London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service

London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service Inspection report for la fostering agency

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SC042828 Unique reference number 29 September 2008 Inspection date Muhammed Harunur Rashid Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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London Borough of Hillingdon Address Civic Centre High Street UXBRIDGE Middlesex UB8 1UW 01895 277852 Telephone number

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Email

London Borough of Hillington Registered person Louise Hocking Registered manager Debbie Haith Responsible individual 4 September 2006 Date of last inspection .

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Email

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Email

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

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About this inspection

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

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008

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Brief description of the service

This is a Local Authority Fostering Service operated by the London Borough of Hillingdon. The service is based at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. Foster carers live throughout the Greater London area and many provide ethnic care to asylum seeking children and young people. The service has an approved number of family and friends as foster carers. There is also a respite-fostering scheme for children with disabilities. Placements are made by a separate team that is under the same overall management.

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Summary

This is a good service with some outstanding features. Children and young people's welfare is enhanced by good relationships that exist between staff, foster carers, children and young people. Children and young people's health care needs are well met. Children and young people are living in safe environment. They are attending schools regularly. Staff are well supported by the Registered Manager and fostering team manager who have commitment to promoting the welfare of children and young people and focusing on improvement. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The Registered Manager was asked to ensure that a formal quality assurance system is put in place, safety matters identified in a foster carer's home are resolved, foster carers' are given children's health care plans, and that the fostering panel monitors the range and type of carers available to the authority in comparison with the needs of children. The fostering service met all the previous requirements and recommendations. These steps help to keep children and young people safe from risk of abuse and ensure their wellbeing.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The London Borough of Hillingdon fostering service has comprehensive policies and procedures in place to promote the health needs of children and young people. The fostering service works to obtain the resources required to promote and secure the best outcomes for children and young people. The service closely works with various agencies and health professionals, such as, Multi Agency Support Team (MAST), Looked After Children's (LAC) Nurse and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in order to meet children and young people's health care needs in full. Foster carers are given clear and easily understandable health care action plans for children and young people. The plans detail children and young people's specific and general health issues that are to be met and by whom. Foster carers are well supported and encouraged through the provision of health care training and the support provided by the

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Helping children to be healthy

fostering service. This helps to develop their skills to meet children and young people's individual health care needs. Foster carers maintain good records of all medical appointments children and young people attend. Records of medication administered are kept by the foster carers. Foster carers purchase first aid equipment and attend first aid training.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008 The fostering service's staff are recruited in accordance with the staff recruitment policy and procedure of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The Human Resources department carries out all relevant checks on staff prior to their appointments. Managers and social workers of the service are well qualified and experienced in the filed of fostering task, child protection, asylum work and supporting children in needs. All relevant checks on foster carers, panel members and other involved with children and young people are also carried out by the Human Resources department. Foster carers provide comfortable and safe environments for children and young people. The homes visited were warm, furnished and maintained to a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene. Foster carers are provided with first aid, basic health and hygiene courses. They

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

have purchased first aid boxes. Health and safety in the foster home and condition of the home are explored during assessment, at supervisory visits and during annual review. However, a foster carer's completed home safety checks was not dated or signed by staff to ascertain when this had been completed. A process is in place for matching children and young people to foster carers who have the skills and provision for meeting children and young people's individual needs. Where trans-racial placements are made carers are supported in meeting the cultural, dietary, language and other needs of children placed with foster carers. A comprehensive child protection policy and procedure is in place which protects children and young people. Foster carers are provided with child protection training and safe caring guidelines. Foster carers know that corporal punishment is not acceptable. The service maintains records of allegations made

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

against foster carers and how these are investigated. The last three fostering panel meeting's minutes demonstrated the correct composition as required by regulation. The meetings were quorate. There are clear decision making processes in place to support the effective functioning of the panel. The panel monitors the range and type of carers available to the authority in comparison with the needs of children. Currently the panel is chaired by an independent reviewing officer who is employed by the local authority. The service is in the process of recruiting an independent chair for the fostering panel.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The London Borough of Hillingdon accommodates people from a diverse community. Fostering staff and carers recruitment reflects this. Foster carers are recruited from a wide range of racial, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds. The fostering service promotes diversity and equality through various training for staff and foster carers. The Skills to Foster training course provides opportunities for foster carers to develop skills in the areas of matching needs, sex and sexuality, behavioural management and health and safety. The fostering service promotes education for children and young people. The fostering service closely works with the Looked After Children's Education Team. Children and young people have their Personal Education Plan. Foster carers encourage and support children and young people to attend schools. Exclusions from school amongst fostered children is very low. Foster carers support children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and young people with their homework. Evidence shows that 66.7% of fostered children have achieved one or more GCSE or equivalent in the last 12 months and eight former fostered children are attending various university courses. Under the Aiming High Agenda the service is developing the short-term breaks scheme to offer a wide range of services to disabled children. The fostering service is currently reviewing their policies and procedures. The service is closely working with the Marketing Department on specific targeted recruitment campaigns.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008 The fostering service encourage children and young people to maintain and develop family contacts as set in their care plans. Foster carers understand the importance of maintaining these relationships and are positive about the arrangements made for contacts. A good range of resources are available to the fostering service to promote contacts. Issues raised in contact are recorded and discussed in supervisory visits. There are appropriate mechanisms in place by which to consult children and young people, for example, children and young people's views are fully heard at the placement planning meetings. They are consulted during the LAC reviews. Children and Young people informed the Inspector that foster carers and social workers consult with them and discuss their concerns and issues. Children and young people are given

