City of Salford Adoption Service

City of Salford Adoption Service Inspection report for la adoption agency

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SC056806 Unique reference number 6 May 2008 Inspection date Marian Denny / Sue Winson Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Salford Children's Services Directorate Address Avon House Avon Close Worsley MANCHESTER M28 0LA 0161 603 4331 Telephone number

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Email

City of Salford, Children's Services Directorate Registered person

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Registered manager

Jill Baker Responsible individual 24 May 2008 Date of last inspection .

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Registered manager

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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Registered manager

You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008

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Brief description of the service

Salford City Council 's adoption service undertakes all statutory responsibilities associated with current legislation and regulations. These duties include the recruitment, preparation, assessment and approval of domestic adopters. The Council has commissioned a similar service for inter-country adopters from a local voluntary adoption agency. In addition, the service carries out the matching, introduction and placement of children with adopters; the support of adoption placements; post adoption support to those whose lives have been touched by adoption, including birth records counselling. Salford also commissions some post adoption support services and intermediary work from a voluntary adoption agency. The service operates and maintains a letter box system, which supports the exchange of information in adoption placements. An independent counselling and support service is also provided to birth parents

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Brief description of the service

through commissioning arrangements with a voluntary adoption agency.

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Summary

The was an announced inspection. All the Adoption National Minimum Standards (NMS) were addressed under the four outcome areas of Staying Safe, Enjoying and Achieving, Positive Contribution and Organisation, which were judged as good. The findings arising from this inspection indicated that the adoption service is managed effectively and efficiently. Both the management and staff team have considerable knowledge and experience in adoption. They demonstrate a real enthusiasm in their work and are committed to providing a qualitative and child focussed service. Consequently, there is a thorough approach to the assessments of adopters and a great deal of thought and care is given to the matching and placement of children with adopters. The adoption service provides a good range of in-house, multi-agency and external support services to adopters, both pre and post order. This support is generally well thought out and provides families with the necessary, enabling support to maximise the

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Summary

chances of successful adoption placements. Salford fully recognises the lifelong implications of adoption. Considerable efforts are therefore made to engage birth parents in the care planning process, so that they are able to participate and contribute to their child’s future. This greatly assists in ensuring children have a well recorded background. It also supports the maintenance of their heritage and promotes respect and equality for all those involved in the adoption triangle. Overall, the service is well managed strategically and operationally. Quality assurance systems are mainly effective but do not always reflect practice. Consequently, a number of recommendations have been made in this report regarding these matters. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last full inspection of the Salford City Council was carried out in May 2005, which resulted in two actions and five recommendations being made. The service had made efforts to address these matters with the result that there had been an improvement in personnel and panel member's files and a more focussed approach to involving and working with birth parents. The service had also introduced a system to monitor the agency records. However, three recommendations remained outstanding at the time of this inspection. 4 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Salford's adoption service has a good, effective recruitment strategy, which is based on an awareness of children requiring adoption. Its successful recruitment campaigns have resulted in a diverse range of adopters being recruited, resulting in more placement choice for children. Consequently, older children, children with disabilities and large sibling groups have been effectively matched and placed with adoptive families. There are clear processes and procedures to handle adoption enquiries and to follow up any expressions of interest. However, some adopters indicated that there is sometimes a lack of clarity in the information provided at the initial enquiry stage. Adopters confirmed that they had received written information regarding the adoption process, promptly and the information provided had been 'extremely useful and easy to read'. Information meetings are held regularly and the majority of adopters are

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

complimentary about the presentation and the quality of information provided. Salford has a thorough preparation, assessment and approval process of adopters. The materials used in the preparation training fit within a framework of equal opportunities and address anti-discriminatory practice. Preparation training is held on a regular basis and is tailored to meet the varying needs of adopters, for example, second time round adopters. In addition, the service has also made arrangements for those wishing to adopt a child from overseas to attend inter-country preparation groups, which are provided in collaboration with another adoption agency. Adopters generally spoke positively about preparation training stating that it was 'well organised', with the training materials used 'informative' and 'stimulating'. Staff were said to be 'welcoming', which resulted in a 'good' atmosphere within the groups developing and enabled those attending

