Setting

X10029.doc Version 1.40 Page 1 FOSTERING SERVICE

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GL1 2TR

Lead Inspector Diana Waters Announced Inspection 14th November 2005 09:30 Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 2 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:

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GL1 2TR

• Put the people who use social care first • Improve services and stamp out bad practice • Be an expert voice on social care • Practise what we preach in our own organisation

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GL1 2TR

Reader Information Document Purpose Inspection Report Author CSCI Audience General Public Further copies from 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Copyright This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI Internet address www.csci.org.uk Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 3 This is a report of an inspection to assess whether services are meeting the needs of people who use them. The legal basis for conducting inspections is the Care Standards Act 2000 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for this establishment are those for Fostering Services. They can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or obtained from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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GL1 2TR

Every Child Matters, outlined the government’s vision for children’s services and formed the basis of the Children Act 2004. It provides a framework for inspection so that children’s services should be judged on their contribution to the outcomes considered essential to wellbeing in childhood and later life. Those outcomes are: • Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and achieving • Making a contribution; and • Achieving economic wellbeing.

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GL1 2TR

In response, the Commission for Social Care Inspection has re-ordered the national minimum standards for children’s services under the five outcomes, for reporting purposes. A further section has been created under ‘Management’ to cover those issues that will potentially impact on all the outcomes above.

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GL1 2TR

Copies of Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004 are available from The Stationery Office as above This report is a public document. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the prior permission of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 4

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Name of service

Address Gloucestershire County Council Shire Hall Westgate Street Gloucester GL1 2TR

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manager (if applicable)

Type of registration Local Auth Fostering Service

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of places

Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 5

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Conditions of registration:

Date of last inspection 28th January 2005 Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 6

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Brief Description of the Service:

At the point of the inspection it was reported that the Gloucestershire Social Service Fostering Service had a total of 278 registered foster carers. A total of 222 children were placed with mainstream carers (125 boys and 97 girls), a further 56 children were in specific placements (33 boys and 23 girls). The fostering service is divided in to the following components:

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Fostering Recruitment Team (FRT) recruits, trains and assesses prospective carers and has the stated aim of offering support for up to a year post-approval prior to carers transferring to STEPS or PFT. This team also includes a children with disabilities post, and a supported lodgings post.

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Short-Term Placement Service (STEPS) supports short-term, emergency and respite carers. This team also undertakes re-assessment of foster carers wishing to offer a permanent foster placement to young people in their care.

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Permanence Fostering Team (PFT) supports long-term foster carers and recruits, assesses and supports long term carers. This team also undertakes assessments and support of friends and family carers. This work was transferring from the field work teams during 2005/6

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Family Link Service operates with a large degree of independence from the other three components of the fostering service, it has separate line management and has a different geographical base, and it has developed its own statement of purpose and a specific foster care agreement. Whilst one Family Link Scheme placement was tracked it should be acknowledged that this aspect of the inspection was limited. Future inspections may be able to focus in more detail on the Family Link Service.

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Single Referral Service (SRS) has within 2005 come under the management remit of the Looked After Children’s services manager. SRS attempts to find placement vacancies for children and young people referred to the service, this includes locating appropriate foster placements. The team operate from a different geographical base than the fostering teams, but are in the same location as the LAC service manager and fostering service manager.

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Brief Description of the Service:

The Multi-Agency Family Support Service. (MAFSS ) ) is a scheme that has been developed to provide specialist placements for a small number of difficult to place young people and aims to provide a wrap around support service, consultation and support to foster carers and staff, the senior practitioner (fostering) post is now situated within the FRT team

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Brief Description of the Service:

The newly appointed Fostering Service Manager was the person nominated under Regulation 10 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2001. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 7

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SUMMARY

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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SUMMARY

The inspection took place in November 2005. The inspector met • Nine young people and their carers at an evening arranged by the fostering service. • Visited 3 foster homes and spoke with 8 young people and 5 carers, inspected records in 2 homes. • Attended Foster Care Panel. • Inspected case files, interviewed managers and discussed cases with fostering and adoption officers • Liaised with carers at payment for skills discussion evening • Discussion group with fostering officers. • Telephone discussion with social workers. • Telephone discussion with carers. Questionnaires returned totalled: Social workers 147 Young people over 8 years 22 Carers: Family link 26, 1 friends and family, 1 mainstream.

