Setting

Service

Social Services Directorate East Cliff County Office PO Box 162 Preston Lancs PR1 3EA

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Service

22nd February 2005 Local Authority Adoption Services

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

Launched in April 2004, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is the single inspectorate for social care in England.

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

The Commission combines the work formerly done by the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI), the SSI/Audit Commission Joint Review Team and the National Care Standards Commission.

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The role of CSCI is to:

• Promote improvement in social care • Inspect all social care - for adults and children - in the public, private and voluntary sectors • Publish annual reports to Parliament on the performance of social care and on the state of the social care market • Inspect and assess ‘Value for Money’ of council social services • Hold performance statistics on social care • Publish the ‘star ratings’ for council social services • Register and inspect services against national standards • Host the Children’s Rights Director role.

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Inspection Methods & Findings

SECTION B of this report summarises key findings and evidence from this inspection. The following 4-point scale is used to indicate the extent to which standards have been met or not met by placing the assessed level alongside the phrase "Standard met?"

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The 4-point scale ranges from:

4 - Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 - Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 - Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 - Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls) 'O' or blank in the 'Standard met?' box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion. '9' in the 'Standard met?' box denotes standard not applicable. 'X' is used where a percentage value or numerical value is not applicable. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 1

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Name of Local Authority

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service

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Headquarters Address

Social Services Directorate, East Cliff County Office, PO Box 162, Preston, Lancs, PR1 3EA

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Address

Social Services Directorate, East Cliff County Office, PO Box 162, Preston, Lancs, PR1 3EA

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service

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 2 Date of Inspection Visit 22nd February 2005 ID Code

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inspections and bring a different

perspective to the inspection process. Name of Specialist (e.g.

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Interpreter/Signer) (if applicable)

Nazya Khalid, Lancashire Translation Service.

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the time of inspection

Diane Vincent, Viv Wojciechowski and Andrew MacDonald Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 3

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D.3. Provider’s agreement

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 4

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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION

Local authority adoption services are subject to inspection by CSCI, to establish if the service is meeting the National Minimum Standards for Local Authority Adoption Services and the requirements of the Care Standards Act 2000, the Adoption Act 1976 as amended, the Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983 as amended and the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003.

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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION

This document summarises the inspection findings of the CSCI in respect of Lancashire County Council Adoption Service. The inspection findings relate to the National Minimum Standards for Local Authority Adoption Services published by the Secretary of State under sections 49 of the Care Standards Act 2000.

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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION

The Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983 and the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003 are secondary legislation, with which a service provider must comply. Service providers are expected to comply fully with the National Minimum Standards. The National Minimum standards will form the basis for judgements by the CSCI regarding notices to the local authority and reports to the Secretary of State under section 47 of the Care Standards Act 2000.

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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION

The report follows the format of the National Minimum Standards and the numbering shown in the report corresponds to that of the standards.

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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION

The report will show the following: • Inspection methods used • Key findings and evidence • Overall ratings in relation to the standards • Compliance with the Regulations • Notifications to the Local Authority and Reports to the Secretary of State • Required actions on the part of the provider • Recommended good practice • Summary of the findings • Report of the Lay Assessor (where relevant) • Providers response and proposed action plan to address findings

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INSPECTION VISITS

Inspections will be undertaken in line with the regulatory framework with additional visits as required. This is in accordance with the provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000. The inspection methods used in the production of this report are set out in Part B. Pre- inspection information, and the manager’s written self-evaluation of the service, have also been taken into account. The report represents the inspector's findings from the evidence found at the specified inspection dates. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICES PROVIDED.

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INSPECTION VISITS

This was the first time that Lancashire County Council’s Adoption Service had been inspected against Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and National Minimum Standards. Lancashire County Council is an Adoption Agency offering a full range of services for children and families, birth parents and extended families and adopters. The adoption service is delivered by the Family Support and Permanence Teams in the Fieldwork Service and Family Placement Permanence Teams. The adoption service is provided in four locations across the county: • East Lancashire, including Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale • South Lancashire Including West Lancashire, Chorley and South Ribble • North-West Lancashire including Preston, Fylde and Wyre. • Morecambe Bay, including Lancaster and Morecambe The four locations receive operational and strategic support from Team Leaders, and Team Managers. The Head of Fieldwork and the Fostering and Adoption County Manager support

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INSPECTION VISITS

the four localities centrally from the Social Services Headquarters in Preston. The Head of Children’s Social Care has overall responsibility for the adoption service in Lancashire and is accountable to the Head of Children’s Services. At the time of the inspection Lancashire County Council had two Adoption Panels, one in Preston and one in Accrington. The service had recently appointed an Independent Chairperson to chair both panels. A Panel Adviser supported the functioning of both of the Adoption Panels from the Preston headquarters. The Agency Decision Maker was the Quality and Review Manager. Andrew MacDonald, Principal Officer Children and Families, facilitated the inspection. The Adoption Inspection took place over four days and involved analysis of information provided by the agency, group discussions and individual interviews with members of staff from the Permanence Fieldwork and Family Placement Teams.

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INSPECTION VISITS

The inspection team of four had the opportunity of visiting each of the four areas in Lancashire, and of meeting prospective and approved adopters who had accessed a service from each of these areas. Questionnaires were sent out by the agency on CSCI’s behalf to elicit the views of an additional group of prospective and approved adopters on the service they had received over the past twelve months. The inspection team acknowledges the time and effort taken in organising the inspection and commend all the staff in Lancashire for assisting the inspection team with their task. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 6

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INSPECTOR’S SUMMARY

(This is an overview of the inspector’s findings, which includes good practice, quality issues, areas to be addressed or developed and any other concerns.) The following standards offer a combined view of Lancashire’s Adoption Service at the time of the inspection. The overview of the service described in the following report may therefore not do justice to some of the good child focused practice that the inspection team found in some areas and in the Lancaster and Morecambe Bay area in particular, where the Team Manager, Team Leaders and social work staff were more able to evidence their knowledge and understanding of National Minimum Standards, Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and National Adoption Standards. The inspection team consider that there was substantial evidence that ineffective systems, processes and ineffectual strategic management in the adoption service undermined the effort of front line staff to prioritise

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INSPECTOR’S SUMMARY

children and support adopters. The inspection team acknowledges that the adoption service in Lancashire had been developing over the past few years. The service had implemented a permanence strategy to reduce the numbers of children waiting in foster care or in friends and family placements and this included improvements in the residence order allowance scheme. There had been a large increase in the numbers of children placed for adoption and a smaller but significant increase in the numbers of prospective adopters who have been approved by the service.

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INSPECTOR’S SUMMARY

The increase in activity had contributed to enhanced performance indicators but had also, in the view of the inspection team, placed additional stresses on an adoption service that had not been structured and, in some areas of the county, resourced to respond. Evidence for these findings was found in the large number of children waiting for an adoption placement and the failure of the service to develop robust quality assurance systems across the county to monitor the progress of children’s care plans and adopters assessments. The Senior Managers of the service had acknowledged some of these issues and had commissioned a Family Placement Review to look at more efficient and effective ways of delivering a permanence strategy across Lancashire in 2003-2004. Extensive consultation had been undertaken and proposals had been put forward. The implementation of the review and restructuring had not taken place. This uncertainty had

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INSPECTOR’S SUMMARY

caused frustration and anxiety for some staff in the service. The inspection team will require that as part of Lancashire’s action plan that the restructuring proposals are implemented during the Autumn of 2005. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 7 The inspection team found evidence of delay in the progression of children’s care plans which had been exacerbated by the absence of Lancashire’s medical advisor. At the time of the inspection the service had not been able to access medical advice for four months and was just in the process of implementing contingency plans to ensure children’s Forms E and adopters Forms F were considered. The impact of the lack of medical advice was far reaching and touches upon a number of the standards in the following report. Despite the concern expressed in this report about the standards in the adoption service in Lancashire the inspection team has some confidence that the Senior Managers of the

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INSPECTOR’S SUMMARY

service acknowledge the scale of the problems and are committed to delivering the action plan and service improvement within the required timescales.

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Statement of Purpose 1

One standard was assessed. This standard was assessed as not met.

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Statement of Purpose 1

Lancashire County Council have developed and reviewed a Statement of Purpose for the Adoption service. During the inspection we found evidence that placing social workers were familiar with the Statement of Purpose and found, in the main, it to be helpful. The Executive of the council must review the Statement of Purpose annually. At the time of the inspection the review had just taken place. The service must ensure that the Statement of Purpose reflects the service provided and should ensure that the Executive Member has an opportunity to scrutinise the document on an annual basis. Further comments concerning the development of the Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide can be found in the main body of the report.

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

One standard was assessed. This standard was assessed as not being met.

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

The inspection team found substantial evidence throughout the inspection of a staff group in the Permanence Fieldwork and Family Placement Teams that were working extremely hard to provide an adoption service for children and families in Lancashire. However the inspection also found overwhelming evidence that despite the impressive increase in numbers of children placed for adoption that activity was not as efficient, effective and equitable as it must be to deliver good outcomes for children. The inspection found evidence of unnecessary delay in the progression of some children’s care plans. Difficulties in accessing medical advice had undoubtedly contributed to this. The service had made considerable effort to replace the adoption services’ medical advisor, who was on a long-term absence at the time of the inspection. The activity with the county’s health trusts in trying to secure an appropriate replacement

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

had not achieved any positive outcome at the time of the inspection. It is a challenge for the range of services for children in Lancashire to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children in the county receive a service, which will enable them to be healthy and safe under the Every Child Matters integrated service framework. The need to develop and then implement an enhanced medical advice service must form one of the most urgent aspects of Lancashire’s action plan. The inspection did find evidence of some good child-focused practice in certain areas but many staff in the Fieldwork Permanence Teams reported pressure of time and high numbers of complex twin tracking caseloads. They stressed that this made it difficult for them to do the standard of work that they wanted to do. The inspection found the monitoring and quality assurance of the adoption service was not as developed as it must be to deliver good outcomes for children who have a plan for

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

adoption. Some case files clearly evidenced the supervision and support that the social Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 8 worker had received in managing twin tracking cases. Other children’s case files provided little or no evidence of adequate management oversight. Lancashire must develop the quality assurance of the adoption service to ensure consistency in standards of practice across the county. The inspection found that the adoption service, including Fieldwork Permanence and Family Placement Permanence Managers and Team Leaders would benefit from the opportunity to refresh their skills in supervising social workers completing Forms E.

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

Some training had been delivered to social work staff about the preparation of the Forms E. Social workers were positive about the training provided but recognised that this was an area in which they needed to build upon their existing assessment skills. The inspection team found some evidence of the involvement of birth parents in the adoption planning for their children. For example a social worker had spent time looking for the type of family that the birth mother of a relinquished baby had said she wanted for her child.

