North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service

North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service Inspection report for la adoption agency

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SC057231 Unique reference number 22 October 2008 Inspection date Sean White / Dennis Bradley Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Viking House Address 51 Church Street Grimsby DN32 7DD 01472 325555 Telephone number

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Email

North East Lincolnshire Council Registered person Sheila Ingram Registered manager

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Responsible individual

11 October 2005 Date of last inspection .

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Responsible individual

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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Responsible individual

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 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 2008

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Brief description of the service

The agency provides, or makes arrangements for, all statutory adoption services required under current legislation. It recruits, prepares and assesses people who apply to be adoptive parents and makes arrangements for children to be placed with approved adopters. Due to the small size and population of the authority children are, in the main, placed with adopters approved by other agencies. The service also provides, or makes arrangements for, support to people affected by adoption; this includes birth parents, adopted adults and families facing challenges.

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Summary

This is an agency that demonstrates a very high level of competence in practice, a very well considered operational and strategic approach to delivery of services and a very strong commitment to children and their welfare. This is driven by outstanding energy and managerial integrity by workers who have considerable skill and expertise in adoption work and children's social care. The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The agency has improved upon all the issues raised following the last inspection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. This is an agency with considerable commitment to meeting children's needs through adoption. Its conscientious, innovative and highly skilled approach is one that focuses on children as the driving force of its responsibilities, and all systems and operations are informed and motivated by this principle. The matching process is driven by a commitment to placing children with the most appropriate families. In order to achieve this the agency works to a particularly high standard in many areas, and employs a range of initiatives to achieve the best possible practice and, thereby, outcomes. A significant aspect of the agency's success is in respect of the importance it places on undertaking direct work with children. This boosts the matching process considerably; there is a much clearer focus on the needs of children and, consequently, greater potential for successful placements. Report writing is of a particularly high standard, which

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

provides potential families – and the adoption panel – with all relevant and necessary information that is clear and well written. Adopters are recruited, prepared and assessed in a thorough and well managed way. The processes from enquiry to approval are well considered, efficient and undertaken with professionalism, skill and sensitivity. The agency demonstrates significant commitment to approving only those people who are suitable to offer homes for children placed for adoption and the systems in place to achieve this are of a very high standard. The adoption panel, which is appropriately constituted and governed by up to date policies and procedures, undertakes its duties with commitment and thoughtful consideration. It provides for further rigour in the adoption process and complements the work of the agency through careful scrutiny and quality monitoring of the work presented to it. The panel is well managed, efficiently

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

4 of 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 2008 administered and decisions are made in a timely way. The overall operations of the adoption panel are of a high standard. The managers and staff of the agency are highly motivated, skilled and knowledgeable. The energy and commitment of everyone involved in the agency is very impressive and results in a dynamic and conscientious service that is unrelenting in its drive for excellence and improvement. The manager is qualified and widely experienced in adoption work; senior staff and workers are similarly qualified but also have a much higher than average post-qualifying ratio. Recruitment and selection practices are very thorough with appropriate systems in place to ensure only the most suitable and qualified staff are employed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The agency's approach to support services is very strong, and in many areas impressively so. As in other areas of the service's work, the commitment to children's wellbeing is the driving force of its operations, and it undertakes its responsibilities to support with verve and innovative practices. The continuing thread of this agency's work and practice is underpinned, in all operations, by the sheer determination to provide children affected by adoption with the best possible services. Listening to children and young people, and acting upon what they say, is a cornerstone of much of the support provided and precipitates a service and event of enormous importance for adopted young people. In addition to the work and innovative practices of the adoption service workers, there are other support mechanisms in place and services that can be accessed. The psychological services that are available bring a very strong extra dimension

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to supporting adoptive placements and showed a much broader support infrastructure than is usually the case. There is also first class medical and legal advice to the agency and the adoption panel that ensures all relevant facts are available in all cases, particularly those with a complex dimension.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. There is a clear commitment to having an inclusive and holistic approach to adoption in this agency. This is well demonstrated in the way that it places significant importance on providing high quality services for all people that have been affected by adoption, including birth families. Birth parents are encouraged to be as involved as possible throughout the planning for their children's futures and to express their views, wishes and feelings. There have been considerable efforts made to ensure that birth parents, and other birth family members, have access to good quality support. This development of close and purposeful relationships has the added benefit of a collective commitment to the gathering of information for life-story work and adoption preparation. Direct work with children and preparing them for their move into adoption placements is pursued as an essential aspect of adoption work and there is significant

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Helping children make a positive contribution

commitment and effort put into this. In addition, the development of life-story work and the importance that the agency places on children making sense of their circumstances and backgrounds is also vigorously pursued. The quality and preparation of life-story work is of a very high standard and is undertaken with great commitment and skill; all life-story work is duplicated to insure against material being lost or destroyed.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is not judged. 5 of 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 2008

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The preparation for this inspection was very efficient and of a very high standard, which demonstrates a commitment and ability to organise and manage well. The framework within which the agency operates is governed and informed by a very good Statement of Purpose and up to date policies, procedures and protocols. The three children's guides, which have been produced by the agency, are child-friendly, interactive and provide very good information for younger and older children, and those receiving adoption support. Similarly, the information pack for prospective adopters and enquirers is very well presented and provides all the necessary information for people to understand adoption in the wider sense and the agency's approach in particular. All documentation, policies and procedures are written with the welfare of children being the paramount consideration. The management of the service, at both strategic and

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Organisation

operational levels, is very impressive. There is a very clear understanding of how adoption fits into the overall context of children's social care and the systems in place to manage this demonstrate clear thinking and insight. Operationally the service is driven and managed with incredible energy and commitment. Workload management and support for staff is well organised and is undertaken with a clear understanding of how responsibilities are allocated and priorities set. Training and development are high on the agency's agenda and workers have access to a wide range of opportunities to improve skills, understanding and knowledge. There is a higher than average number of workers with post-qualifying awards. Managers have an excellent balance of strategic thinking and operational quality; they are held in high esteem across children's services. Senior managers and the executive are kept fully informed of the agency's

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Organisation

work and provide a solid and generous support framework for the agency. The organisational and administrative structures of the agency are efficient, well balanced and effectively undertaken. Realistic and well produced procedures and protocols provide a strong underpinning for a well managed and administered service within which everybody is clear about roles, responsibilities and lines of communication. Case recording is very thorough, reflects accurately the work that has been undertaken and provides for ease of monitoring and case tracking. Supervision records clearly show the oversight of managers and auditing of content is routine and well recorded. Case record management is very efficient and demonstrates a clear approach to operational effectiveness. Personnel records and those in respect of adoption panel members are maintained to a high standard and included more than the required information. The agency

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Organisation

operates from well equipped premises that are located in an easy to access part of the town.

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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): 6 of 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 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) 7 of 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 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. 8 of 8 Inspection Report: North East Lincolnshire Council Adoption Service, 22 October 2008

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