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London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team Inspection report for la fostering agency

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SC040284 Unique reference number 7 March 2008 Inspection date Jill Marriott Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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London Borough of Hackney Address Directorate of Social Services 205 Morning Lane LONDON E9 6JX 020 8356 6304 Telephone number

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Email

London Borough of Hackney Registered person Paul Owen Registered manager Paul Owen Responsible individual 4 December 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 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008

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Brief description of the service

The London Borough of Hackney Social Services Department provides a comprehensive fostering service as part of its overall service provision for children looked after by the Local Authority. The fostering teams are an integral part of Hackney's Children and Family Services. The primary role of the fostering team is to recruit foster carers from the local area and to find suitable placements for children. A diverse group of foster carers is sought from a range of social, ethnic and religious backgrounds that match the needs of children and young people in the care system. Services provided include: an initial enquiries desk for people wanting to foster, the assessment of applications, group preparation and training for prospective carers. Ongoing training, information, support and seminar days are also available. All carers are assigned a supervising social worker who is responsible for monitoring and supporting foster carers and

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Brief description of the service

placements. The fostering staff teams come from a range of professional backgrounds and reflect the ethnic make up of the local community. Support groups and social events are organised by the service and foster carers have access to an out of hours phone line and emergency duty social work team. Carers are encouraged to become members of the Hackney Foster Carers Association and/or the Fostering Network. Foster carers receive allowances and separate fees. They have access to a quarterly news letter, equipment loans and computers. There are a range of professionals linked to the service who are available to offer support to foster carers and the children placed with them. These services include Looked After Children education and health specialists. Carers are expected to work closely with each child's social worker to maximise the success of the placement. The approval of each foster carer is reviewed

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Brief description of the service

annually by the foster panel who make recommendation to the agency decision maker about re-approval.

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Summary

This was an announced lighter touch inspection which focused on the key fostering standards and the requirements made at the previous inspection. Overall Hackney Local Authority Fostering Service is judged as providing good services. The inspection found that the fostering service has an experienced management team supporting skilled and experienced social workers, support workers and foster carers. There are sound policies and procedures in place, which are well known to both staff and carers. The service keeps records which detail how children are appropriately matched with carers who are supported to meet their needs. The foster panel was observed as part of the inspection, it is fully functioning and deals effectively with panel business. 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

Hackney Local Authority Fostering Service has met five of the six requirements made at the last inspection. The unmet requirement has been repeated in this report and one further requirement has been made. Three recommendations have been made. At the last inspection the service was asked to ensure that health and safety checks are carried out annually on foster carers homes. Foster carers keep relevant electrical and gas appliance certificates and ensure that they have appropriate home and car insurance. The supervising social workers check health and safety documentation prior to the review of each carers' approval. Files contain appropriate 4 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008 information regarding arrangements for children to have contact with family and friends and these are reviewed during the child care review process. The fostering team has a computerised

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Improvements since the last inspection

monitoring system in place to ensure that Criminal Records Bureau disclosures for all staff, carers, panel members and significant people are renewed every three years. The above improvements help to maximise the safety of children and young people placed by the fostering service.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Foster carers receive a comprehensive induction and ongoing training to enable them to identify and address the health needs of children in placement. Carers are confident about their roles and responsibilities and understand the roles of other professionals involved with the children in their care. The service ensures that carers are given clear and easily understandable information related to the health needs of young people placed with them. Initial verbal health information is provided in all cases. Essential information is given at the placement planning meeting or within 72 hours of an emergency placement being made. Information details how each child's specific and general health needs will be addressed and outlines the responsibilities of key people involved. Health issues which may be related to the child's ethnicity, race, disability, sexuality and religion are considered and included in the health planning process. It

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Helping children to be healthy

is each carers responsibility to ensure that children remain in good health. There are specific systems in place to ensure services are provided to meet the needs of children with more complex health issues. These services are provided by specialist health workers from the children's mental health team (CAMHS). The fostering service works in partnership with other key agencies to obtain the resources required to promote and secure good health outcomes for children. Carers are supported to understand their role within the process. There is a Looked After Children's health team, whose role it is to work with parents, carers and other key professionals and to review and monitor outcomes for children. The team ensure medicals are carried out and immunisations are up to date. They are involved in training for carers and social workers. The team includes a medical advisor and specialist nurses. A representative of the