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Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare 2

Other evidence from case tracking and observation of panel would suggest that the service should work harder at engaging birth parents and birth families in the adoption process.

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

three were nearly met and one was not met.

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

Lancashire County Council’s Adoption Information pack does specify that people who are interested in becoming adopters will be welcomed without prejudice. A number of adopters commented on their positive first contact with the service when they had made their first enquiry. One adopter said they had been impressed by the helpfulness of the service, another commented that they had felt reassured by the social worker when they had made their first enquiry. The inspection team consider that the information pack provided to prospective adopters should be updated and enhanced to provide clearer information about the adoption process in Lancashire. A number of adopters expressed the view that “the literature was very brief and not very clear.” The review and update of Lancashire’s information pack should consider recent changes in legislation and should also refer to the timescales laid out by the National Adoption

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

Standards. Proposals had been put before the Quality Protects Panel in January 2003 regarding the need to prioritise prospective adopters’ applications in accordance with the needs of children waiting. There was little evidence at the time of the inspection that these proposals had been developed into a coherent county -wide policy, which had been implemented in practice across the service. The need to implement the “priority wheel policy” across the county should be part of the service’s action plan. The inspection team did find evidence that the service had organised a County Support Meeting in June 2004 to invite approved adopters waiting for a placement to find out more about the types of children waiting. The County Manager recognised that more of these events would need to take place to reduce the numbers of children waiting. Adopters undergo 2 day preparation training. A number of adopters were very positive about

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

the training they attended. The inspection team found evidence that adopters’ preparation groups in some parts of the county could be very large. The inspection team noted that staff within the service had been responsible for developing some of the course materials for the training. The inspection team were very impressed by some of the individual contributions made by staff members involved in developing the Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 9 course. This was borne out by comments from adopters; “It was a good, informative 2 day training course, very thought provoking and helpful.” The inspection team recommends that Lancashire should review the effectiveness of preparation training across the county to develop a strategy which may allow for smaller groups, and more regular preparation training being available for foster carers and for black and ethnic minority prospective adopters.

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

The inspection team requires that Lancashire must ensure that all checks on prospective and approved adopters should take place in accordance with their own safeguarding policies and procedures. Further to this the service should also develop consistent standards concerning personal references and should ensure that social workers comment on the weight that personal referees should be given in the Form F assessment. There was evidence that the information provided to adopters about the child was not always clear, but that practice concerning the matching, introduction and placement process was reported to be good. Further comments about the matching process can be found in the main body of the report. Lancashire had developed a policy and procedure concerning the Adoption Register and ensured that adopters were informed about this. The inspection found evidence that the service should develop their own support services for

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

approved adopters waiting for a placement and should consider developing additional support services for adopters with a placement. These support services could compliment those offered by After Adoption, the agency that Lancashire commissions to offer post adoption support.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. All three standards were

The inspection team found evidence from discussions with fieldwork and family placement permanence staff and from files that the life-long implications of adoption are understood. Unfortunately the efforts of individual social workers to engage with birth parents and families were not evidenced routinely on the Forms E. The inspection team recommends that the service should encourage the birth parents to read and sign the Form E or should provide details of when they were told about the contents of the Form E and any refusal to sign. This information should be included on the Forms E and should be available for panel to scrutinise. Staff confirmed that birth parents are told about After Adoption’s independent social work support services, but the inspection team considers that more should be done to ensure that this service is actively promoted. The Post Adoption Letterbox system would benefit from being reviewed. The service is run

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. All three standards were

and overseen by administrative staff who despite all of their best efforts may not appreciate the sensitivity of some of the information they are forwarding to children, adopters and birth families. The inspection team recommends that the Letterbox system should have some social work oversight in addition to the current administrative support. The inspection found evidence that although social workers appreciated the significance of Life Story work with a child or children that for many other workload pressures made it difficult for them to prioritise this important work. The need to offer caseload weighting to those undertaking Life Story work should form part of the service’s action plan. The service may also benefit from taking a whole systems approach to the issue of Life Story work and encouraging the involvement of the Initial Assessment, Family Support and Permanence teams in collecting and collating information from Birth Families.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. All three standards were

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 10 The inspection found that there were examples of sensitive and child focused letters for later life on the child’s adoption file. Lancashire has put in place services to meet the needs of birth parents and birth families. These services fall short of a clear strategy and the inspection team recommends that a strategy should be developed to ensure that the uptake of support from After Adoption is increased, and that all birth parents and birth families are given the opportunity to access independent support and advice. The inspectors recommend that the strategy for working with birth parents and their families should include how Lancashire will develop and implement their own standards of practice of working with birth families across the service. The strategy could also outline the role of other agencies in the County in providing ongoing support to birth parents and birth families both before and after adoption.

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All four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. All four standards were

The service had acknowledged the need to enhance the role of the Adoption Panels in Lancashire and had just appointed an Independent Chairperson with a great deal of experience, knowledge and expertise in the field of adoption. The Independent Chairperson chaired their first Adoption Panel in Lancashire at the time of the inspection. The impact of their appointment could not be properly assessed during the inspection, which identified a number of concerns about the functioning of the Adoption Panel and the Agency Decision Making process. The need to increase the number of panels and to enhance the quality assurance role of the Adoption Panel and the Agency Decision Maker should form a key part of Lancashire’s action plan.

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Both standards were assessed as part of this inspection. One standard was assessed

The County Manager has the necessary qualifications and experience to conduct an adoption service. Some Team Managers are also well -qualified and experienced in adoption work. The inspection team could not find evidence to support the view that the strategic management of the service was efficient and effective. This is despite the hard work and activity, which was evident throughout the inspection. The inspection team were concerned that practice could be so variable across the county. In one area staff, Team Leaders and the Team Manager were mindful of the need to evidence their quality assurance of children’s assessments and plans and adopters’ assessments. In other areas this did not take place consistently. The inspection team acknowledges that Lancashire has a large adoption service that had increased the numbers of children placed and waiting for adoption over the past two years . The inspection team also acknowledges that the service was in transition at the time of the

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Both standards were assessed as part of this inspection. One standard was assessed

inspection. The Family Placement Review had recommended significant changes, not least a change in the senior management structure of the adoption service. This context may have contributed to the lack of strategic direction and leadership at the time of the inspection, but cannot account for all of it. The inspection team consider that the service should review and enhance the current arrangements for the strategic management of the service as part of the action plan. The inspection team consider that the service must implement the proposals of the Family Placement Review within the given timescale to ensure that the adoption service does not Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 11 continue to drift, and to ensure that the efforts of frontline staff are supported and managed and resources in the service are effectively targeted.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. The inspection found all

The Head of Children’s Services and the Head of Children’s Social Care had recognised that the adoption service had required a complete review and the inspection found evidence of extensive consultation and a comprehensive assessment of the service by an independent consultancy, which was completed in the Summer of 2004.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. The inspection found all

The Head of Children’s Social Care acknowledged that the improved PI’s within the service did not reflect efficient and effective management systems in all areas, but rather exposed some of the weaknesses in the service. The inspection found evidence, that at the time of the inspection, Lancashire were reacting to and not managing the external pressures from national government and from the courts concerning adoption issues. The inspection team found evidence that the service should enhance current systems to ensure that staff working with children, prospective/approved adopters and birth parents, take into account and respect their racial origin, religion, culture, language, sexuality and gender and disability. The service makes clear costs for inter-country adoption and levels of post adoption allowances paid. Service level agreements were reviewed with the assistance of the county contracts section

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. The inspection found all

and any necessary adjustments made. As has already been stated there was an urgent need to develop more effective and robust systems to monitor and control the activity of the whole service. This may involve a lighter touch in some areas and clearer monitoring of services offered in other areas in the county.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. The inspection found all

The service provided an annual report concerning the activity of the adoption service to the Children’s Board. The inspection team recommends that, although the Executive Member is briefed monthly about developments in the service by the Head of Children’s Services, that these arrangements should be enhanced to ensure that the Executive Member of the council, receive a written report every six months on developments in and the performance of the adoption service.

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All three standards were assessed as part of this inspection. The inspection found all

Lancashire does have access to excellent legal advise and can access other specialist advise concerning inter country adoption or any other issues where relevant. The role of specialist advisers should be supported by the development of a written protocol in line with National Minimum Standards. A written protocol could be used to define the level of service needed as part of Lancashire’s action plan to develop an enhanced medical advice service

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Standards 19-23

Five standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Standard 24 was not assessed as it relates to voluntary adoption agencies only. Out of the five standards one was met, and four were nearly met.

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Standards 19-23

The inspection found that Lancashire has recruitment and selection procedures for appointing staff, which follow good practice in safeguarding children and young people and which meet National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 12 All Social Workers are qualified and have opportunities for continued professional development. The service should review how they will support 20% of staff across the service to obtain the Child Care Award by April 2006.

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Standards 19-23

The inspection team found evidence that some social workers and their managers were very skilled and knowledgeable about their role and responsibilities in undertaking and supervising assessments. Others did not have an adequate understanding or knowledge of adoption. As has already been recommended the service should develop a whole system approach to training and supporting staff all working in the field of adoption.

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Standards 19-23

The need to develop an effective workload management system across the county was pressing given some of the pressures that the staff and some service users reported to the inspection team. One social worker reported carrying 22 twin-tracking cases. Team Leaders and some Team Managers also reported that caseloads in the Permanence Fieldwork Teams were too high. All managers interviewed said caseloads were being reduced slowly, but that there was a need to develop a workload management system that acknowledged the time-consuming nature of twin-tracking work. Other social workers in the Permanence Family Placement Teams reported improvements in their workload, and considered that the management of the service had offered assistance to staff by for example, commissioning out Section 51 counselling. The inspection team found that the service needed to develop and implement structures and systems across the county to ensure assessments and approvals of adopters are managed

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Standards 19-23

and implemented effectively. Lancaster and Morecambe Area provided evidence of effective management of activity, but in other areas this was far less apparent. The need to develop local and central systems to monitor the progression of adopters’ assessments and approvals should form part of the service’s action plan.

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Standards 19-23

The inspection team found evidence that some areas of the county were more at risk from staff shortages and staff turnover than others. Lancaster and Morecambe Bay were effective at recruiting and retaining staff, other areas, particularly in the East and South had some difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff to the Fieldwork Teams. The service acknowledged these issues and had been working hard over a significant period of time to resolve staff shortages and develop contingencies to manage any additional work. One of the strategies developed was to commission staff in Lancashire to complete assessments. The inspection team found mixed evidence of the quality of some of the commissioned assessments undertaken. We also have some concerns, which were evidenced in the case tracking, that the use of commissioned assessments masks the demand for the continuing support service that approved adopters may need.

