS are mapped to this outcome Standard No Score 7 3 8 2 9 2 34 3

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

STAYING SAFE ACHIEVING ECONOMIC WELLBEING Standard No Score Standard No Score 2 3 No NMS are mapped to this outcome 4 2 5 2 MANAGEMENT 10 3 Standard No Score 11 3 1 1 12 3 3 4 13 3 14 3 15 3 16 3 19 3 17 3 24 3 20 2 32 2 21 3 22 3 ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING Standard No Score 25 1 6 2 26 3 18 3 27 3 33 2 28 3 29 3 30 N/A 31 N/A Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 23 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? N/A

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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, Voluntary Adoption and the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2003 or Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 AD1 5 c LAA Regs 2003 amended The service must develop its own service specific children’s guide, which advises children and those caring for an adopted child about their rights including a right to an assessment for adoption support services. 30/09/07

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

AD5 13.1 a,b,c, 1,2,3 A & CA The service must develop a whole systems approach to enhancing the quality of children’s assessments and reports. 30/09/07

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

3 AD4 10 a,b LAA 2003 Amended The service must ensure that the quality and consistency of prospective adopter’s reports is enhanced. 30/09/07

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

4 AD8 13.1 A&CA The service must identify and access good quality training to ensure the timely creation and delivery of life work for all children with a plan for adoption. 30/09/07

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

5 AD33 9a LAA Regs 2003 amended The service must ensure that they develop and implement consistent practice concerning the assessment for adoption support services. 30/09/07 Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 24 6 AD25 12 and 22 A and CA The service must establish and maintain children’s adoption files and adopter’s files in accordance with the regulations. 30/09/07

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RECOMMENDATIONS

These recommendations relate to National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice for the Registered Provider/s to consider carrying out.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1 AD4 The service should consider how prospective adopters assessments are completed within practice guidance timescales. 2 AD6 The service should develop and then implement a strategy for the provision of Warrington’s own adoption support services, which complements existing partnerships. 3 AD20 The service should review current staff structures and roles within the fostering and adoption teams to enhance the quality of assessments and support available for adopters. 4 AD25 The service should ensure that case files provide evidence of management oversight and case file audit. Decisions made by supervisors should be evident on case files and should be signed and dated. 5 AD32 The service should update the current safeguarding policy and procedure to ensure that staff are clear about how to manage cases of historical abuse. Warrington Borough Council Adoption Service Document14 Version 5.2 Page 25

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

North West Regional Office 11th Floor West Point 501 Chester Road Old Trafford M16 9HU

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

National Enquiry Line: Telephone: 0845 015 0120 or 0191 233 3323 Textphone: 0845 015 2255 or 0191 233 3588 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk © This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI

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