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SUMMARY

Overall the service continues to move forward, there was evidence of pockets of good and excellent practise, with some areas for improvement identified by the fostering service prior to inspection. Some issues, i.e. Payment for skills, are under continuing discussion and consultation with a resolution due shortly.

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SUMMARY

The inspector would like to thank all young people, carers and staff for their assistance. A special thank you to the carers who helped the inspector by bringing young people to the discussion group and for the warm welcome in their homes. A very special thank you to those children and young people who saw the inspector more than once and still remained cooperative and communicative.

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What the service does well:

• The Looked After Children’s Service Manager continues to retain the confidence of the staff in the fostering resource, foster carers and field social workers. • Support to carers from fostering service officers continues to be rated well by carers; visits to carer’s are regular and well documented. • The group for carers birth children has been welcomed. • Annual reviews are up to date. • Young people’s reviews were found to be regular and reported to be conducted well. • Foster Panel members were seen to be alert to the training carer’s received/ needed and were monitoring safe care policies for carers. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 8

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What has improved since the last inspection?

• The appointment of the fostering services manager post • Recognition and appreciation of carers with Awards and dinner/dance. • Looked After Children documentation was present on all files examined, although the content varied. • Carers have a better understanding of the required LAC documentation • Communication with children with disabilities “I’ll go first” • Groups for carers are more widely available. • A rolling programme of training for foster carers. • Liaison with fostering officers about placement suitability. • Matching for long-term placements, which are now presented to foster care panel. • Unannounced visits were up to date • Safe Care policies were in place. • Fully staffed STEPS team and appointment of an interim team manager • Support available to carers from clinical and educational psychologists. • Selection, training and approval of MAFFS carers

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What they could do better:

• Extend the training programme for carers past the existing rolling programme. • Make placements within carers’ approval status and refrain from requesting carers to take young people significantly outside their approval status. • Improve the quality of information available from the field social workers at the point of referral/admission and on some LAC documentation. • Increase/ replenish the supply of carers with the relevant skills to provide the number and range of carers for targeted groups of young people and allow for careful matching and introductions, particularly with short-term placements. • Ensure that there is consistent liaison with field social workers of existing children in placement, before placing additional young people in these foster homes • Offer specific carers the same regularity of visiting as mainstream carers. • Adhere to regulations for Reg 38 placements • Foster Care Agreements must be signed by all carers

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What they could do better:

• The Foster Carer handbook should be updated and distributed to all carers. • Ensure all young people have an appropriate children’s handbook. • Complete the Payment for skills review Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 9 • Integrate the family link scheme into fostering services more comprehensively. Include family link carers in further training on the national minimum standards and regulations • Ensure attention to detail of foster panel compilation. • Ensure the fostering resource is fully staffed (Permanent fostering team and family link)

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What they could do better:

Please contact the provider for advice of actions taken in response to this inspection. The report of this inspection is available from enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk or by contacting your local CSCI office. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 10

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CONTENTS

Statutory Requirements Identified During the Inspection Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 11

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The intended outcomes these Standards are:

• The fostering service promotes the health and development of children.(NMS 12)

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The Commission considers Standard 12 the key standard to be

inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

The fostering service promotes the health and development of young people.

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EVIDENCE:

All the young people tracked were registered with a G.P. Children confirmed that carers were attentive to their health and welfare needs and examples were given by carers of sensitive handling of personal hygiene and health promotion issues. Carers were well informed about the health needs of the children although information at the point of admission did not always contain detailed health information. Carers continue to be offered training in first aid. School nurses were quoted as being available to give helpful support and advice to young people and carers. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 12

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The intended outcomes 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)

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The Commission considers Standards 3, 6, 8, 9, and 15 the key

standards to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

Overall and in general children were cared for safely. The service could improve performance and outcomes in this area by; increasing the provision of foster carers, ensuring children are placed within a carer’s terms of approval, improving the matching of short term placements, ensuring all carers sign foster care agreements and improving the quality of LAC documentation.

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EVIDENCE:

The personnel file on the newly appointed fostering services manager was not inspected at this inspection.