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Helping children to be healthy

children's health team sits on the foster panel. Statistics show that a high percentage of children and young people in foster care have regular medical checks and have an up to date health record which includes information about each child's general practitioner (GP), highlights health appointments and includes a record of immunisation. Children's health needs are reviewed every six months as part of the child care review process. Where appropriate carers have consent to obtain emergency medical treatment for the children in their care.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. There is a clear management structure within the service and the management team are suitably qualified and experienced. The social work team also hold relevant qualifications and are suitably experienced for the work they do. Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures (CRB) are renewed every three years and two appropriate references are required prior to a confirmed offer of employment. Children are placed with carers who have been assessed as being able to meet their needs. Foster carers are responsible for ensuring that the welfare of each child placed with them is safeguarded. General overall information regarding the background of each child is available prior to, or as close to the start of each placement as is possible. Carers are supported to acquire specific equipment and where necessary aids and adaptations for children with 5 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

specific health needs. All of the homes visited during the inspection were welcoming, warm and homely. Each foster carer is responsible for ensuring that electrical and gas safety certificates are up to date and appropriate home and car insurance is in place. A heath and safety check of foster carers homes is carried out each year as part of the foster carers review of approval process. Generally children are matched with carers from the same or similar backgrounds. Where this is not possible, support is offered with regard to the child's culture, ethnicity, language and/or religious identity and this is included in the placement plan. Support is available for carers who are looking after children from a different ethnic or cultural background. Carers are very much aware of their own roles and responsibilities with regard to children placed with them. The overall needs of each child in foster care are reviewed and monitored every six months

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

at the statutory child care review meeting. The service has appropriate child protection policies and procedures in place. All staff and carers have regular training related to the protection of children. Carers are aware of their roles and responsibilities regarding safe care. They understand the reporting procedure to follow with regard to allegations, incidents, accidents and complaints. The foster panel was observed during the inspection. The panel serves children well. It is well managed with effective membership made up of people who are experienced and understand the needs of children. The panel are responsible for the registration and cancellation of carers approval and for considering exemptions and extensions to placements. They also consider issues that have been identified during the assessment process. Where appropriate the panel will hear complaints and appeals against panel recommendations. Foster carers are invited to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

panel for their yearly review of approval. The decision making process where there is a disagreement between panel members is not clearly described in the panel procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The service recruits carers that can meet the needs of the children placed. Policies and procedures are in place which value diversity and equality and aim to ensure care is provided to support children from different ethnic backgrounds. Carers and children said that the service is sensitive to issues related to gender, religion, ethnic origin, language, culture, disability and sexuality. Children and young people are supported by foster carers to attend a range of out of school activities. Opportunities are available for children to attend sporting activities and after school clubs such as cubs, brownies and guides. Young people are happy with activities and after school support provided for them. There are procedures in place to ensure that the plan for each child's education is available to the carer and child at the start of the placement. Where possible children remain at the school they attend, where this is not possible a local school

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

placement is found. Young people not in school receive home tuition and older children have access to college and work experience. There is a Looked After Children's education team who are actively involved with all young people looked after by the local authority. Carers are informed about the key people and services available with regard to education. They attend personal education planning meetings (PEPS) open evenings and school events and activities. Young people said that they are supported by their foster carers who help with homework and discuss schooling with them. Where appropriate parents are also involved in the education of their children. Staff and foster carers understand the value and importance of their roles with regard to the children's educational development. All staff and carers receive regular supervision and attend training related to the education of the young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008 Arrangements for children to remain in touch with family and friends is promoted by the service. Contact is arranged at the initial placement planning meeting and is constantly reviewed and monitored at six monthly child care reviews. Foster carers have access to initial and refresher training related to talking and listening to children and young people. There are systems in place to enable children to have their say about the care and support they receive. Children participate in interviews for posts within the children's division and are consulted about local services and events. Children are consulted about their placements as part of the child care review process. Children are encouraged to participate in the planning, management and evaluation of services and activities. Some are more involved than others. The service is working