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to participate in group discussions more freely. However, a small number of adopters indicated that they had been unaware that the preparation training was part of the assessment process and had not found the information provided in the training as useful as they had expected. Adopters' assessments are driven by children's needs, in so far as they are well documented and of a good quality, for example, they are thorough, analytical and cover issues of parenting capacity well. The service carries out written references in relation to the adopters, employer references and checks with applicants' former partners. All necessary enquiries and statutory checks in relation to prospective adopters and other members of the household, who are aged 16 years or over are obtained. The service also ensures adopters are able to look after children in a safe manner through the use of a health and safety checklist. Salford has a system to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

monitor the timescales of adopters' assessments, which is working effectively. All adopters' assessments seen were carried out in legislative prescribed timescales. Adopters were positive about the assessment process, which they described as being carried out in a thorough manner. Staff were said to carry out their work in a 'professional' and a 'very knowledgeable, skilled manner'. All adopters stated that their report was accurate and given to them in the required legislative timescale. Adopters receive written information regarding the matching, introductory and placement processes. Information is also provided regarding the National Adoption Register. This information is reinforced to adopters through out the adoption process. The adoption service is extremely child focussed and every effort is made to ensure children are matched with adopters, who best meet their assessed needs. Staff work hard to improve the quality of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

information provided for adopters and have provided training regarding the child permanence report (CPR). However, despite this, the quality of the written information provided for adopters, 5 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008 has on occasions been out of date and of variable quality, for example, the CPR. Salford's matching process is enhanced though, through the robust activities of the adoption staff and the Adoption Panel. In addition, the services uses a variety of specialist advisers and services, who are able to meet with adopters and discuss specific issues relating to the child, with whom they are being matched. This provides adopters with the opportunity to fully consider the implications of such issues for themselves and their family. The adoption service has developed a good tool to enhance the matching process, which was well documented in the files and is

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

extremely informative to any adoptee, who subsequently seeks to access their records. The introductions and placement of children with adopters are also well managed and provide a good foundation for the stability of the adoption placement. The adoption panel has a clear written set of policies and procedures which govern its function and operation. There is a well established practice of adopters being invited to attend the panel. The panel is appropriately constituted and arranged at a frequency that avoids any delay in considering the approval of prospective adopters. It is well organised and chaired. Panel members are well prepared, make appropriate observations and ask relevant questions. Panel minutes are informative, clearly state the panel's discussion, and reasons for the panel's conclusions and recommendations are clearly recorded. Adopters are invited to attend the adoption panel, with good preparatory

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

work undertaken with them prior to their attendance. Adopters stated that both the chairperson and panel members 'welcomed' them and made 'a real efforts to put them at ease'. This friendliness though, does not detract from the panel’s thoroughness in considering matters before them. Adopters stated that the questions asked were 'relevant' and 'appropriate'. The agency’s decision maker ensures all information relating to a case, as well as the panel minutes are thoroughly scrutinised before making a decision. Notifications of the decision are always sent out within the necessary timescales. The manager and all staff working within the adoption service are appropriately qualified, skilled and extremely experienced in their work. In the main, staff recruitment practices are robust, however, the system in place to verify written references by telephone is not consistently managed. There is a safeguarding policy and procedure, which

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

fully meets the adoption NMS and Regulations. A good recording system is in place to enable staff to record safeguarding issues effectively. Those working in the service are well supported to handle and manage safeguarding issues.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Salford fully recognises the importance of providing qualitative support to adopters in order to maintain stable and permanent homes for children. The service therefore ensures adopters retain their social worker following their approval. This arrangement continues throughout the matching, introductions, as well as the placement of children and at least, until the adoption order is made. A full range of support services have also been developed, which are available for adopters both before and after the adoption order. These support services are provided in a variety of ways, for example, some services are provided directly by Salford, whilst other are provided in partnership with local voluntary organisations or other services, such as the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). These support services include financial support packages, a regular news letter and an annual picnic. There is also a peer support scheme,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

support groups for adopters, as well as young and older adopted children. In addition, internal and external training is provided to adopters. Good working relationships between the adoption service and other Council services has resulted in adopters accessing a variety of specialist services to meet specific needs, for example, the care and education support team can provide additional educational support to a child. The service, in partnership with CAMHS, has also 6 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008 developed the Salford Adoptive Families Support Service (SAFSS). This is a specialist post adoption psychological and therapeutic social work service, which offers consultation and input to the preparation of children and adopters prior to placement. It is also able to provide early intervention and post adoption support for children identified as having, or likely to have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

