Setting

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Announced 17 th May 2005 09:00 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:

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SL1 3UQ

• 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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SL1 3UQ

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 Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 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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SL1 3UQ

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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SL1 3UQ

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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SL1 3UQ

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. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 4

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SERVICE INFORMATION

Name of service Slough Borough Council Adoption Service

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SERVICE INFORMATION

Address Town Hall, Bath Road, Slough, SL1 3UQ

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of places

N/A Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 5

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Brief Description of the Service:

Slough is a small unitary Borough Council operating its own adoption service to adults and children. The adoption service identifies children looked after by Slough Borough Council who would benefit from adoption. It achieves the placement of these children with appropriate prospective adoptive families within timescales appropriate to the needs of each child. The service prepares and assesses prospective adoptive applicants who are likely to meet the placement needs of children waiting for families both locally and nationally. Applicants are prioritised to ensure they have the potential to meet the parenting needs of children in the looked after system. Adoption support services provide counselling and support to any persons directly affected by adoption. Intercountry adoption services are provided via a service level agreement with Parents and Children Together (PACT). Slough Borough Council Adoption Service also have a service level agreement with the

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Brief Description of the Service:

Berkshire Adoption and Advisory Service to manage the adoption panel, recruit and train adoption panel members, and to provide specialist training on adoption issues for children's social workers, to provide specialist advice and assistance on complex adoption matters. The service provide specialist counselling for adults seeking access to birth records. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 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 undertaken by two inspectors over three days, plus an additional morning to observe the adoption panel (which took place two months after the inspection fieldwork). The inspection undertook an analysis of pre-inspection material - including questionnaires from three birth parents, five approved adopters, seven placing social workers and specialist advisers. Interviews were undertaken with key staff, managers and an elected member. A sample of children's and adopters case files were read and visits to adopters and a birth parent carried out. Also included was the inspection of the records of the agency and an analysis of administrative and resource matters, including premises, record keeping and security. Everyone involved in the inspection was helpful and courteous and the facilities and resources provided were of a good standard; this was appreciated. The preparation for the inspection by the agency was of a particularly high

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SUMMARY

standard and demonstrated managerial efficiency and commitment.

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What the service does well:

The adoption service in Slough operates within a well-organised and well- managed framework. The Statement of Purpose was detailed and this together with the recently reviewed policies and procedures underpinned the management of the agency.

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What the service does well:

The adoption service operated a robust permanent planning model to ensure that all children needing adoption are thoroughly tracked on a regular basis to prevent any drift in their plans and to ensure [plans are implemented in a timely manner. Communication between the childcare social workers and the adoption staff was good insuring a child focused approach to adoption issues.

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What the service does well:

The adoption service benefits from its membership with a local consortium which manage a significant number of matches for Slough children as well as for sharing the responsibility for training of staff and of adopters. Preparation and training of adopters was good and adopters reported that courses were "well-run, informative and helpful". Adopters reported that their assessments were carried out in a "sensitive and tactful" manner. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 7 The adoption panel was operated on Slough's behalf by Berkshire Adoption advisory service. The adoption panel was suitably constituted and satisfactorily managed. Decision-making was timely, and the efficient administration of the panel was of a high standard.

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What the service does well:

The manager and staff were well qualified and very experienced in adoption and family placement; it was evident that there was substantial knowledge and skill in the service and that staff work well together, respected one another and were committed and hard-working. The support systems, including supervision and training, were well structured and workers felt that they had encouragement and opportunity for knowledge and skill development. The approach to matching and placement of children was careful and considered. The council has a satisfactory staff recruitment procedure with all workers and managers being suitable to work in the adoption service; it was also apparent that it is a fair and competent employer.

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What the service does well:

Support systems for birth parents are provided by the Berkshire Adoption advisory service via service level agreement, and were found to be of a high standard. This is a proactive service providing support and counselling to birth parents which has had a direct impact on their involvement and contribution to their child’s heritage. Direct and indirect contact arrangements are also managed by BASS, who support birth parents to fulfil the agreed plans for contact.