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Standards 19-23

The inspection team advised the service to review the current use of commissioned assessments to ensure that prospective and approved adopters are given the support they require to provide stable placements.

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Standards 19-23

The inspection found that staff have access to a range of ongoing training and professional development opportunities. The service acknowledged the need to develop and them implement a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP’s) which linked identified training needs of individuals to service outcomes. The service should ensure that the PDP’s are developed in line with National Minimum Standards and that they are implemented fully across the county. The inspection confirmed that each team meets regularly and has the opportunity of attending an annual development day.

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Records

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 13

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Four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

two were nearly met and two were not met.

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Four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

The inspection found evidence that the service were aware of the need to improve the quality of case records for children and prospective and approved adopters. As we have already stated in an earlier section of this report, some areas of the county had case records which evidenced consistent management oversight and supervision. However this level of practice was not seen consistently across the service. There was a policy on effective recording and a policy for file auditing and quality assurance. Again the inspection team found evidence that not all case files seen had been subject to monitoring within Lancashire’s own recording policies and procedures. The need to implement these current policies and procedures consistently across the service should form part of Lancashire County Council’s action plan. The service had acknowledged the need to enhance the current arrangements for the secure storage of manual and computerised records for children and prospective/approved

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Four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

adopters. The service must archive adoption records to minimise the risk of damage from fire and water. Supervisors’ decisions were seen on some of the case files tracked, but not all. In some cases Supervisors’ comments were seen on case files, but these fall short of National Minimum Standards and the inspection team consider that the service should implement current systems to ensure that decisions by supervisors are recorded on case files and are legible, clearly expressed, signed and dated. The inspection found evidence from placing social workers that Lancashire provide information in a timely way to other services. The service had acknowledged that current arrangements to access confidential information via the county manager did not meet Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations (1983) 2003 and as such needed to be amended to ensure that there was written policy and procedural instruction for all staff concerning access to information which met the National

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Four standards were assessed as part of this inspection. Out of the four standards

Minimum Standards and regulations. Lancashire have developed written policies on the contents of case files including the child’s adoption file. Separate records are kept in accordance with National Minimum Standards, however the inspection found evidence that the current systems to monitor the quality and adequacy of records were not fully developed in all areas of the county. There is a system for keeping records of all complaints. The County Manager had managed all complaints seen effectively and sensitively. The inspection found that the personnel files for staff in the service had been subject to review and audit and now met National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003. All panel members’ files did not comply with National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and this is an issue that must be addressed by Lancashire in their action plan.

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

The inspection found evidence that all areas visited had identifiable offices which were accessible to staff and service users. Not all premises in the county were fit for purpose. Issues remained concerning the poor quality and cramped conditions in the East of the county. This should be addressed as part of the service’s action plan. Further to this the inspection team recommends that working adoption files should be stored within lockable rooms, which was not the case in Lancaster and Morecambe area. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 14 Finally the service should implement the recent review of storage facilities for working and archived adoption files. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 15 Reports and Notifications to the Local Authority and Secretary of State

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

The following statutory Reports or Notifications are to be made under the Care Standards Act as a result of the findings of this inspection:

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

NA Report to the Secretary of State under section 47(3) of the Care Standards Act 2000 that the Commission considers the Local Authority's adoption service satisfies the regulatory requirements:

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

NA Notice to the Local Authority under section 47(5) of the Care Standards Act 2000 of failure(s) to satisfy regulatory requirements in their adoption service which are not substantial, and specifying the action the Commission considers the Authority should take to remedy the failure(s), informing the Secretary of State of that Notice:

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

NA Report to the Secretary of State under section 47(4)(a) of the Care Standards Act 2000 of a failure by a Local Authority adoption service to satisfy regulatory requirements which is not considered substantial:

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This standard was assessed as part of this inspection. The standard was assessed

NA Report to the Secretary of State under section 47(1) of the Care Standards Act 2000 of substantial failure to satisfy regulatory requirements by a Local Authority adoption service:

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The grounds for the above Report or Notice are:

The above Sections of the Care Standards Act have been repealed and therefore no longer apply. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 16

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(Not relevant at first CSCI inspection)

Requirements from last Inspection visit fully actioned? NA

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Identified below are areas not addressed from the last inspection report which indicate a non-compliance with the Care Standards Act 2000, the Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983 and the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003. No. Regulation Standard Required actions Timescale for action

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Action is being taken by the Commission for Social Care Inspection to monitor

compliance with the above requirements. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 17

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED DURING THIS INSPECTION

Action Plan: The appropriate officer of the Local Authority is requested to provide the Commission with an action plan, which indicates how requirements are to be addressed. This action plan is shown in Part D of this report.

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Identified below are areas addressed in the main body of the report which indicate non- compliance with the Care Standards Act 2000, the Adoption Act 1976, the Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983, the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003 or the National Minimum Standards for Local Authority Adoption Services. The Authority is required to comply within the given time scales in order to comply with the Regulatory Requirements for adoption services. No. Regulation Standard * Requirement Timescale for action 2 (3)and 4 (a)

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Local Authority Adoption Service Regulation s 2003 LA1 The service must ensure that the Statement of Purpose reflects the service provided and must ensure that the Executive has an opportunity to scrutinise the document on an annual basis. 1.9.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

2 3.2 ( C ) LA1 The service must develop a Children’s Guide, which meets the needs of all children who have a plan for adoption. 1.12.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Local Authority Adoption Service Regulation s 2003 LA11LA6L A5LA4LA2 The adoption service must ensure that they have access to medical expertise and advice concerning adoption. 1.5.05 Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 18 7.1 (a) and (b) LA2 The service should develop and implement an effective recruitment strategy to meet the needs of the children waiting locally. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 (a) and (b) LA20LA2 Lancashire must develop the quality assurance of the adoption service to ensure consistency in standards of practice across the county. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 (b) and 9.1 (a) LA4 The service must ensure that existing safeguarding policies and procedures, regarding references must be implemented in all cases. 1.5.05

p.20

STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Regulation s amended LA4 The service must evidence that prospective adopters have had the opportunity to read their assessment, and that they can choose to waive their right to have 28 days to consider the report in line with regulations. There option to waive their 28 days should be evidenced on their file. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Adoption Agency Regulation s 1983 amended LA10 The service must review current Adoption Panel policy and procedure and make amendments within the timescale given to ensure that both panels function in accordance with Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and National Minimum Standards. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

9 7.1 (a), (b) LA12 The service must review and increase the number of Adoption Panels to ensure that adoption issues can be considered without delay. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

amended LA12 The Adoption panel must keep an accurate record of any recommendations, which it makes and the reasons for them. 1.10.05 Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 19 11.2

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Amended Adoption Agency Regulation s 1983 (2003) LA13 The service must develop more efficient and effective methods of conveying in writing, panel’s recommendation and the Agency Decision Makers subsequent decision to children, parents and prospective and approved adopters within the required timescale. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 (a) and (b) LA14 The service must review and enhance the current arrangements for the strategic management of the service. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 (a) and (b) LA14 The service must implement the proposals of the Family Placement Review within the given timescale to ensure that the adoption service does not continue to drift, and to ensure that the efforts of frontline staff are supported and managed and resources in the service are effectively targeted. 1.12.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

14 14.4 LA29LA25 The service must archive adoption records in a place of special security to preserve the records and to minimise the risk of damage from fire and water. 1.12.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

15.2 and (3) Adoption Agency Regulation s 1983 amended LA26LA25 The service must develop a written policy and procedure concerning the access to confidential adoption records and indexes in line with Adoption Agency Regulations and National Minimum Standards. 1.12.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

16 15.(1) LA11LA28 Information held on Adoption Panel members’ files must comply with schedule 4 of Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003. 1.10.05

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

17 17.1 LA16 The service must ensure that the restructuring proposals contained within the Family Placement Review are implemented during the Autumn of 2005. 1.10.05 Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 20

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

Identified below are areas addressed in the main body of the report which relate to the National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice issues which should be considered for implementation by the Authority or Registered Person(s). No. Refer to Standard * Recommendation Action

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

1 LA1 The Statement of Purpose should be developed to include more specific information about the timescales for children and adopters’ assessments detailed in the National Adoption Standards.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

2 LA1 The service should seek examples of best practice concerning Children’s Guides from other local authorities within the region and would also benefit from consulting with adopters and older children placed for adoption in what they would find helpful in the Statement of Purpose and the Children’s Guide

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

3 LA1 The service should consider amending and updating the Children in Need of Protection policies and procedures to give more specific guidance to staff concerning the protection of children placed for adoption or in adoption placements.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

4 LA2 The service should develop and implement an effective recruitment strategy to meet the needs of the children waiting locally.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

5 LA2 The service should develop more effective systems and processes to recruit adopters for those children waiting.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

6 LA2 The service should develop consistent monitoring of the progression of children’s cases and should endeavour to manage the service’s response to court processes more effectively.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

7 LA2 The service should develop professional development opportunities to give Fieldwork Permanence and Family Placement Permanence Managers and Team Leaders the opportunity to refresh their skills in supervising social workers completing Forms E.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

8 LA2 The service should develop or commission additional training for social work staff in the completion of Forms E.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

9 LA2 The service should develop more effective strategies for working with birth parents and birth families.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

10 LA2 The service should provide social workers with an opportunity to receive additional training in the matching process. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 21 11 LA3 The service should develop the initial screening process to ensure an equitable and efficient service across the county and should ensure that the policy and practice in prioritising applicants who can meet the needs of children waiting is fully implemented.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

12 LA3 The information pack provided to prospective adopters should be updated and enhanced to provide clearer information about the adoption process in Lancashire. The review and update of the service’s information pack should consider recent changes in legislation and should also refer to the timescales laid out by the National Adoption Standards.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

13 LA3 The inspection team would recommend that the service should develop written guidance, policy and procedure concerning a smoking policy for adoptive applicants.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

14 LA3 The service should contact other Local Authorities who have developed creative strategies to find placements for children waiting.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

15 LA4 The role of preparation training in the approval process should be reviewed and clearer guidelines issued to staff and prospective adopters.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

16 LA4 The service should review the effectiveness of preparation training across the county to develop a strategy which may allow for smaller groups, and more regular preparation training being available for foster carers and for black and ethnic minority prospective adopters.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

17 LA4 The service should develop good practice concerning social worker’s comments on the weight that personal referees should be given in the Form F assessment

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

18 LA4 The service should develop and implement clear practice guidelines concerning the time scales involved in the assessment and approval process. This good practice recommendation could be developed with the implementation of a working agreement with prospective adopters.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