significant emotional or behavioural difficulties. In addition, the adoption service is able to access the Cornerstone Project, which is run by a national voluntary agency and provides a therapeutic service to children, who have experienced sexual abuse. Consultation and support can also be offered to adoptive parents, who are caring for sexually abused children. This wide range of accessible and qualitative support services, together with good quality matching of children with adopters, contributes greatly to the promotion of stable and successful adoption placements. Salford has commissioned a voluntary agency, to provide a service to inter country adopters, which also includes the provision of support services. Adopters are made aware of the support services available at an early stage in their contact with the agency. Adoption support plans are generally of a good standard. Requests for support are responded to ‘promptly’

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and found to be ‘extremely helpful and supportive’. The majority of adopters confirmed that they had been informed of the support package available to them, however some adopters stated that initially there had been a lack of clarity regarding financial support. Adopters though were generally confident that should they require support from Salford in the future, it would be provided. The adoption service has access to a variety of specialist advisers, with written protocols in place regarding their roles. The range of specialist services available increases the likelihood of adopters receiving appropriate support at all stages of the adoption process. Staff indicated that the specialist advisers provided a good service and were a 'real asset' to the agency’s adoption services. A similar view was held by adopters, who had used their services. The agency‘s practice is service user focused. Those using the service are carefully listened to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and their wishes and feelings considered. The service fully consults and encourages service users to be involved in any decisions made, which affects their life. The agency also ensures that the welfare and safety of the service user and others affected by the adoption are carefully considered, before deciding any service should be provided. Any adoption service commissioned by the agency is supported by a written agreement, which is regularly reviewed. This ensures the service provided is of the required qualitative standard and able to meet the needs of the agency and its service users.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The adoption service recognises the importance of birth parents contributing to their children’s future and this is clearly reflected in their procedures and practice guidance. Birth parents are routinely invited to statutory review meetings regarding their child and are encouraged to attend and participate. Their views and wishes regarding their children's future are actively sought and this information is recorded in the CPR. The service also invites birth parents to contribute later life letters, so they can record their views for the child. In situations, where birth parents do not wish to engage in this process, the reasons for their decision are also recorded. This enables an adopted adult, who may wish to see their file in the future, a clearer understanding of their birth parents views regarding their adoption. Once a match has been agreed, there is an opportunity for the birth and adoptive parents to meet. This enables adopters

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to receive information from the birth parents, first hand and can provide them with a firm basis for future contact arrangements. These meetings are prepared for carefully, sensitively handled and generally well managed. Salford has a contract with a voluntary adoption agency to offer independent support and counselling to birth parents and families. Written information regarding 7 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008 this service is provided to birth parents and families at various stages of the adoption process, for example, when an adoption plan is being considered for their child, as well as at the matching and placement process. However, birth parents and their families are able to access this service at any time. Salford has a commitment to preparing a child for adoption and develop a coordinated approach to the production of life-story work. However, life story work is not

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Helping children make a positive contribution

carried out to a consistent standard; for whilst some work is completed to a good standard and in a timely way; in others, there is a delay in gathering information and completing the life story book. Contact arrangements are well recorded. Direct contact is usually managed by the adopters; however, Salford will provide adopters with support, where the arrangements are difficult or complex. Arrangements for indirect contact are managed through the letter box system. This is a robust system, which is managed in an effective and efficient manner. In addition to this, the agency provides a birth records counselling service. The experiences and learning derived from this work is used to inform the agency’s adoption practice. The agency has commissioned a voluntary adoption service to provide intermediary services. All commissioned services are underpinned by written agreements, which are carefully monitored

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to ensure the services are effective and provide value for money.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The adoption service is carries out its various tasks and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Its statement of purpose (SOP) is up-to-date and clearly details its aims, objectives and the services provided. This document is supported by a range of policies and procedures, which informs and underpins the operations and strategic direction of the agency. The service's two Children’s Guides can be produced in a variety of formats to meet children’s differing needs. They are attractively presented, written in a child friendly form and contain all the required information. Adopters are provided with clear, well written, comprehensive information about the adoption process, which is sent out in a timely way. The service's literature indicates that people who are interested in becoming adoptive parents will be welcomed without prejudice. This is clearly reflected in their practice, as shown in the diversity of their adopters. A system