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What the service does well:

The management of the case records for both children and adopters was good and the safety and security of records were sound.

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What they could do better:

The recruitment of adopters, whilst meeting the needs of children generally, is not particularly well focused especially in relation to children from ethnic Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 8 minority backgrounds. The managers are aware of this and are planning a more coherent and strategic approach to ensure more placement choice for children.

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What they could do better:

Child Protection Procedures need to include specific references to children placed for adoption. The agency need to provide specific training on child protection issues in relation to the discreet and subtle issues about children placed for adoption, in order to ensure adoption staff are adequately informed about how to protect them and keep them safe. Criminal Records Bureau Checks need to be carried out by the agency on all panel members and they need to ensure that these include Protection of Children Act checks in relation to adopter’s applications.

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What they could do better:

Ensuring regular feedback to the panel by attendees and applicants could further enhance the panel processes and procedures. The quality of interagency placements could be further enhanced by ensuring a more robust policy and procedure regarding the provision of; full information to adopters about children to be placed; the support to be provided to children and adopters; and the management of disruptions of placements.

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What they could do better:

Adopters have raised concerns regarding the provision of legal information that has been given by the agency. The agency need to review the quality and timeliness of legal advice provided to adopters.

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What they could do better:

The premises are cramped and inappropriate and the adoption agency need to ensure that it is suitable for purpose.

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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. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 9

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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 Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 10

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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)

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EVIDENCE:

Slough adoption service have a robust and efficient permanency tracking and permanency planning model to ensure that plans for children in the looked after system are not allowed to drift, and that parallel planning is carried out. Adoption social workers are allocated family finder responsibility for each child identified as requiring a parallel plan for adoption. Communication between children social workers and family finders is excellent.

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EVIDENCE:

Most placements are made out of the area to ensure the safety and confidentiality of both adopters and the children placed. The adoption service is a member of the Berkshire Adoption Agencies Consortium and there is a recognised agreement that approved adopters from the consortium will be considered as matches for Slough looked after children. Whilst there is some evidence of attempts to approach different ethnic and religious communities locally in order to interest them in both fostering and adoption, the adoption Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 11 service needs to consider other strategies to improve the recruitment of prospective adopters from different ethnic minority backgrounds. The service should also consider developing links with other local authorities that have a similar demography to their own to improve the availability of choice for

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EVIDENCE:

children from different ethnic minority backgrounds. The recruitment strategy needs to be more developed in order to meet the needs of all children and to provide more placement choice. Evidence was seen however, of sensitive matches being made taking into account ethnic and religious issues. Decisions to place siblings together or to separate them were taken very seriously, and more recently have involved a psychological assessment to support any professional decision-making.

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EVIDENCE:

Clear arrangements are in place to manage enquiries from prospective adopters via a family placement duty service and adopters reported that the response was “sensitive and swift” and the eligibility criteria “open and welcoming.”

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EVIDENCE:

Preparation and training of prospective adopters was shared out across the consortium members and adopters reported the course to be “well-run, informative and helpful,” in particular the input of birth parents was well received. Each individual preparation course is evaluated and reviewed regularly by the individual service provider who convened it. A more co- ordinated and coherent approach across the consortium would be helpful in determining the effectiveness of this preparation.

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EVIDENCE:

Evidence was seen of a good standard of assessments of prospective adopters, indicating an analytical and investigative approach and clearly outlining applicants’ competencies and abilities in parenting a child from a difficult background. However some placing social workers felt that "some issues should have been pursued and evaluated more thoroughly" and that the attachment experience of prospective adopters should be better analysed. The agency should consider these comments in order to further enhance the quality of their assessments. A new system has recently been introduced to provide another level of quality assurance for the agency via any professional adviser at BAAS and the service were confident that assessments had improved recently as a direct result of this facility. New systems to ensure the manager’s oversight of assessments have also recently improved their quality and consistency.