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EVIDENCE:

All homes visited were welcoming and well furnished; each child had their own bed and cupboard space. One child shared a bedroom with a carer’s child and one child with a disability shared with a child who stayed overnight on the family link scheme; both children stated they were happy with these arrangements.

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EVIDENCE:

Whilst all young people seen were content in their current placements and in some cases Foster Panel had agreed to long-term placements being made, it would appear that at the point of admission there had been insufficient information on some children to enable appropriate matching.

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EVIDENCE:

Consultation with social workers of existing young people in placement were asked their views wherever possible, although some social workers indicate Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 13 they were not consulted prior to the admission of other young people in to foster placements.

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EVIDENCE:

In the case of long-term placements, introductions were found to have taken place and some children tracked were able to return to carers where they had previously been on respite. Other young people visited had been given information about the carer before placement, but this good practice was not found to apply to all tracked cases.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers were found to be receptive to pre- placement visits and some had “family albums” that were available for children to see prior to placement. The inspector considered that this was good practise and their use should be promoted. Young people particularly valued going to known carers and having and knowing there were clear plans for themselves.

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EVIDENCE:

SRS were able to easily identify where young people had previously resided, they had a system where known carers with the relevant vacancies were approached with the first request if it was appropriate. Other carers identify that very little information is available to them about children who need placement, even in cases where the children are well known to the dept.

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EVIDENCE:

Limited placement choice meant that there are often times when the service has struggled to identify a suitable placement within a reasonable time scale, therefore creating” emergencies”, social workers are then given insufficient notice to plan introductions for young people to their placements.

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EVIDENCE:

One school proved very helpful, with advice that assisted carers in meeting the physical care needs of a trans-racial placement.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers had safe care guidelines on file and both pre and post approval training was available, carers interviewed were aware of the issues and clearly the work with carers in this area has progressed since the last inspection

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EVIDENCE:

Corporal punishment is clearly unacceptable and understood by all carers interviewed.

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EVIDENCE:

Some foster carer agreements were not signed by carers. Figures provided in January 2006 indicate 84% of carers have signed contracts on file, excluding specific carers and family link carers.

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EVIDENCE:

All concerns about children in placement are not clearly available to management in a readily available format. Complaints are not sufficiently well documented in the complaints records or easily traced in all cases.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers showed clear awareness of the issues in relation to bullying and children reported confidence in carers to deal appropriately with their concerns. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 14 Information provided about young people tracked this year, had improved, all the LAC documentation was present (if not at the point of admission within a short time) although the content of some LAC documentation was not comprehensive, this varied dependent on the allocated social worker.

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EVIDENCE:

New staff files audited were found to be well organised and of satisfactory standard, the only exception seen on one file was a gap in employment history that was not fully explained or recorded.

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EVIDENCE:

The inspector attended Foster care panel, observations include; Professional chairing of panel, with a clear explanation of the process, all members contribute and are involved in discussions and selected questions to applicants were appropriately asked. Panel minutes are comprehensive.

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EVIDENCE:

The following points were noted for action Independent members of panel should include at least one person who is or within the previous two years has been a foster parent for a fostering service provider other than GCC. The social work representatives should remain consistent members of the panel. The elected member representative must also be satisfactory vetted before being allowed to begin work on Panel. The potential conflict of interest of the Looked after service manager and the operational role in authorising placements should be kept under review. Variations and exemptions should be kept under careful review; the number of variations and exemptions may be a worrying indicator of insufficient well- matched placements. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 15

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The intended outcomes 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)

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The Commission considers Standards 7, 13, and 31 the key standards

to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

7,13,31 The fostering service is seen to value diversity and recognise parents as the main caters in short breaks schemes. However the service needs to cooperate and coordinate more fully with others departments to fully promote educational achievements for accommodated young people.

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EVIDENCE:

The department has a wide range of foster carers who are able to meet the needs of a variety of children but the department is aware of insufficient provision and choice, especially for large sibling groups and the more challenging young people.

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EVIDENCE:

In the cases tracked, the carers were seen to work effectively to enhance children’s confidence and self esteem in many ways, with opportunities for many activities and interaction.