19 LA4 The service should review and improve current practice concerning contact and support given to prospective adopters

p.23

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

20 LA5 The service should develop and implement a clear system to ensure that adoptive parents views on whether they are prepared to agree to notify the adoption agency if their child dies is recorded and any subsequent action is taken. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 22 21 LA5 The service should develop training and additional guidance concerning the preparation of family books to ensure that children are informed and prepared about their placement in a sensitive manner.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

22 LA6 The service should develop further support services for approved adopters, including an adoption newsletter to advise them of support groups available, events and training opportunities.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

23 LA6 The service should review current practice concerning the assessment of adopter’s abilities to respond and counteract all forms of discrimination.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

24 LA7 The service should encourage the birth parents and birth families to participate in the adoption planning process. Birth parents should be asked to sign the Form E or the service should provide details of when they were told about the contents of the Form E and any refusal to sign. This information should be included on the Forms E and should be available for panel to scrutinise.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

25 LA7 The service should actively promote the independent social work support service for birth families.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

26 LA8 The service should review the current letterbox scheme to ensure that it has some social work oversight. Further to this the scheme should make provision for the back up of information and should provide adequate storage arrangements for information that cannot be forwarded or needs to be held by the service on behalf of an adopted child.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

27 LA8 The service should develop a whole systems approach to life story work for children with a plan for adoption.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

28 LA8 The service should allow caseload weighting for social workers completing life story work.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

29 LA9 The service should develop a strategy for working with birth parents and their families. This should include how Lancashire will develop and implement their own standards of practice of working with birth families across the service. The strategy should also outline the role of other agencies in the County in providing ongoing support to birth parents and birth families both before and after adoption.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

30 LA10 The service should review current Adoption Panel policy and procedure and make amendments within an agreed timescale to ensure that both panels function in accordance with Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and National Minimum Standards. This standard is cross- referenced to requirement 8. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 23 31 LA10 The service should ensure that the Adoption Panel allocates enough time for each item on the agenda to allow the panel members to stick to the timing and avoid panel business running on wherever possible.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

32 LA12 The service should ensure that Panel minutes record who is in attendance at any time. Individual minutes placed on children’s or adopter’s files should also have a front sheet informing the reader of which Panel members were in attendance when the recommendation was made. This will enable the Panel to evidence whether they were quorate and also evidence when a Panel member has had to stand down due to a conflict of interest.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

33 LA16 The service should enhance current systems to ensure that staff working with children, prospective/approved adopters and birth parents, take into account and respect their racial origin, religion, culture, language, sexuality and gender and disability.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

34 LA17 The service should prepare a written report on the activity and performance of the adoption service for the Executive of the council receive a written report every six months.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

35 LA18 The role of specialist advisers should be supported by the development of a written protocol. A version of the written protocol could be used to develop and define the level of service needed as part of Lancashire’s action plan to implement an enhanced medical advice service for the county.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

36 LA19 The service should review how they will support 20% of staff across the service to obtain the Child Care Award by April 2006.

p.25

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

37 LA19 The service should develop a whole system approach to training and supporting staff working in the field of adoption. This should involve knowledge about the legal framework of adoption and should include information on completing evidence- based assessments of prospective adopters and the significance of the Forms E as an assessment of a child’s needs and as a document for later life.

p.25

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

38 LA19 The service should ensure that any support workers in family centres or in fieldwork teams involved with birth parents receive training in the adoption process and are supervised by a qualified social worker.

p.25

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

39 LA20 The service should develop and implement an effective workload management system. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 24 40 LA20 The service should develop and implement structures and systems across the county to ensure assessments and approvals of adopters are managed and implemented effectively. This good practice recommendation is cross -referenced with requirement 5.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

41 LA20 The service should consider the need to fund additional external training and to promote formal networking across the Adoption Service in the county. The inspection team fully support the view from the Service Manager that staff may benefit from attending workshops with “inspirational” trainers in the field. The inspection team recommend that the need to open up the service and to encourage professional networks should take place after staff have had the opportunity to revisit best practice in undertaking and supervising Forms E and Forms F assessments.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

42 LA20 The service should give consideration to the levels of clerical and administrative support needed in each area to support the efficient and effective functioning of the adoption service.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

43 LA20 The service should develop strategies to ensure that children and adopters have more consistent access to psychological advice according to assessed need.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

44 LA21 The service should review the current use of commissioned assessments to ensure that prospective and approved adopters are given the support they require to provide stable placements.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

45 LA21 The service should review the reallocation of staffing resources before the full implementation of the Family Placement Review.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

46 LA23 The service should develop and then implement a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP’s)which links identified training needs of individuals to service outcomes. The service should ensure that the PDP’s are developed in line with guidance regarding ongoing professional development and that they are implemented fully across the county.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

47 LA25 The service should implement the current policies and procedures on good practice in recording, file audits and quality assurance of records consistently across the county.

p.26

GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

48 LA25 The integration of the adoption information system with the Integrated Children’s System should be reviewed and implemented within the shortest possible timescale. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 25 49 LA25 The service should implement current recording and file auditing systems to ensure that decisions by supervisors are recorded on case files and are legible, clearly expressed, signed and dated.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

50 LA29 The service should ensure that all office premises are fit for purpose across the service.

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GOOD PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS INSPECTION

• Note: You may refer to the relevant standard in the remainder of the report by omitting the 2-letter prefix e.g. LA10 refers to Standard 10. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 26

p.27

PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

The following inspection methods have been used in the production of this report

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PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

Placing authority survey YES Placing social worker survey YES Prospective adopter survey YES Approved adopter survey YES Birth parent / birth family member survey YES Checks with other organisations and Individuals • Directors of Social services YES • Specialist advisor (s) YES Tracking Individual welfare arrangements YES • Interview with children YES • Interview with adopters and prospective adopters YES • Interview with birth parents NO • Interview with birth family members NO • Contact with supervising social workers YES • Examination of files YES Individual interview with manager YES Information from provider YES Individual interviews with key staff YES Group discussion with staff YES Interview with panel chair YES Observation of adoption panel YES Inspection of policy/practice documents YES Inspection of records (personnel, adopter, child, complaints, allegations) YES

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PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

Date of Inspection 22/02/05 Time of Inspection 9.30 Duration Of Inspection (hrs) 210 Number of Inspector days 18 Additional Inspection Questions: Certificate of Registration was displayed at time of inspection NA The certificate of registration accurately reflected the situation in the service at the time of inspection NA

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PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

Total Number of staff employed (excluding managers) 250 Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 27 The following pages summarise the key findings and evidence from this inspection, together with the CSCI assessment of the extent to which the National Minimum Standards have been met. The following scale is used to indicate the extent to which standards have been met or not met by placing the assessed level alongside the phrase "Standard met?"

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PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

The scale ranges from: 4 - Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 - Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 - Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 - Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls)

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PART B INSPECTION METHODS & FINDINGS

"0" in the "Standard met?" box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion. "9" in the "Standard met?" box denotes standard not applicable on this occasion. “X” is used where a percentage value or numerical value is not applicable. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 28

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The intended outcome for the following standard is:

• There is clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption

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There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

which describes accurately what facilities and services they provide. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 Lancashire County Council have developed and reviewed a Statement of Purpose for the Adoption service. During the inspection we found evidence that placing social workers were familiar with the Statement of Purpose and found, in the main, it to be helpful.

p.30

There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

The Executive Member of the council had recently reviewed and agreed the Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose was amended in October 2004 after some limited consultation with staff. The Statement of Purpose was last endorsed by the council on the 31 st May 2003. The service must ensure that the Statement of Purpose reflects the service provided and must ensure that the Executive Member has an opportunity to scrutinise the document on an annual basis.

p.30

There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

The Statement of Purpose was available on the service’s website, however the inspection team recommends that this important document should be developed to include more specific information about the timescales for children and adopters’ assessments detailed in the National Adoption Standards. Further to this more specific information should be available to prospective adopters concerning the frequency and types of support available to them should they seek to access a service from Lancashire County Council.

p.30

There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

The Statement of Purpose does not refer to some of the partnerships that the county has developed regarding inter-country adoptions and independent support for birth parents. When the Statement of Purpose is reviewed the inspection team recommends that the service should refer to some of the collaborative arrangements that they have developed. The BAAF Children’s Guide is available for staff and adopters. An alternative Children’s Guide, including a guide for younger children can be accessed via Lancashire’s web site.

p.30

There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

The service must develop a Children’s Guide, which meets the needs of all children who have a plan for adoption. The service may benefit from seeking examples of best practice concerning Children’s Guides from other local authorities within the region and would also benefit from consulting with adopters and older children placed for adoption in what they would find helpful in the Statement of Purpose and the Children’s Guide.

p.30

There is a clear written statement of the aims and objectives of the adoption agency

Lancashire were in the process of reviewing policies and procedure for the adoption service. The inspection team recommends that as part of this review the service should consider amending and updating the Children in Need of Protection policies and procedures to give more specific guidance to staff concerning the protection of children placed for adoption or in adoption placements. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 29

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executive side of the council?

Is there a children’s guide to adoption? YES

p.31

information required by Standard 1.4?

NO Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 30

p.31

The intended outcome for the following set of standards is:

• The needs and wishes, welfare and safety of the child are at the centre of the adoption process.

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

children waiting for adoption locally. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 The inspection team found substantial evidence throughout the inspection of staff in the Permanence Fieldwork and Family Placement Teams that were working extremely hard to provide an adoption service for children and families in Lancashire. However the inspection also found overwhelming evidence that despite the impressive increase in numbers of children placed for adoption that activity was not as efficient, effective and equitable as it must be to deliver good outcomes for children.

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

At the time of the inspection there were 83 children waiting for a placement. This headline figure provides evidence that the service had not developed and implemented effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of children waiting. There was evidence from a number of sources that the strategic management of the service did not consider it a pressing need to develop and implement an effective recruitment strategy, as there were sufficient prospective adopters “coming through the door”.

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

The service does advertise extensively. However despite the participation of the county manager within the County Publicity Group there was little evidence of how the needs of children waiting were directly informing publicity or recruitment campaigns.