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EVIDENCE:

Adopters reported that they found the assessment process helpful, one adopter stated that their social worker was "skilled and sensitive, tactful and supportive" another adopter reported that they were impressed with the "quality and response of their social worker".

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EVIDENCE:

In one case a CRB check had not recorded a POCA outcome, as this had not been requested in the application. The managers need to check that this has Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 12 been completed prior to the panel meeting to ensure safety of all children placed and that this is included in the quality assurance checklists.

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EVIDENCE:

Berkshire Area Child Protection Procedures, which cover Slough ACPC, do not specifically referred to children placed for adoption. The adoption service must ensure that all staff have access to information that would enable them to contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection, regarding any concern about child welfare and safety. These issues are requirements of the local authority adoption regulations and need to be addressed.

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EVIDENCE:

Matching is an area, which the adoption service does well, via the monthly permanency planning meetings held on each child whose plan is adoption. The adopters have the opportunity to see the medical adviser to discuss the child's medical needs at an early stage in the process. However two sets of adopters raised concerns about the lack of information that was provided about the children to be placed, feeling that it had not addressed their specific needs and difficulties or the implications of this on caring for them. The agency must ensure that adopters are fully informed. Life Appreciation Days have been introduced and are now regularly used to ensure that adopters have the opportunity to meet professionals, previous carers and other individuals who have known the child and who are all able to give anecdotal information about the child that is not always available in written documentation. This helps adopters to understand the needs and

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EVIDENCE:

background of the child and understand the implications for them and their family. With a large percentage of placements being made by interagency arrangements, it is important for thorough understanding and communication between the relevant parties to ensure that all the information about children to be placed is obtained to ensure an appropriate match and a safe placement is made.

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EVIDENCE:

Adopters are encouraged to create a photograph album, storybook or video about themselves, their home and their family and pets, to assist in preparing the child to come and live with them. Slough adoption service share an Adoption Panel with two other members of the Berkshire Adoption consortium. The Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service undertakes the management and training of the panel, via a service level agreement. The observation of the panel indicated appropriate constitution and membership and a sound operation of the agency’s policies and procedures. The panel members showed a sound knowledge and understanding of the complexities of adoption work and were thorough in their scrutiny and in picking up the relevant concerns in the cases presented before them. The panel challenged a number of matters regarding the quality of the forms E and feedback was provided to the agency about this. The panel venue was excellent with suitable waiting facilities for attendees. All

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EVIDENCE:

observers to the adoption panel are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 13 Most adopters reported a positive experience of the panel, though one set of adopters felt that the panel was “too big” and had a sense of "being paraded" and another stated that it was "nerve-racking". Most social workers felt that the panel was "professional, focused and well-managed "; one social worker commented that panel members “were sensitive to the feelings of adopters”. It was generally felt that it would be helpful for adopters and social workers to have the opportunity to give feedback on their experience to the panel.

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EVIDENCE:

Checks of the personnel files showed the manager and staff to be appropriately qualified, that safe recruitment practices are used and quality training given. Child care social workers commented favourably about the adoption staff in terms of their knowledge, helpfulness and experience. Adoption social workers clearly valued the effective leadership and respected the experience and skills of the service manager in adoption issues. The adopters commented that staff were dedicated, hard-working, sensitive and approachable. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 14

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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

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 6 and 18.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service has a clear strategy for working with and supporting adopters. A booklet containing information for adopters following approval contains useful practical information and advice, including an adopters and children's book list, leaflets about the services provided by the Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service, and other local and national schemes providing support to adopters and their families.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service completes adoption support plans on all children placed for adoption and these are developed by the adoption support expert practitioner, in conjunction with the children's social worker and family finder, during permanency planning meetings.