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Helping children make a positive contribution

information and publicity about the complaint procedure and have access to various advocacy services. The service amended their allowance policy as a direct result of listening to young people, for example, including extra allowances for telephone calls.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. The fostering service closely works with the leaving care team. Pathway plans are put in place for all 16 years old looked after young people for preparing them for adulthood. Foster carers encourage and support young people to develop living skills, for example, looking after personal spaces, travelling, budgeting, saving and shopping. Allowances and expenses are paid to all foster carers for enabling them to support children and young people, achieving good outcomes. Foster carers feel valued and children and young people are able to access the additional resources needed to ensure good outcomes.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Overall, good systems and support for staff, foster carers, children and young people are in place. The service has updated the Statement of Purpose which sets out the aims and objectives of the service. The service also has developed a guide for children and young people which is appropriate to the age and ability of the children and young people in foster care. The Registered Manager and the fostering team manager of the service are both very experienced and suitably qualified to manage the service. Both managers have several years of management experiences in fostering services and other child care settings. The service is well managed with effective management structure in place. There are clear procedures for monitoring and managing the activities of the service. Managers are monitoring the performance of staff and ensure that social worker's assessments, reports and health action plans are completed to high standards.

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Organisation

Fostering staff are well supported by regular supervision and appraisals from their line managers. Weekly team meetings take place which promote good communication amongst the staff team. Social workers informed the Inspector that they have opportunities to attend both internal and external training for their professional developments. Children and young people are supported by a good mixture of skilled and experienced foster carers and staff. Supervising social workers conduct monthly supervision to foster carers. Supervision notes cover all areas of individual children's needs, for example, health, education and contacts. Social workers from the Looked After Children's team visit children and young people at home and in some cases at schools. Foster carers receive various training in order to develop their knowledge and skills to provide high standards of care and support to children and young people. Appropriate out of hours

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Organisation

support is in place for foster carers. Currently the service has 10 kinship foster carers and has employed a qualified social worker to take lead on Kinship fostering. Children's and foster 6 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008 carers' case records are well maintained. The service has introduced a new electronic recording system called Integrated Care System (ICS). Managers advised the Inspector that this system will enable them to maintain the fostering service's records more efficiently. The office is suitable for its stated purpose. Although it is an open plan office it provides positive sides, such as regular interaction between fostering staff and managers. Administrative staff informed the Inspector that facilities and equipment provided to them are sufficient to do their works. They support the fostering team very effectively.

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Statutory requirements

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

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that foster carers' home safety checks are signed and dated to ascertain when these were completed (NMS 6) • recruit an independent fostering panel chair to ensure the transparency and full independence of the panel (NMS 30) • review the policies and procedures of the short-term breaks for children in foster care (NMS 31). 7 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service promotes the health and development of children (NMS 12). Ofsted considers 12 the key standard to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• any persons carrying on or managing the service are suitable (NMS 3) • the fostering service provides suitable foster carers (NMS 6) • the service matches children to carers appropriately (NMS 8) • the fostering service protects each child or young person from abuse and neglect (NMS 9) • the people who work in or for the fostering service are suitable to work with children and young people (NMS 15) • fostering panels are organised efficiently and effectively (NMS 30) Ofsted considers 3, 6, 8, 9, 15 and 30 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service values diversity (NMS 7) • the fostering service promotes educational achievement (NMS 13) • when foster care is provided as a short-term break for a child, the arrangements recognise that the parents remain the main carers for the child (NMS 31) Ofsted considers 7, 13 and 31 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service promotes contact arrangements for the child or young person (NMS 10) • the fostering service promotes consultation (NMS 11) Ofsted considers 10 and 11 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the fostering service prepares young people for adulthood (NMS 14) • the fostering service pays carers an allowance and agreed expenses as specified (NMS 29) Ofsted considers none of the above to be key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• there is a clear statement of the aims and objectives of the fostering service and the fostering service ensures that they meet those aims and objectives (NMS 1) • the fostering service is managed by those with the appropriate skills and experience (NMS 2) • the fostering service is monitored and controlled as specified (NMS 4) 8 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008

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Annex A

• the fostering service is managed effectively and efficiently (NMS 5) • staff are organised and managed effectively (NMS 16) • the fostering service has an adequate number of sufficiently experienced and qualified staff (NMS 17) • the fostering service is a fair and competent employer (NMS 18) • there is a good quality training programme (NMS 19) • all staff are properly accountable and supported (NMS 20) • the fostering service has a clear strategy for working with and supporting carers (NMS 21) • foster carers are provided with supervision and support (NMS 22) • foster carers are appropriately trained (NMS 23) • case records for children are comprehensive (NMS 24) • the administrative records are maintained as required (NMS 25) • The premises used as offices by the fostering service are suitable for the purpose (NMS 26) • the fostering service is financially viable (NMS 27) • the fostering service has robust financial processes (NMS 28)

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Annex A

• local authority fostering services recognise the contribution made by family and friends as carers (NMS 32) Ofsted considers 1, 16, 17, 21, 24, 25 and 32 the key standards to be inspected. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hillingdon Fostering Service, 29 September 2008

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