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

The inspection found evidence of unnecessary delay in the progression of some children’s care plans. Difficulties in accessing medical advice had undoubtedly contributed to this. The service had made considerable effort to replace the adoption service’s medical advisor, who was on a long-term absence at the time of the inspection. The activity with the county’s health trusts in trying to secure an appropriate replacement had not achieved any positive outcome at the time of the inspection. It is a challenge for the range of services for children in Lancashire to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children in the county receive a service, which will enable them to be healthy and safe under the Every Child Matters integrated service framework. It is of serious concern that the adoption service does not have access to expert medical advice, and although contingencies had been implemented the service was aware that the

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

need to develop and then implement an enhanced medical advice service should form one of the most urgent aspects of their action plan. The inspection found that some areas were far better at monitoring the progression of children’s cases and managing the court process than others in the county. The inspection found very mixed evidence concerning care -planning practice across the county. In one area care planning, twin tracking and adoption placements were managed reasonably well within the wider context of the service as a whole. In other areas standards of practice were not as high. One of the contributory factors may have been the impact that higher staff vacancies and turnover was having in the children’s fieldwork teams in some parts of the county. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 31 The inspection did find evidence of some good child-focused practice in some areas but many staff reported pressure of time and high numbers of complex twin tracking caseloads.

p.32

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

They stressed that this made it difficult for them to do the standard of work that they wanted to do within the available time. The issue of workload management will be developed in Standard 20.

p.33

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

The inspection found the monitoring and quality assurance of the adoption service was not as developed as it must be to deliver good outcomes for children who have a plan for adoption. Some case files clearly evidenced the supervision and support that the social worker had received in managing twin tracking cases. Other children’s case files provided little or no evidence of adequate management oversight. Lancashire must develop the quality assurance of the adoption service to ensure consistency in standards of practice across the county. The inspection found that the adoption service, including Fieldwork Permanence and Family Placement Permanence Managers and Team Leaders would benefit from the opportunity to refresh their skills in supervising social workers completing Forms E.

p.33

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

Some training had been delivered to social work staff about the preparation of the Forms E. Social workers were positive about the training provided but recognised that this was an area in which they needed to build upon their existing assessment skills. The inspection team found some evidence of the involvement of birth parents in the adoption planning for their children. For example a social worker had spent time looking for the type of family that the birth mother of a relinquished baby had said she wanted for her child.

p.33

effective strategies to recruit sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

Other evidence from case tracking and observation of panel would suggest that the service should work harder at engaging birth parents and birth families in the adoption process. The inspection found evidence of some good practice concerning the matching of children with adopters. The adoption specialists have a key role in family finding. Foster carers routinely attend the matching meeting and a number of Permanence Social Workers were extremely positive about the support and advice that they had received from the adoption specialists. Minutes of matching meetings provided evidence of other families considered prior to a match and justification for the social worker’s recommendation to panel. Written guidance concerning the matching process is available for social workers but many expressed a wish for further specific training on this area. The inspection team would support this view. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 32

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In the last 12 months:

How many children were identified as needing adoptive families? 90 How many children were matched with adopters? 94 How many children were placed with the service’s own adopters? 73 How many children were placed with other services’ adopters? 21 How many children were referred to the Adoption Register? 40

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adopters does this represent?

100 % How many sibling groups were matched in the last 12 months? 4

p.34

waiting for a match to be identified?

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 33

p.35

The intended outcome for the following set of standards is:

• The adoption agency recruits and supports sufficient adopters from

p.35

diverse backgrounds, who can offer children a stable and permanent home

to achieve a successful and lasting placement.

p.35

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

treated fairly, openly and with respect throughout the adoption process. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 Plans for recruitment, and Lancashire County Council’s Adoption Information pack does specify that people who are interested in becoming adopters will be welcomed without prejudice. A number of adopters commented on their positive first contact with the service when they had made their first enquiry. One adopter said they had been impressed by the helpfulness of the service, another commented that they had felt reassured by the social worker when they had made their first enquiry. One adopter commented that there had been a long delay in being provided with written information. Initial information provides prospective adopters who wish to adopt a child from overseas with basic information.

p.35

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

Prospective adopters are invited to attend the office for an Initial interview where social workers will provide them with more information about the types of children waiting. The inspection team found evidence that screening interviews had not taken place in all cases tracked and recommends that the service should develop the initial screening process to ensure an equitable and efficient service across the county.

p.35

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

The inspection team considers that the information pack provided to prospective adopters should be updated and enhanced to provide clearer information about the adoption process in Lancashire. A number of adopters expressed the view that “the literature was very brief and not very clear.” The review and update of Lancashire’s information pack should consider recent changes in legislation and should also refer to the timescales laid out by the National Adoption Standards. The inspection team was surprised to note that the county does not have a written policy on smoking to inform social workers and prospective adopters about the risk of smoking for babies. The inspection team would recommend that the service should develop written guidance concerning this issue, which is then shared with all stakeholders in the adoption process.

p.35

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

Proposals had been put before the Quality Protects Panel in January 2003 regarding the need to prioritise prospective adopters’ applications in accordance with the needs of children waiting. There was little evidence at the time of the inspection that these proposals had been developed into a coherent county -wide policy, which had been implemented in practice across the service. The need to implement the “priority wheel policy” across the county should be part of the services action plan. The inspection team did find evidence that the service had organised a County Support Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 34 Meeting in June 2004 to invite approved adopters waiting for a placement to find out more about the types of children waiting. The service manager recognised that more of these events would need to take place to reduce the numbers of children waiting. The inspection team recommends that the Lancashire County Council should contact other

p.35

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

Local Authorities who have developed creative strategies to find placements for children waiting.

p.36

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

The inspectors did find evidence through case tracking and observation of panel that individual workers and their managers had fast tracked applicants who could potentially offer a placement for children waiting. However the service should offer clearer practice guidance to all staff and information to prospective adopters regarding prioritisation of resources in the service to allow for the most effective use of resources.

p.36

about the preparation, assessment and approval procedure and that they will be

Applicants confirmed that they had been given information about the preparation and support services available to them. The preparation training also gave prospective adopters the opportunity to talk to others who have adopted.

p.36

Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

assessment, preparation and approval process. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 There is a clearly set out preparation programme made available to all prospective adopters. The service commissioned separate preparation training for Inter Country Adopters as part of the service level agreement with Blackburn Diocesan Adoption Agency. The service aims to provide a number of preparation training events across the county in any one year. Adopters undergo 2 day preparation training. A number of adopters were very positive about the training they attended. The inspection team found evidence that adopters’ preparation groups in some parts of the county could be very large. Examples found were a group of 13 and a group of 20. We question the value of offering preparation to such large groups of prospective adopters and consider that the service should review current standards and set limits on the numbers of

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

adopters attending to facilitate their full participation in such an important part of their approval process. The inspection team noted that staff within the service had been responsible for developing some of the course materials for the training. The inspection team were very impressed by some of the individual contributions made by staff members involved in developing the course. This was borne out by comments from adopters; “It was a good, informative 2 day training course, very thought provoking and helpful.” The inspection team found mixed evidence that the applicant’s contribution to preparation training was being used as part of their assessment. Some social workers included comments and observations about the impact of the preparation training on the applicant in the Forms F, and others made cursory reference to the preparation. The inspection team recommends that the role of preparation training in the approval

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

process should be reviewed and clearer guidelines issued to staff and prospective adopters. A number of adopters confirmed that training was at convenient times. Many adopters had concerns about having to wait such a long time to get on the training. The inspection team recommends that Lancashire should review the effectiveness of preparation training across the county to develop a strategy which may allow for smaller Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 35 groups, and more regular preparation training being available for foster carers and for black and ethnic minority prospective adopters. The service had and was offering some specialist preparation groups for foster carers and had offered preparation training for Asian applicants in 2003 with some success. But the need to offer these events on a rolling programme and not as a one off should be included in the annual preparation review.

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

The service manager stated that Lancashire do evidence based assessments. The inspection team saw some evidence of this from individual social workers, however the vast majority of Forms F were descriptive and demonstrated little analysis or insight gleaned from applicants’ experiences. The inspection team recommends that additional training is offered to staff completing and monitoring the production of Forms F. Further to this the inspection team considers that the service must ensure that existing safeguarding policies and procedures must be implemented in all cases. It is the county policy to follow up references for prospective adopters who work with children. The inspection found evidence that in some teams this was not taking place. The inspection team require that Lancashire must ensure that all checks on prospective and approved adopters should take place in accordance with regard to their own safeguarding

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

policies and procedures. Further to this the service should also develop consistent standards concerning personal references and should ensure that social worker’s comment on the weight that personal referees should be given in the Form F assessment. The inspection team recommends that the existing Health and Safety check should be amended to include a section on weapons and safe weapon storage. There was much evidence of delay in the process of recruitment, assessment and approval. Many adopters expressed frustration at having to wait. These comments are typical and very concerning, “It took two years to have a social worker appointed from our request.”…”Waiting to begin the assessment is frustrating.” The inspection team recommends that the service should develop and implement clear practice guidelines concerning the time scales involved in the assessment and approval process. In some local authorities the assessment and approval process is laid out in a

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

working agreement with the prospective adopters at the beginning of the process. This working agreement includes details of checks, dates for preparation training and dates of home visits and an estimate of the adoption panel that the case is scheduled for. The working agreement makes explicit the timescales laid out in the National Adoption Standards and also makes clear that assessments may take longer at the request of the applicants, or if the social worker considers that there are good reasons for delay. Once the home study had started many adopters considered that their social worker was very professional and sensitive. Adopters had experienced different standards of contact and information during the approval process. Some adopters could not praise their social worker highly enough for keeping them informed, others were far less complimentary and describe a constant struggle to be kept informed about the progress of their cases. Although there was an expectation that adopters

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Prospective adopters are involved in a formal, thorough and comprehensive

should be contacted on a monthly basis, the inspection found evidence that this did not always take place. The inspection team recommends that the service should review and improve current practice concerning contact and support given to prospective adopters as part of the action plan. The inspection team found evidence that social workers go through the Form F assessment with the prospective adopters and the draft document is left for them to consider. The inspection team recommends that the service must evidence that prospective adopters have had the opportunity to read their assessment, and that they can choose to waive their right to have 28 days to consider the report in line with regulations. The option to waive their 28 days Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 36 should be evidenced on their file. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 37

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introduction and placement process, as well as any support to facilitate this they may

need. This will include the role of the Adoption Register for England and Wales. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 There was evidence that the information provided to adopters was not always clear, but that practice concerning the matching, introduction and placement process was reported to be good. Lancashire had developed a policy and procedure concerning the Adoption Register and ensured that adopters were informed about this. Given some of the comments that have already been made about the quality of Forms E in Standard 2 of this report, a number of adopters confirmed in case tracking and in their questionnaires that the assessment of the child’s needs had borne little relation to the child that they were introduced to. The inspection found evidence to support this. Some Forms E prepared for siblings had clearly been cut and pasted from court reports. Other assessments were out of date. All of the above issues concerning accurate information about the child had been

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introduction and placement process, as well as any support to facilitate this they may

compounded by the absence of a medical advisor to the service. Staff across the county reported their frustration at being able to progress children’s care plans without an adoption medical, and for matching to be progressed without access to the medical adviser. The need to develop an enhanced medical advice service for children and adopters in Lancashire has already been stated, and the requirement for this to take place within the agreed timescale is related to Standard 2 of this report. At the time of the inspection the service had developed contingency plans, which offered some access to medical advice for children and adopters. Adopters matched with a child could take the child’s medical information to their own GP. The concern is that adopters may have already made a commitment to the child without a full understanding of the implications involved in providing an enduring placement. The inspection team found evidence in one case that this had

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introduction and placement process, as well as any support to facilitate this they may

already taken place, much to the concern of the adopters. Lancashire should develop and implement a clear system to ensure that adoptive parents views on whether they are prepared to agree to notify the adoption agency if their child dies is recorded and any subsequent action is taken. The inspection team found some evidence of the use of Family Books to inform the child about the prospective adopters. Staff reported that they would benefit from additional training in this area. The inspection team would support this view.