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EVIDENCE:

The adopters link social worker provides support to the adoptive parents following approval, through the linking and matching process, during the introductions and after the placement. The adoption support expert practitioner contacts adopters prior to the adoption order being made to inform them about opportunities for support in the future. Referrals can be made to the adoption support worker prior to this if there are specific issues relating to the placement and specialist support is required.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service have a service level agreement with the BAAS, which was established to give support to the six local authorities within Berkshire. This service is very involved in post adoption issues, particularly the letterbox and direct contact services post adoption. They also provide training for adopters pre and post placement. Courses are run for family and friends of adoptive Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 15 families, so that those closest to them have a good understanding of adoption issues and can provide appropriate support. BAAS also provide information leaflets for teachers of adopted children, to assist them in helping children settle in to school. BAAS also provide information leaflets about meetings between adoptive parents and birth family members, prior to placement, and supports individuals taking part in these meetings.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service has well developed procedures for assessing the needs of the adopters and children for financial assistance. Inspectors noted however in one interagency placement that support for the children placed was lacking and that this had significant impact on the stability of the placement. It was evident that the adoption service had been proactive in seeking appropriate assistance and support from the placing agency, but more robust inter- agency guidelines would be helpful to ensure a more timely delivery of appropriate resources in such cases. This is particularly important as Slough adoption service is heavily dependent on inter-agency working practices. Therapeutic support was provided to children identified with specific attachment difficulties, through negotiation between the adoption service and the children's services managers. A number of different resources were used including the local CAMHS team, the LAC nurse and the recently employed LAC

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EVIDENCE:

worker as well as other spot purchased arrangements. These professionals may not have the necessary experience in adoption work and further work needs to be done in this area to ensure a comprehensive therapeutic service to children experiencing emotional and behavioural problems is provided.

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EVIDENCE:

When a child’s placement disrupts, an independent chair from the Berkshire Adoption of Advisory Service convenes a meeting to discuss the issues and to highlight lessons to be learned. Slough adoption service has been proactive in pulling together the themes and trends arising from any disruptions and using this as a learning tool for staff and panel members alike and informing the future practice. This has been more difficult for inter-agency placements. Slough adoption service has been unhappy with the outcome of one disruption meeting. It is therefore important that any guidelines for interagency placements include procedures to follow regarding the arrangement and management of disruption meetings.

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EVIDENCE:

There is specialist advice available through BAAF and BAAS, as well as access to the advocacy services through the Voice of the Child in Care, and PACT on intercountry adoption matters.

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EVIDENCE:

The medical adviser is a member of the panel. The legal adviser also attends panel and offers appropriate advice. The legal adviser also provides advice to the agency workers at any time and will provide written legal advice for the panel if requested. Two sets of adopters have raised concerns about the quality of the legal advice provided to them however, one adopter reported "there was inadequate information regarding the court process and the need Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 16 for a solicitor to represent us," another adopter reported an adjournment of the adoption order in court following the finding that "social workers had not dispensed birth parents consent", this was clearly a distressing and traumatic event at such a late stage in the process. Further work needs to be undertaken to review the quality and timeliness of legal advice being provided to the

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EVIDENCE:

agency and adopters. The written protocols for individual advisers is held within the adoption panel policies and procedures. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 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)

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 7,8 and 9.

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commitment to supporting birth families and are able to make a

positive contribution to the child's history and heritage.

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EVIDENCE:

Birth parents are invited to contribute, so far as is possible, to plans for their child’s future and their views are sought. One birth family member who was interviewed indicated that she was able to say, so far as is possible, "what sort of family" she would like the children to be placed with, and was able to meet with the adoptive family supported by a social worker. She was also able to contribute to the life story work and helped to provide a family tree to contribute to the maintenance of her child's heritage. Three questionnaires were received from birth parents, two that indicated that they had received a positive service from the adoption agency.