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EVIDENCE:

All the children tracked with the exception of a young person placed in supportive lodgings and a young person with disabilities, were in full time education, carers and the young people themselves were seen to be working hard to achieve their potential. One child reported they were unable to attend a school trip due to the speed of response needed by the school, in all other cases young people confirmed they were able to participate fully. In one case tracked, the absence of an appropriate day care/education provision from September to December 2005 indicated a lack of coordinated working between departments, whilst this was resolved at the time of the inspection, as the young person was due to commence a 52 week placement Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 16 from Jan 06.Carers had been left for the majority of the time to care for a very difficult young person with complex needs, without sufficient structured

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EVIDENCE:

occupation, such pressure can often precipitate breakdowns.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers said they received excellent support and advice from their fostering officer, but that practical help from other professional was at best sporadic and at worst absent.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers were found to be proactive about all aspects of the children’s education and the department rewarded young people for their education achievements. One carer stated one young person was without a computer to assist them with GCSE course work. Carers additionally commented the school uniform grant had not increased for many years.

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EVIDENCE:

Parents remain central to health and education needs for children on short- term breaks. It was reported that children with disabilities on short overnight visits are often transported from and to school for these visits. Carers state that invitations to these children’s reviews have been discontinued and expressed regret that there is now little or no contact with parents on an ongoing basis and they felt a valuable opportunity for contact had been lost.

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EVIDENCE:

The statement of purpose for the family link scheme was reviewed in October 2005. The children’s guide was reported to be in the final stages of production As reported in the last two inspections, The Children with disabilities fostering placement scheme would benefit from a detailed inspection/audit to enable the service to review practise and meet the Fostering Services national minimum standards regulations and recommendations. They would benefit from shared training for managers, staff and carers and involvement in both general and specialist key developments in the fostering service. During this year the manager of the family link scheme had been seconded to the steps team, and further joint working will enhance the service. The children with disabilities fostering officer shared expertise across the service and this post situated in the recruitment team was also seen as a welcome bridge to family link.

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EVIDENCE:

Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 17

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The intended outcomes these Standards are:

• The fostering service promotes contact arrangements for the child or young person. (NMS 10) • The fostering service promotes consultation.(NMS 11)

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The Commission considers Standards 10 and 11 the key standards to

be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

10,11 Contact is promoted by the fostering service and consultation is routinely undertaken, the service could improve by ensuring all young people are given children’s guides that are age and stage appropriate.

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EVIDENCE:

Contact in all cases tracked except for the fostering link arrangement, were clear. Carers were seen to facilitate, supervise and welcome parents and although some arrangements appeared to be complicated, all the young people were accepting of the arrangements. Clear record keeping was kept and it was reported to be helpful when courts required evidence.

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EVIDENCE:

Children continue to be consulted routinely, both by the carer, prior to and during their reviews and they also have the opportunity to attend “Y.Plan” although few children spoke of their involvement. Some young people spoke about wishing to be treated as “normal” and not wishing to attend a group, but others stated they had been helped or help other” looked after” young people in their school setting, as they understand the issues. School nurses were reported to be providing drop in sessions for young people at secondary school, both carers and some young people mentioned their helpfulness and availability.

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EVIDENCE:

Consultation for reviews for children with disabilities has been amended and a range of symbols allow young people to clearly express their views, this is called” I’ll go first” and is commended.

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EVIDENCE:

Not all young people (at least 6 in the questionnaires returned) were clear how to complain, although all young people communicated with in the course of the Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 18 inspection were able to identify at least one appropriate person they would talk to if worried, this was frequently their carer, although when prompted were able to name another appropriate person, not many young people had knowledge of C.S.C.I

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EVIDENCE:

Not all the young people had received children’s guides although some mentioned they had seen them in previous placements and some knew other children in the same placement who had one they could access

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EVIDENCE:

The Kids for Kids groups for carer’s children is commended both by the inspector, the carers and their children. The service has now attempted to address the needs of these young people and provide a forum for shared experiences in a fun way. Carers reported their children both enjoyed the activities and felt valued. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 19

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The intended outcomes 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)

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The Commission considers Standards 29 the key standard to be

inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

Carers are paid an agreed allowance as specified.