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Adoption Register?

YES Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 38

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Adoptive parents are helped and supported to provide stable and permanent homes

for the children placed with them. Key findings and evidence Standard met? 2 The service had clear guidelines concerning the support that adoptive parents should receive from the agency. Case tracking and other sources of evidence confirmed that some social workers worked incredibly hard to support adopters. The inspection team also found evidence that the expected standard that approved adopters should receive contact monthly was not achieved in all cases. The service had a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with After Adoption that had recently been reviewed regarding post adoption support services. Adopters interviewed in case tracking confirmed that they had received a letter from After Adoption saying that Lancashire had referred them. Adopters were aware of Post Adoption Support and allowances available to them. Some staff expressed concern that After Adoption seemed a very small service to cover such a vast region. The support agency becomes involved after the match has taken place.

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Adoptive parents are helped and supported to provide stable and permanent homes

Adopters have access to additional training as they can now access the continuing development programme for foster carers. However despite the support services available, the inspection team have some concerns about those adopters who are waiting for a placement and suggest the service should develop further support services, including an adoption newsletter to target all adopters with updates and training opportunities. There was evidence throughout the inspection that adopters understood the importance of helping children to develop and maintain a positive self-identity. However the inspection team recommends that the service should review current practice concerning the assessment of adopters’ abilities to respond to and counteract all forms of discrimination.

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Adoptive parents are helped and supported to provide stable and permanent homes

Number of adopter applications started in the last 12 months 68

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Adoptive parents are helped and supported to provide stable and permanent homes

Number of adopters approved in the last 12 months 45

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last 12 months

Number of adopters approved but not matched 38

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last 12 months

Number of adopters referred to the Adoption Register 12

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and adoption, in the last 12 months?

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 39

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The intended outcomes for the following set of standards are:

• Birth parents are entitled to services that recognise the lifelong

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implications of adoption. They will be treated fairly, openly and with

respect throughout the adoption process.

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Standard 7 (7.1 – 7.5)

The service to birth parents recognises the lifelong implications of adoption. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection team found evidence from discussions with fieldwork and family placement permanence staff and from files that the life-long implications of adoption are understood. Unfortunately the efforts of individual social workers to engage with birth parents and families were not evidenced on the Forms E. The inspection team recommends that the service should encourage the birth parents to read and sign the Form E or should provide details of when they were told about the contents of the Form E and any refusal to sign. This information should be included on the Forms E and should be available for panel to scrutinise. Case tracking provided evidence of birth parents being involved with and meeting the adoptive parents. One case with a baby relinquished for adoption demonstrated some very

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Standard 7 (7.1 – 7.5)

sensitive work. Staff confirmed that birth parents are told about After Adoption’s independent social work support services, but the inspection team consider that more should be done to ensure that this service is actively promoted.

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Birth parents and birth families are enabled to contribute to the maintenance of their

child’s heritage. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 There was evidence of some good practice between social workers and birth parents. However the failure of the service to evidence the views of birth parents and birth families in the Forms E made it difficult for Birth Parents and Birth Families to contribute to the maintenance of the child’s heritage. The inspection found that the other ways in which the child’s heritage could be maintained were also compromised in Lancashire. The Post Adoption Letterbox system would benefit from being reviewed. The service is overseen by administrative staff who despite all of their best efforts may not appreciate the sensitivity of some of the information they are forwarding to children, adopters and birth families. Current storage facilities for the Letterbox scheme are also not adequate. The inspection team recommends that the letterbox system should have some social work

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Birth parents and birth families are enabled to contribute to the maintenance of their

oversight in addition to the current administrative support. The inspection found evidence that although social workers appreciated the significance of Life Story work with a child or children that for many other workload pressures made it Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 40 difficult for them to prioritise this important work. The need to offer caseload weighting to those undertaking Life Story work should form part of the service’s action plan. The service may also benefit from taking a whole systems approach to the issue of Life Story work and encouraging the involvement of the Initial Assessment, Family Support and Permanence teams in collecting and collating information from Birth Families. The inspection found that there were examples of sensitive and child focused letters for later life on the child’s adoption file. The inspection team recommends that this should be implemented throughout the service.

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includes providing information about local and national support groups and services

and helping birth parents to fulfil agreed plans for contact. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 Lancashire has put in place services to meet the needs of birth parents and birth families. These services fall short of a clear strategy and the inspection team recommends that a strategy should be developed to ensure that the uptake of support from After Adoption is increased, and that all birth parents and birth families are given the opportunity to access independent support and advice. The inspectors recommend that the strategy for working with birth parents and their families should include how Lancashire will develop and implement their own standards of practice of working with birth families across the service. The strategy could also outline the role of other agencies in the County in providing ongoing support to birth parents and birth families both before and after adoption. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 41

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The intended outcomes for the following set of standards are:

• Each adoption agency has an adoption panel which is organised efficiently

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children suitable for adoption, the suitability of prospective adopters and

the matching of children and approved adopters.

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children suitable for adoption, the suitability of prospective adopters and

• The adoption agency’s decisions are made to promote and safeguard the welfare of children.

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Adoption panels have clear written policies and procedures about the handling of

their functions and ensure that they are implemented. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 Lancashire has two Adoption Panels. Lancashire had recently appointed an Independent Chairperson for both of their panels. There is a designated Panel Advisor who supports the functioning of the Adoption Panels. The panel has a constitution for the conduct of panel business that has been in place since 1995. The service was in the process of reviewing and revising policy and procedure in line with recent changes in legislation. The inspection found evidence that the panel had made recommendations on one occasion when the panel had not been quorate. These recommendations had then been held over to the following panel where they were ratified. The ratification of these cases was a formality and each of the cases did not receive further full consideration by a quorate panel. The service had been asked to review these cases and

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Adoption panels have clear written policies and procedures about the handling of

to satisfy themselves and the commission that the welfare of no children had been compromised. At the time of writing this review had been undertaken and a report prepared which confirmed that all the recommendations were appropriate. The service must ensure that the Adoption Panel only makes recommendations when they are quorate. The inspection team recommends that Lancashire should review current Adoption Panel policy and procedure and make amendments within an agreed timescale to ensure that both panels function in accordance with Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and National Minimum Standards. The Adoption Panel gave prospective adopters the opportunity to attend the panel and be heard. The Adoption Panel had developed some good practice concerning informing prospective adopters who were attending about any delay in the meeting. The service had acknowledged that the impact of adopters attending panel would increase the length of

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Adoption panels have clear written policies and procedures about the handling of

panel business. The inspection team recommends that each Adoption Panel allocates enough time for each item on the agenda to allow the panel members to stick to the timing and avoid panel business running on wherever possible. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 42

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from overseas and seeks advice, when necessary, on the laws and eligibility criteria

for the overseas country. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 At the time of the inspection the Adoption Panel’s were struggling to manage the volume of work coming forward and were trying to resolve some of the difficulties associated with the absence of the medical advisor. The need for Lancashire to have an enhanced medical advice service has already been highlighted during earlier sections of this report. The contingency put in place for medical advice was just being implemented at the time of the inspection. The inspection team found that the effective functioning of the Adoption Panels and the service as a whole had been compromised by the lack of medical advice since November 2004. Lancashire were aware that new panel members should have an opportunity to observe an Adoption Panel before they take up their duties. The newly appointed chairperson had observed both panels before she commenced. The inspection found evidence that the

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from overseas and seeks advice, when necessary, on the laws and eligibility criteria

adoption panels would benefit from a wider and more representative membership. The new independent chairperson expressed a strong desire to recruit a birth parent to both panels and to increase the representation on the panels of black and ethnic minority members. The inspection team fully supports her intentions. The service had planned panel training in March 2005, however the inspection team would recommend that the service give urgent attention to the need for the adoption panel to have joint training with the adoption agency’s staff. The Panel Advisor provided members of both Adoption Panels with regular updates on changes in regulation, guidance and legislation. The inspection team found evidence that not all panel members had had the relevant Criminal Records Bureau and status checks before they had started work on the panel. The service must ensure that all panel members have had the necessary checks before they

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from overseas and seeks advice, when necessary, on the laws and eligibility criteria

start work. This issue is cross-referenced to Standard 28.

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from overseas and seeks advice, when necessary, on the laws and eligibility criteria

Is the panel a joint panel with other local authorities? NO

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requirements?

NO Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 43

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to avoid delays in the consideration of prospective adopters and matching children

and adopters. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 The inspection team found substantial evidence that at the time of the inspection that the Adoption Panels were struggling to deal with the volume of adoption business in a timely way. The Panel Advisor tried to ensure that children’s cases received priority. However staff in the service were of the view that there was insufficient time available on panel to avoid causing some delay in the progression of a number of children’s cases. The inspection team found a great deal of evidence through case tracking, file reading and adopters’ questionnaires that the Adoption Panel was contributing to delay in the service. The service must review the frequency of the Adoption Panels if delay in the progression of children’s care plans is to be avoided. The inspection team considers that the Panel minutes were not accurate and informative. They did not reflect the full discussion of panel members and did not clearly state the

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to avoid delays in the consideration of prospective adopters and matching children

reasons for conclusions reached and all recommendations made. File reading confirmed that single minute items on files seen did not record who was in attendance. The service should ensure that Panel minutes record who is in attendance at any time. Individual minutes placed on children’s or adopter’s files should also have a front sheet informing the reader of which Panel members were in attendance when the recommendation was made. This will enable the Panel to evidence whether they were quorate and also evidence when a Panel member has had to stand down due to a conflict of interest.