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EVIDENCE:

Birth parents are offered the opportunity to read the Form E and encouraged to comment on the relevant content. The arrangements in place with BAAS were well established and well managed in so far as enabling birth parents and relatives to have the opportunity to contribute to the overall picture of children’s heritage and background. The work of this organisation has also assisted child care social workers in better understanding the needs of birth families and has assisted them to work more closely with birth parents in preparing children's plans at an early stage. It was clear that children social workers valued the work of BAAS in this area. However in one case, a birth father had not been informed or consulted about the plans for his children, resulting in an adjournment of an adoption hearing and much distress for all concerned. Further quality assurance work is required to ensure that all birth

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EVIDENCE:

Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 18 parents have been consulted at every stage in the process to prevent this sort of incident occurring again.

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EVIDENCE:

The birth parents are offered the chance to meet their child’s adopters, encouraged to be involved in constructing life-story books and supported to maintain contact through the letterbox system – this may include visits by the letterbox coordinator to assist with letter writing and the taking of photographs. A large number of home visits were undertaken by staff from BAAS to birth families. Staff were proactive in contacting birth families to ensure they received the counselling, advice and support that was available to them. BAAS also provide assistance, advice and support to social work staff, in the management of face-to-face contact. BAAS provides a range of support services for birth parents, including a birth mothers’ support group (run on its behalf by Slough Borough Council) and agency social workers ensure that when plans are made to adopt a child the birth parents are provided with necessary information. The BAAS has produced a range of leaflets that provide

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EVIDENCE:

information on support networks. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 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 standard(s)

1,3,14,16,17,20,21,22,23,25,26,27,28,29.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service has a comprehensive Statement of Purpose which clearly set out the activities and functions of the service. Some additions need to be Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 20 made to acknowledge all systems that are in place to monitor the activities of the adoption service. Whilst members of staff were fully acquainted with the Statement of Purpose, birth parents, prospective adoptive families, and adopted persons had not been made aware of the availability of such a document. A summary of the Statement of Purpose should be made available on the adoption services web site indicating that a full copy of this document is available on request.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service was using the British Association Of Adoption and Fostering Children’s Guide. This booklet was suitable for children and young people over the age of eight years old. They were also using the Children's Guide produced by Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service, which was more suitable for children aged five or six years old. Neither of these two booklets however contained a summary of Slough’s adoption service Statement of Purpose, a complaints procedure, local information on advocacy services or the address and telephone number of the Commission for Social Care Inspection .The agency need to consider ways in which young children receive this information. The adoption service has also produced their own adoption policy and procedures document, which is well written detailed and accessible for all staff. The information pack provided to prospective adopters is well written, and provides clear information on the needs of children available locally,

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EVIDENCE:

emphasising the difficulties they may have experienced in the past. It also provides an inclusive eligibility criteria. There is useful information on the process of preparation and assessment, approval and support. A number of adopters however reported that they had not received a complaints leaflet and did not know how to complain. The agency needs to ensure that a complaints leaflet is included in the documentation that is sent out to prospective and approved adopters.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service is able to prioritise prospective adopters who will most likely meet the needs of children waiting for adoptive parents. Information is provided about children who need families locally and nationally by the consortium's list of waiting children which is updated monthly and the children profiled in the British Association of Adoption and Fostering’s “Be My Parent “monthly newspaper and Adoption UK's “Children Waiting”.

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EVIDENCE:

The team manager of the service was knowledgeable, experienced and skilled and was well supported by her practice manager. The practice manager has recently moved to the adoption service from children's services, and has complemented the experience of the adoption team manager. She provides a good link with the children's services staff via her role as the chairperson of the monthly permanency planning meetings held on each child. Staff of both the Adoption team and the children's services teams reported that they respected and valued the leadership and direction provided by the managers in the adoption service. One social worker stated that she had "a lot of respect for" the manager, and that she was "helpful and enthusiastic for the service", Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 21 another stated that she was “very structured” in her management of the

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EVIDENCE:

agency. One adopter stated that the manager was "brilliant, what a woman!" Another adopter stated that the assistant manager was "very supportive". All staff reported that senior managers are accessible and approachable throughout the organisation. There were a number of very positive comments made by adopters about individual social workers and their practice.