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Helping children make a positive contribution

with carers and children to try to engage more young people in the consultation process, which takes place each year. The consultation feedback shows that children in general do feel that their contributions are taken seriously. Young people in foster care are involved in a pilot project to chair their own reviews. The results of this project will be reviewed and will have an effect on the way future child care reviews are organised. In general children are consulted about their care. Their views are listened to and taken seriously. Some young people did not see their own social worker regularly and sometimes only saw them at their child care review. Placement plans do not all include the details of visits to be undertaken by the children's social workers. Children receive information about the fostering service at the start of their placement (Children's Guide to Service). They said that they would approach their social worker or their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

foster carer if they wanted to make a complaint. Children have made complaints to the fostering service and these have been resolved with satisfactory outcomes. Complaints are appropriately recorded on children's and carers' files. Not all complaints made with regard to the fostering service have been resolved within reasonable timescales or within the timescales included in the local authority complaints procedure.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Children are encouraged to achieve in their placements, they receive appropriate support from foster carers to reach an appropriate level of independence prior to living independently in the community. There are systems in place to ensure that young people are supported by the service through the transition period to independence and beyond. The fostering team has strong links with the leaving care service which assists young people to access appropriate accommodation and supported to ensure they are enabled to achieve independence in a way that meet their individual needs. Carers are committed to supporting young people placed with them to realise and achieve their goals and attain an appropriate level of skills for adult life. Information about the payment systems in place and the breakdown of allowances is available in the foster carer's handbook. Carers are given details of payments at the start of each placement. Allowance levels

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Achieving economic wellbeing

fully support children to pursue education and leisure activities. The finance available ensures each young persons every day needs can be met in the placement.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The fostering service has a strong, well qualified and experienced management team. The team are supportive and approachable while maintaining professional boundaries and exercising clear management responsibilities. The statement of purpose clearly outlines how services will be provided. The children's guide to service is appropriate for older children but would prove difficult for younger children to understand. The recruitment procedure ensures that all people 7 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008 working for the service are recruited appropriately to maximise the safety of children and young people placed. Staff are suitable experienced and qualified to undertake the roles for which they are employed. The support and development needs of staff, carers and managers are identified through the supervision training and appraisals system in place. Supervising social

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Organisation

workers support carers to provide appropriate services for children and young people. Visits to carers are planned and take place regularly. There are opportunities for carers to attend regular support groups which take place during the day and in the evening. Information regarding services for children is available in the foster carer's handbook and is discussed with carers during supervision. There are good systems in place to ensure regular contact between carers and their supervising social worker. Children are regularly asked about their placement and they are consulted as part of the carers review of approval. Case records for children have recently been transferred to a computerised system. The system is in its very early stages and records are still being moved into appropriate easy read folders. Information seen was in general up to date and provides a comprehensive case record which details the nature and quality of

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Organisation

care provided. Administrative records are kept appropriately. Separate records are kept for children, carers and members of staff. There is a procedure in place for recording allegations and complaints, this procedure has not been followed in all cases. A record of complaints and allegations is kept but actions taken and outcomes are not always up to date. All confidential information is stored appropriately in locked storage units. Children where appropriate and carers are informed of the procedure in place regarding access to files. The building used to house the fostering service is by no means perfect. The service has adequate space, lighting and equipment to enable members of staff to carry out their day to day work but it is in need of general refurbishment and redecoration. New premises have been identified for the service and will be available for use in two years time (2010). The fostering service has relevant policies

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Organisation

and procedures in place, which are clear and support long term, short term, respite and kinship fostering arrangements.

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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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Due date Action Standard

30 May 2008 to ensure that children's placement plans include information about how often children will be visited by their social worker. (NMS 11. Regulation 34 (3) schedule 6(5).) 30 May 2008 to ensure that all complaints and allegations are kept in the appropriate complaints/allegations file with actions taken and outcomes properly recorded. (NMS 25(2) Regulation 42(1) Schedule 7(3)(4) )

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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): 8 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008 • to ensure the foster panel procedures section on disagreements between panel members is expanded to include how such matters will be resolved. (NMS 30.2) • to ensure that all complaints are responded to within acceptable timescales which relate to the complaints policies and procedure in place for the fostering service. (NMS 11.5) • to ensure that the Childrens Guide to the fostering service is written in a way that is understandable to older and young children. (NMS 1.5) 9 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 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) 10 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 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. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: London Borough of Hackney Fostering Team, 7 March 2008

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