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recommendation of the adoption panel and promotes and safeguards the welfare of

the child. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 At the time of the inspection the Agency Decision Maker was the Quality and Review Manager. The inspection team found evidence from several quarters that decisions are not made in a timely fashion. The Agency Decision Maker did not read all the information available to them, but was briefed about any contentious issues by the Panel Adviser. The inspection team found evidence that the Agency Decision Maker had not had the opportunity of signing the minute which formally approved the agency decision on several files reviewed as part of the case tracking. The inspection team support the decision by the agency to review and revise the role of the Agency Decision Maker. Lancashire planned to give the responsibility to the Head of Children’s Social Care. The Head of Care must be mindful that the service must develop more efficient and effective methods of conveying in writing, panel’s recommendation and her subsequent decision to

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recommendation of the adoption panel and promotes and safeguards the welfare of

children, parents and prospective and approved adopters within the required timescale. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 44

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The intended outcomes for the following set of standards are:

• The adoption agency is provided and managed by those with the appropriate

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The people involved in carrying on and managing the adoption agency:

• possess the necessary knowledge and experience of child care and

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adoption law and practice and

• have management skills and financial expertise to manage the work

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efficiently and effectively and

• ensure that it is run on a sound financial basis and in a professional manner. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 The County Manager has the necessary qualifications and experience to conduct an adoption service. Some Team Managers are also well -qualified and experienced in adoption work. The inspection team could not find evidence to support the view that the strategic management of the service was efficient and effective. This is despite the hard work and activity, which was evident throughout the inspection. The inspection team were concerned that practice could be so variable across the county. In one area staff, Team Leaders and the Team Manager were mindful of the need to evidence their quality assurance of children’s assessments and plans and adopters’ assessments. In other areas this did not take place consistently. The inspection found substantial evidence of business planning activity in each of the four

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efficiently and effectively and

areas. Targets were set for the recruitment of adopters and other general areas of performance of each team. But there was little evidence that the business plans were being reviewed by senior managers in the service and amended to take account of the individual needs in each of the areas. The inspection team acknowledges that Lancashire has a large adoption service that had increased the numbers of children placed and waiting for adoption over the past two years. The inspection team also acknowledges that the service was in transition at the time of the inspection. The Family Placement Review had recommended significant changes, not least a change in the senior management structure of the adoption service. This context may have contributed to the lack of strategic direction and leadership at the time of the inspection, but cannot account for all of it. The inspection team consider that the service should review and enhance the current arrangements for the strategic management

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efficiently and effectively and

of the service as part of the action plan. The inspection team considers that the service must implement the proposals of the Family Placement Review within the given timescale to ensure that the adoption service does not continue to drift, and to ensure that the efforts of frontline staff are supported and managed and resources in the service are effectively targeted. Further to this the inspection team considers that the adoption service would benefit from a whole systems approach to understanding adoption and permanence. Team Managers and Team Leaders should have the opportunity to access training in updating their skills in the preparation and supervision of Forms E and the processes of an adoption service, including the National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 as a starting point. The manager had a clear job description, which set out their duties and responsibilities and

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efficiently and effectively and

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 45 level of delegation.

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voluntary organisation or business concerned with safeguarding and promoting the

welfare of children. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 3 The inspection found evidence that the service manager was a suitable person to run a business concerned with safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The service manager had a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau check. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 46

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The intended outcomes for the following set of standards are:

• The adoption agency is organised and managed efficiently, delivering a good quality service and avoiding confusion and conflicts of role.

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Standard 16 (16.1 – 16.7)

The adoption agency is managed effectively and efficiently. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 As has already been stated the inspection found substantial evidence that the service was not managed efficiently or effectively as a whole. We have already spoken about the need for the proposed Family Placement Review to be implemented and for the lengthy period of uncertainty regarding the restructuring proposals to be brought to an end. The senior managers of the service advised that there was a performance management approach to the children’s management group and all senior managers have access to the service’s Performance Indicators. (PI’s) The Head of Children’s Services and the Head of Children’s Social Care had recognised that the adoption service had required a complete review and the inspection found evidence of extensive consultation and a comprehensive assessment of the service by an independent

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Standard 16 (16.1 – 16.7)

consultancy, which was completed in the Summer of 2004.

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Standard 16 (16.1 – 16.7)

The Head of Children’s Social Care acknowledged that the improved PI’s within the service did not reflect efficient and effective management systems in all areas, but rather exposed some of the weaknesses in the service. The inspection found evidence, that at the time of the inspection, Lancashire were reacting to and not managing the external pressures from national government and from the courts concerning adoption issues. The County Manager advised that the Statement of Purpose linked to the Service Plan. Whilst the Statement of Purpose reflected some of the services offered at the time of the inspection, some staff expressed concern that it was rapidly becoming out of date. As we have already stated the Statement of Purpose may benefit from offering more specific information about the monitoring and quality assurance of the service. There is a clearly defined structure to the service, which is well understood. However as we

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Standard 16 (16.1 – 16.7)

have already stated some of the key aspects of reviewing and developing services seem to get lost between the front line staff and the service manager. For example preparation training is delivered by social work staff, reviewed by Team Leaders and then Team Managers. The outcome of this activity does not appear to be structured and then changes implemented in a timely fashion. There are examples of this pattern of activity, with no clear outcome, that are duplicated across the service. The inspection team found evidence that the service should enhance current systems to ensure that staff working with children, prospective/approved adopters and birth parents, take into account and respect their racial origin, religion, culture, language, sexuality and gender and disability. Staff interviews and observation of panel confirmed that some staff were using inappropriate language to describe the needs of children and the ability of

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Standard 16 (16.1 – 16.7)

adopters to meet those needs. This area should be addressed by the recommended training in the preparation and supervision of Forms E and Forms F and clearer guidance to all staff on implementing anti-discriminatory practice and challenging oppressive attitudes. Of the complaints figures below there were 8 complaints in total, two were upheld and three were partly upheld. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 47

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There are clear written procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the

adoption agency and ensuring quality performance. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The service makes clear costs for inter-country adoption and levels of post adoption allowances paid. Service level agreements were reviewed with the assistance of the county contracts section and any necessary adjustments made. As has already been stated there was an urgent need to develop more effective and robust systems to monitor and control the activity of the whole service. This may involve a lighter touch in some areas and clearer monitoring of services offered in other areas in the county. As we have already discussed the service had been pleased to appoint an Independent Panel Chairperson with a great deal of expertise in adoption issues. The Independent Chairperson had been appointed to provide the service with information about the standards of practice in the service and it was hoped that this would begin to establish the development

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There are clear written procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the

of consistent standards of quality assurance in the Adoption Panels. At the time of the inspection these elements of the service were lacking, although the Service Manager and Head of Children’s Social Care acknowledged this. The service provided an annual report concerning the activity of the adoption service to the Children’s Board. The inspection team recommends that although the Executive Member is briefed monthly about developments in the service by the Head of Children’s Social Care, that these arrangements should be enhanced to ensure that the Executive Member receives a written report every six months on developments in and the performance of the adoption service. Lancashire does have access to excellent legal advice and can access other specialist advice concerning inter country adoption or any other issues where relevant. The role of specialist advisers should be supported by the development of a written protocol in line with

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There are clear written procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the

National Minimum Standards. A written protocol could be used to define the level of service needed as part of Lancashire’s action plan to develop an enhanced medical advice service.

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Quarterly?

Less than Quarterly? YES Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 48

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The adoption agency has access to specialist advisers and services appropriate to its

needs. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 Lancashire does have access to excellent legal advice. The Legal Advisers attend both panels and the agenda planning meetings. The inspection team would support their continued presence and guidance to the Adoption Panels as good practice. Both Legal Advisers are members of the BAAF legal group and can therefore offer up to date guidance to the service on changes in legislation and regulation. The service can access other specialist advice concerning inter country adoption or any other issues where relevant. The role of specialist advisers should be supported by the development of a written protocol in line with National Minimum Standards. As has been stated previously the written protocol could be used to develop and define the level of service needed as part of Lancashire’s action plan to implement an enhanced medical advice service for the county. The need to have ready access to expert medical advice for children and adults is central to

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The adoption agency has access to specialist advisers and services appropriate to its

the adoption service in Lancashire. This standard is cross referenced to other standards in the report, including standards 11, 2, 5 and 6. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 49

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The intended outcome for the following set of standards is:

• The people who work in the adoption agency are suitable to work with children

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Anyone working in or for the adoption agency are suitable to work with children and

young people and to safeguard and promote their welfare. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection found that Lancashire has recruitment and selection procedures for appointing staff, which follow good practice in safeguarding children and young people and which meet National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003. All Social Workers are qualified and have opportunities for continued professional development. The service should review how they will support 20% of staff across the service to obtain the Child Care Award by April 2006. The inspection team found evidence that some social workers and their managers were very skilled and knowledgeable about their role and responsibilities in undertaking and supervising assessments. Others did not have an adequate understanding or knowledge of adoption. As has already been recommended the service should develop a whole system

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Anyone working in or for the adoption agency are suitable to work with children and

approach to training and supporting staff working in the field of adoption. This should involve knowledge about the legal framework of adoption and should include information on completing evidence based assessments of prospective adopters and the significance of the Forms E as an assessment of a child’s needs and as a document for later life. Lancashire commissions voluntary adoption agencies to complete section 51 counselling. These agencies are subject to the same inspection processes as Lancashire County Council and are also required to comply with National Minimum Standards and Voluntary Adoption Agency Regulations 2003. Support workers in the service are directly supervised by qualified social workers who are accountable for their work, however the inspection team recommends that any support workers in family centres or in fieldwork teams involved with birth parents receive training in the adoption process. Their work should also be supervised by a qualified social worker.

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equivalent?

What % of the adoption service’s social workers have a PQ award? 12 % Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 50

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Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective

service. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection team found evidence from discussions with social workers, team leaders and team managers in the service that they are managed by people who have appropriate skills and qualifications. Staff have access to management training and to training in the effective supervision of staff. All staff interviewed confirmed that they were well supported by their managers. The levels of management delegation are clearly defined and appropriate. Lancashire was in the process of piloting, in one area, a workload management system to determine, prioritise and monitor workloads. The need to develop an effective workload management system across the county was pressing given some of the pressures that the staff and some service users reported to the inspection team. As has already been stated workloads differed across the county. One social worker reported carrying 22 twin-tracking

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Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective

cases. Team Leaders and some Team Managers also reported that caseloads in the Permanence Fieldwork Teams were too high. All managers interviewed said caseloads were being reduced slowly, but that there was a need to develop a workload management system that acknowledged the complexity of twin-tracking work. Other social workers in the Permanence Family Placement Teams reported improvements in their workload, and considered that the management of the service had offered assistance in commissioning out Section 51 counselling. The inspection team found that the service needed to develop and implement structures and systems across the county to ensure assessments and approvals of adopters are managed and implemented effectively. Lancaster and Morecambe Area provided evidence of effective management of activity, but in other areas this was far less apparent. The need to develop local and central systems to monitor the progression of adopters’ assessments and

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Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective

approvals should form part of the service’s action plan. Staff reported that on-going training and appropriate professional development opportunities are available, but that their workloads do not always allow attendance. Social workers were aware of the county’s membership of Research In Practice and some provided examples of training they had attended and found informative over the past twelve months. The inspection team recommends that Lancashire should consider the need to fund additional external training and to promote formal networking across the Adoption Service in the county. The inspection team fully supports the view from the Service Manager that staff may benefit from attending workshops with “inspirational” trainers in the field. The inspection team recommends that the need to open up the service and to encourage professional networks should take place after staff have had the opportunity to revisit best practice in

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Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective

undertaking and supervising Forms E and Forms F assessments. The inspection found that administrative support was variable across the county. The office base in the east of the county remains inadequate. We recommend that before the Family Placement Review is implemented consideration should be given to the levels of clerical and administrative support needed in each area to support the efficient and effective functioning of the adoption service. The inspection found evidence from prospective adopters that administrative procedures were, in the main, able to deal with enquiries promptly and courteously. This standard highlights the need for staff to be able to access a range of advice needed to provide a full service for children and to support prospective and approved adopters. The inspection found evidence that the Service Manager was willing and able to commission specialist advice on a case by case basis.