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Organisation

is in place to prioritise the assessment of those prospective adopters, who are most likely to meet the needs of children waiting to be adopted and this is effectively communicated to adopters. The management of the adoption service is undertaken by people who are appropriately qualified and have the necessary background, knowledge and skills in adoption. They demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles, their responsibilities and are committed to the service. Staff speak highly of them and indicate that they provide effective leadership of the adoption service. There are a number of quality assurance systems in place to monitor the agency’s performance, though some improvements are required. The Council’s scrutiny committee is committed to the adoption of children as a positive choice for permanence, however it could be kept more fully informed, for example, by receiving six monthly written reports on the management and outcomes of the adoption service, which would enable the

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Organisation

service's progress to be effectively monitored. The agency’s staff are clear about their roles and lines of accountability. Communication is good. Staff have considerable knowledge, experience and skills in working with children and in particular, children being placed for adoption. The allocation of work is managed equitably. All staff receive regular qualitative, informal, and formal supervision and achieve good standards of work. The administrative support 8 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008 provided is of a good standard and staff are able to carry out their work in an effective and efficient manner. The adoption service, with the exception of post adoption work, has sufficient staff resources to undertake the range of work required. The service though has produced a development plan to address this, which has been fully supported by the Senior Management Team. Staff spoke positively of the range of training and professional development opportunities

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Organisation

provided them, which they state are of a good standard. There are appropriate policies and procedures in place for case recording. Case records are well organised and maintained. However, there is some inconsistency in supervisors' decisions being recorded on file. In addition, in some files the case records are not signed or dated by the author, manager and other relevant parties. Some case records also breach confidentiality as they contained names of other adopters, for example on some children's files. The agency’s current and archived records are stored in locked rooms, however, not all are kept in lockable cabinets. No risk assessments had been carried out in relation to these records to ensure they are stored in a manner to minimise the risk of damage from fire or flood. There is a clearly written policy and procedure in place for accessing records, which meet the legislative requirements and is strictly followed. The service ensures that separate

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Organisation

records are kept for staff, and any allegations or complaints that are made. The service regularly samples files and an audit tool is in place, however, this tool is not consistently used in files and requires improvement, for example, there was no indication of the remedial action taken, when necessary. Personnel and Panel Members' files are well ordered and securely stored. Staff recruitment practices are in the main robust, the system in place to verify written references by telephone though is not consistently managed. Panel members' files contain all the required information. The current adoption service premises are rather cramped and not fit for purpose. However, new premises have been obtained, which will be accessible and well resourced, for example, with good information technology equipment and communication systems, and meet the needs of the service more effectively.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve the quality of child permanence reports (NMS 5) • ensure that there is evidence of telephone verification of references (NMS 19) • ensure that life story work and the production of a life story book is carried out to a consistent standard and provided, in a timely way (NMS 8) • ensure the system to monitor the quality and adequacy of records is consistently applied and remedial action is taken, when necessary, for example,case records are signed and dated by the author and all supervision decisions recorded on file (NMS 25 and 27) 9 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008 • ensure the adoption service has a Disaster Recovery Plan, with all adoption records stored securely and in a manner to minimise the risk of damage from fire and floood (NMS 25 and

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Recommendations

29). 10 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• Ofsted considers the key standard to be inspected.

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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) • adopters 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 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) Ofsted considers 6 and 33 the key standards to be inspected.

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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) Ofsted considers 7, 8, 9 and 34 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

Ofsted considers none of the above to be key standards to be inspected.

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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) 11 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008

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Annex A

• 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) • 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)

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Annex A

• the adoption agency is financially viable (NMS 30 voluntary adoption agency only) • the adoption agency has robust financial processes (NMS 31) Ofsted considers 1, 3, 16, 21, 25 and 27 the key standards to be inspected. 12 of 12 Inspection Report: City of Salford Adoption Service, 6 May 2008

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