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EVIDENCE:

There was evidence that a number of new tracking, auditing and monitoring tools were having an impact on the quality of work being achieved and these new processes must ensure that all appropriate checks, consents and references have been obtained at appropriate times to avoid delay and disappointment by adopters waiting to be approved or by children waiting to be adopted.

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EVIDENCE:

Slough Borough Council has a number of procedures in place for monitoring and controlling the activities of the adoption service. Adoption issues have been appropriately discussed at Cabinet meetings, and at the Young People and Community Scrutiny Sub Committees. Slough Borough Council are presently introducing a separate Corporate Parenting Panel whose membership will include the councillor who sits on the adoption panel. It is anticipated that adoption matters will be scrutinised in future at this forum.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption service has developed its own annual service action plan, which identifies any shortfalls in the service and allocates tasks and timescales to staff members to address these. The progress of the action plan is discussed at team meetings and individual supervision sessions. The adoption service also produces adoption statistics, which are incorporated into the management information report of the family placement service.

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EVIDENCE:

There are presently sufficient staff working within the adoption service who have appropriate skills and qualifications. One member of staff felt that the make-up of the team did not reflect the ethnic makeup of the community they were serving, and managers need to consider how this factor may impact on its service delivery. The Adoption team is small and any staff vacancies and sickness have a significant impact on the service provided. Two adopters reported delays in the adoption process in particular, waiting for a social worker to be allocated to undertake a home study and another a delay between the completion of the home study and the panel meeting. Contingency plans are in place however to ensure that any vacancies are filled immediately. Written recruitment and selection procedures are in place for all staff and the team manager has recently attended a "Safe Recruitment" training course.

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EVIDENCE:

Panel members files did not all comply with the regulations and in some cases CRB checks had been transferred/photocopied from other employers. CRB checks are not portable and Slough Borough Council must ensure that it Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 22 undertakes its own CRB checks on each panel member before they commence their duties as panel members.

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EVIDENCE:

Three members of the Adoption team have the PQ award level 2 in childcare and another 2 hold PQ award level 1. Adoption staff report that the training opportunities are generous but a number of them reported it had been some time since they had last had any child protection training that was specific to adoption issues and this needs to be addressed to ensure to ensure staff are trained and children are thoroughly protected.

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EVIDENCE:

All staff involved in providing birth records counselling under section 51 of the 1976 Act are provided with training offered by the Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service.

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EVIDENCE:

Child care social workers are also provided with training via the Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service, which runs a rolling programme in permanency planning. This training is further enhanced and supported by the “adoption agency procedures” which provide clear guidance for staff in the adoption work. Children's social work staff reported that the training was invaluable and had improved their understanding of adoption issues and enhanced their practice in this area. Staff are supervised regularly and there is an annual staff appraisal system. Whilst all staff reported that they had a clear job description, inspectors saw on their human resources files a generic job description and were therefore unable to evidence that this was specific to their role in the adoption service. It is suggested that current job descriptions are reviewed to ensure that all staff have an up-to-date job description, which incorporates their duties and

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EVIDENCE:

responsibilities in relation to their adoption work.

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EVIDENCE:

Staff reported that Slough Borough Council were a good employer and felt the working policies were flexible. The present organisation and structure met the needs of the adoption service; staff were happy with their employer and reported that there was good communication throughout the organisation.

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EVIDENCE:

The adoption agency archived records are maintained and managed by BAAS and kept in a place of special security, which minimises the risk of damage from fire and water. Retrieval policies and procedures for these records for the purposes of the adoption agency are robust and efficient.

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EVIDENCE:

Case records for both children and adopters were currently being reorganised, and colour coded. There was evidence in the files of audits being carried out and remedial action being taken. Case recording was clear and any decisions by supervisors were clearly recorded on the file.