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Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective

However many social workers found it very difficult to access psychological services for Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 51 children and adopters in their area. The need to develop more consistent access to psychological advice should form part of the service’s action plan and can also be related to the need for the service to develop an enhanced medical advice service for children and prospective and approved adopters. Staff confirmed in interviews that they have had access to the Statement of Purpose and other relevant documents concerning their employment including guidance on Health and Safety and the GSCC’s code of practice as part of their induction and ongoing supervision.

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the needs of the adoption agency and they are appropriately supported and assisted

in providing a service. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection team found evidence that some areas of the county were more at risk from staff shortages and staff turnover than others. Lancaster and Morecambe Bay were effective at recruiting and retaining staff, other areas, particularly in the East and South had some difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff to the Fieldwork Teams. The service acknowledged these issues and had been working hard over a significant period of time to resolve staff shortages and develop contingencies to manage any additional work. The service had commissioned some staff to take on additional assessments. The inspection team found mixed evidence of the quality of some of the commissioned assessments undertaken. We also have some concerns, which were evidenced in the case tracking, that the use of commissioned assessments masks the demand for the continuing

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the needs of the adoption agency and they are appropriately supported and assisted

support service that approved adopters may need. The inspection team advise the service to review the current use of commissioned assessments to ensure that prospective and approved adopters are given the support they require to provide stable placements. The Senior Managers consider that the Family Placement Review proposals will resolve some of the staffing issues and strengthen the adoption service. Some managers in the service expressed concern that the Review would mean the loss of some of their front line staff in the restructuring. The inspection team recommends that the Senior Managers of the service should review this reallocation of staffing resources in light of this report. All staff in Lancashire County Council have access to flexible working hours, however as has already been stated the service acknowledged that more needed to be done to ensure that staff retention was supported in all areas of the county.

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Number of social work posts vacant

In the adoption service. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 52

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The adoption agency is a fair and competent employer, with sound employment

practices and good support for its staff. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 3 The inspection found evidence that Lancashire is a fair and competent employer. Staff who were interviewed confirmed that they were aware of a whistle blowing policy and procedure in accordance with National Minimum Standards.

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There is a good quality training programme to enhance individual skills and to keep

staff up-to-date with professional and legal developments. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection found that staff have access to a range of ongoing training and professional development opportunities. Training had been delivered by BAAF and some staff had accessed training from Research In Practice. As the inspection team have already stated the service would benefit from training in best practice in undertaking and supervising Forms E and Forms F assessments. Newly appointed staff confirmed that they were offered an effective induction to the service in line with national standards. The service acknowledged the need to develop and then implement a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP’s) which linked identified training needs of individuals to service outcomes. The service should ensure that the PDP’s are developed in line with National Minimum Standards and that they are implemented fully across the county.

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There is a good quality training programme to enhance individual skills and to keep

The inspection confirmed that each team meets regularly and has the opportunity of attending an annual development day. The County Manager participates in the county training group which evaluates and updates training offered to all staff. across the service Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 53

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The intended outcome for the following set of standards is:

• All appropriate records are maintained securely, kept and are accessible when required.

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maintained for each child, prospective and approved adopter with whom the agency

has worked. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection found evidence that the service was aware of the need to improve the quality of case records for children and prospective and approved adopters. As we have already stated in an earlier section of this report, some areas of the county had case records which evidenced consistent management oversight and supervision. However this level of practice was not seen consistently across the service. There was a policy on effective recording and a policy for file auditing and quality assurance. Again the inspection team found evidence that not all case files seen had been subject to monitoring within Lancashire’s own recording policies and procedures. The need to implement these current policies and procedures consistently across the service should form part of Lancashire County Council’s action plan. The service had acknowledged the need to enhance the current arrangements for the

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maintained for each child, prospective and approved adopter with whom the agency

secure storage of manual and computerised records for children and prospective/approved adopters. The service must archive adoption records to minimise the risk of damage from fire and water. This should form part of Lancashire’s action plan. Further to this the inspection team found evidence that adoption records were being held in some area teams whilst the adoption archive was sorting out current storage problems. If it is the intention of the service to keep full adoption records in area offices for any reason they should consider investing in fireproof filing cabinets. The inspection found evidence that records of status checks are kept on file. Lancashire was piloting the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) and were also trying to develop a client information system which offered reliable and secure data to the adoption service which was compatible with ICS. The integration of this adoption information system

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maintained for each child, prospective and approved adopter with whom the agency

may assist the service to enhance their monitoring and reporting of activity and should therefore be included in the service’s action plan. Supervisors’ decisions were seen on some of the case files tracked, but not all. In some cases Supervisors’ comments were seen on case files, but these fall short of National Minimum Standards and the inspection team consider that the service should implement current systems to ensure that decisions by supervisors are recorded on case files and are legible, clearly expressed, signed and dated. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 54

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way, to other adoption agencies and local authorities with whom it is working to effect

the placement of a child. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 The inspection found evidence from placing social workers that Lancashire provides information in a timely way to other services. The service had acknowledged that current arrangements to access confidential information via the County Manager did not meet Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations (1983) 2003 and as such needed to be amended to ensure that there was written policy and procedural instruction for all staff concerning access to information which met the National Minimum Standards and regulations.

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confidentiality and contents of files, including secure storage and access to case files

in line with regulations. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 Lancashire has developed written policies on the contents of case files including the child’s adoption file. Separate records are kept in accordance with National Minimum Standards, however the inspection found evidence that the current systems to monitor the quality and adequacy of records were not fully developed in all areas of the county. This standard is linked with Standard 25 and has the same good practice recommendation. The inspection found that all areas have filing cabinets where records can be stored securely. There is a system for keeping records of all complaints. Complaints are collated centrally. The County Manager had managed all complaints seen effectively and sensitively.

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Up-to-date, comprehensive personnel files are maintained for each member of staff

and member of the adoption panel. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 1 The inspection found that the personnel files for staff in the service had been subject to review and audit and now met National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003. All panel members’ files did not comply with National Minimum Standards and Local Authority Adoption Service Regulations 2003 and this is an issue that must be addressed by Lancashire in their action plan. This standard is cross-referenced to Standard 11 where the need for panel members’ files to comply with standards and regulations has already been addressed. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 55

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The intended outcome for the following standard is:

• The premises used by the adoption agency are suitable for the purpose.

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Standard 29 (29.1 – 29.5)

Premises used by the adoption agency are appropriate for the purpose. Key Findings and Evidence Standard met? 2 The inspection found evidence that all areas visited had identifiable offices which were accessible to staff and service users. Not all premises in the county were fit for purpose. Issues remained concerning the poor quality and cramped conditions in the East of the county. This should be addressed as part of the service’s action plan. Further to this the inspection team recommends that working adoption files should be stored within lockable rooms, which was not the case in Lancaster and Morecambe area. The service should implement the recent review of storage facilities for working and archived adoption files. This requirement and good practice recommendation is cross-referenced to standard 25 of this report. The adoption service has adequate insurance concerning damage to premises and contents.

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Standard 29 (29.1 – 29.5)

There is a corporate disaster recovery plan of which the adoption service is a part. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 56

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Date

Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 57

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D.1 Local authority manager’s comments/confirmation relating to the content and

accuracy of the report for the above inspection.

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D.1 Local authority manager’s comments/confirmation relating to the content and

We would welcome comments on the content of this report relating to the Inspection conducted on 22 nd February 2005 and any factual inaccuracies:

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D.1 Local authority manager’s comments/confirmation relating to the content and

Please limit your comments to one side of A4 if possible

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D.1 Local authority manager’s comments/confirmation relating to the content and

The comments were discussed at the meeting with the Lead Adoption Inspector and her Manager (13 th May 2005). The consensus was that the report was accepted. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 58

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Action taken by the CSCI in response to the provider’s comments:

Amendments to the report were necessary YES

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Action taken by the CSCI in response to the provider’s comments:

Comments were received from the provider YES

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Action taken by the CSCI in response to the provider’s comments:

Provider comments/factual amendments were incorporated into the final inspection report YES

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Action taken by the CSCI in response to the provider’s comments:

Provider comments are available on file at the Area Office but have not been incorporated into the final inspection report. The inspector believes the report to be factually accurate

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Note:

In instances where there is a major difference of view between the Inspector and the local authority adoption manager, both views will be made available on request to the Area Office.

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report:

Action plan was received at the point of publication YES

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report:

Action plan covers all the statutory requirements in a timely fashion YES

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report:

Action plan did not cover all the statutory requirements and required further discussion NO

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report:

Provider has declined to provide an action plan NO

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Public reports

It should be noted that all CSCI inspection reports are public documents. Lancashire County Council Adoption Service Page 59

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inspection conducted on the above date(s) and that I agree with the statutory

requirements made and will seek to comply with these.

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Signature

Designation Head of Children’s Social Care

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Date

Note: In instance where there is a profound difference of view between the Inspector and the Registered Provider both views will be reported. Please attach any extra pages, as applicable.

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Lancashire County Council Adoption Service / 22nd February 2005

Commission for Social Care Inspection 33 Greycoat Street London SW1P 2QF

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Lancashire County Council Adoption Service / 22nd February 2005

Telephone: 020 7979 2000 Fax: 020 7979 2111

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Lancashire County Council Adoption Service / 22nd February 2005

National Enquiry Line: 0845 015 0120 www.csci.org.uk

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Lancashire County Council Adoption Service / 22nd February 2005

S0000056564.V213550.R01 © This report may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of the Commission for Social Care Inspection

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Lancashire County Council Adoption Service / 22nd February 2005

The paper used in this document is supplied from a sustainable source

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