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EVIDENCE:

The premises were rather cramped and raised concerns about privacy/confidentiality issues in relation to the number of team managers Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 23 having to share the same office space. There were also difficulties for social workers in finding appropriate venues to interview birth parents or adopters who attended the office. Administrative staff also raised concerns about the lack of equipment available for the number of staff in the team. It is recommended that Slough Borough Council review the arrangements of office space for staff, to ensure that it is suitable for the purposes of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose as required by the Regulations. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 24

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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 3 9 4

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

STAYING SAFE ACHIEVING ECONOMIC WELLBEING Standard No Score Standard No Score 2 2 No NMS are mapped to this outcome 4 2 5 3 MANAGEMENT 10 3 Standard No Score 11 3 1 2 12 3 3 3 13 3 14 4 15 4 16 4 19 2 17 3 24 N/A 20 3 21 3 ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING 22 3 Standard No Score 23 3 6 3 25 3 18 2 26 3 27 3 28 2 29 2 30 N/A 31 N/A Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 25 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. 2 Local Authority Adoption Agency Regulation s. 2003 Regulation The adoption service must ensure that its child protection policies and procedures that specifically refer to the measures intended to safeguard from abuse or neglect, children placed for adoption by the authority. They shall include arrangements to be made for persons working for the adoption service, prospective adopters and children who have been placed for adoption by the authority, to have access to information that will enable them to contact the commission, regarding any concern about child welfare and safety. 31 st October

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

2. 4 Local Authority Adoption Agency Regulation s 2003 Regulation The adoption service must ensure that the CRB checks carried out on all prospective adoptive applicants include information about the POCA list. immediate

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

3. 1 Local Authority Adoption The adoption service must ensure that the children's guide contains a summary of the 31 st October Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 26 Agency Regulation s 2003 Regulation 3(1) Schedule Statement of Purpose, the complaints procedures, the address and telephone number of the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the name, address and telephone number of the Children's Rights Director. 4. 28 Local Authority Adoption Agency Regulation s 2003. Regulation The adoption service must ensure that it undertakes its own CRB checks on panel members. 31 st October

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

5. 29 Local Authority Adoption Agency Regulation s 2003. Regulation The adoption service must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the adoption service are suitable for the purposes of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose. 31 st January

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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. 4.4 The adoption service should develop a more cohesive and coherent system for evaluating effectiveness of preparation courses for prospective adopters. 2. 6.7 The adoption service should develop interagency working policy guidelines to ensure timely co-operation and provision of information and support to adopters and to the children placed. These policy guidelines should also specify information on the management and agreement of the agencies involved, regarding placement disruptions. 3. 18.1 The adoption service should develop a comprehensive therapeutic service to children with emotional and behavioural difficulties who are to be placed or have been placed for adoption and to their adoptive families. 4. 7 The adoption service should develop their quality assurance systems to ensure that all birth parents are Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 27

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RECOMMENDATIONS

informed and consulted at every stage in the adoption process. 5. 18 The adoption service should review the arrangements for providing legal advice to adopters, adoption social workers and child care social workers to ensure all parties are receiving sound and appropriate advice in a timely manner. 6. 10 The adoption agency should ensure that prospective adoptive applicants, childcare social workers and adoption social workers were given the opportunity to feedback on their experience of the panel meeting. 7. 1 The adoption agency should ensure that a summary of the Statement of Purpose is made available on the adoption services web site indicating that a full copy of this document is available on request. 8. 3 The adoption agency should ensure that the complaints leaflet is given to each prospective and approved adopter together with information about the agency and services it provides. 9. 19 and 23 The adoption agency should ensure that all staff have

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RECOMMENDATIONS

undertaken child protection training that is specific to the needs of children placed for adoption. 10. 20 The adoption agency should ensure that all staff are provided with an up-to-date job description, which incorporates their duties and responsibilities in relation to their adoption work. Slough Borough Council F57 F00 S56811 Slough V230152 170505 Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 28

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

th Floor, West Point 501 Chester Road Old Trafford Manchester, M16 9HU

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

National Enquiry Line: 0845 015 0120 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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