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EVIDENCE:

Carers reported payments were generally accurate and on time. At the time of the inspection Payment For Skills was being reviewed and causing some lively discussion. Consultations for carers were being held during the inspection and the one attended by the inspector was well run and participative. Some carers felt they had not been notified of the meetings around the county.

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EVIDENCE:

Foster Care Panel carefully scrutinized carer’s skills and asked for more clarity on the scoring for Payment for Skills before recommending approval. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 20

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The intended outcomes 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) • 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)

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The intended outcomes these Standards are:

• 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) • Local Authority fostering services recognise the contribution made by family and friends as carers.(NMS 32)

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The Commission considers Standards 17, 21, and 24 the key standards

to be inspected at least once during a 12 month period.

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JUDGEMENT – The intended outcomes for these Standards are

The service have a clear strategy for working with carers, they could improve by being clear that all of the teams provide carers with the support needed. The content of Looked After Children documentation could further improve. The service needs to ensure that the service is adequately staffed at all times.

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EVIDENCE:

Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 21 The management of the service was clear and staff and carers stated they retain confidence in the Children’s Services Manager; the appointment of the new Fostering Services Manager was welcomed.

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EVIDENCE:

In general terms since the last inspection the fostering service is more adequately staffed, The Steps team has stabilised with a full staff complement. The Long-term team had vacant posts at the time of the inspection and were additionally receiving friends and family carers from the field social work teams, which were time consuming at the handover stage. The family link team were short due to the team manager on secondment and a member of staff on long-term sick leave.

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EVIDENCE:

Work involved in the matching of 3 long term siblings was thorough, the fostering officer coherently explained the matching process, understanding the risks and benefits, with clear thoughts on the support implication of pursuing this placement, the matching was marred by an insufficiently detailed social work report and absence of the written reports of other social workers with children in placement.

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EVIDENCE:

Whilst the targets for carer recruitment were met, there is a shortfall in the service providing enough carers to meet the assessed need of all the young people who require accommodation, variations and exemptions can be interrogated to demonstrate this and carers confirm they are sometimes asked to take significantly outside their approval range. The recruitment, assessment and approval process was not considered in any depth at this inspection

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EVIDENCE:

Whilst the Multi agency family support scheme have recruited, assessed and approved carers this year, and the comprehensive assessments that have been made on young people enable carers, social workers and the young people themselves to have a detailed analysis of their needs, they have not yet made a significant impact on the numbers of more challenging young people placed. The fostering aspect of this scheme now comes under the management of the fostering resource.

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EVIDENCE:

The management and supervision of carers is seen as regular, structured and very good, with many carers reporting receiving “excellent support from helpful, friendly and informative fostering officers” recording verified at least monthly visits to mainstream carers. This level of support was not yet available to the “family and friends carers” and family link carers report they receive limited support visits. The statement of purpose of the family link team states yearly visits to carers are undertaken and they plan to move to a yearly visit made whilst a young person is in placement. The inspector did not consider the frequency of supervision was sufficient for some carers who may be caring for children 2 out of 3 weekends a month. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 22 There was some concern that family link carers are not aware that the same fostering regulations and standards apply to them, This year a large

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EVIDENCE:

percentage of the family link carers returned questionnaires see separate results.

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EVIDENCE:

Training for family link carers should be provided to further enhance their knowledge of the legal framework

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EVIDENCE:

Carers are able to meet in a variety of venues throughout the county for support and training.

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EVIDENCE:

Annual reviews for carers were returning to Panel as appropriate.

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EVIDENCE:

All carers tracked had sufficient information to care for the young people placed, some had kept memorabilia and photos of significant events for the young people placed, this was found to be dependent on individual carers ideas and practise and good practise in this area should be shared across the service.

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EVIDENCE:

Written records on individual children placed had improved and daily diaries were kept by carers and seen by the fostering workers. Carers had undertaken recording training. They expressed uncertainty about the policy of retaining and /or passing on these records when young people leave placement. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 23

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

This page summarises the assessment of the extent to which the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services have been met and uses the following scale.

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

4 Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls) “X” in the standard met box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion “N/A” in the standard met box denotes standard not applicable

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SCORING OF OUTCOMES

BEING HEALTHY ACHIEVING ECONOMIC Standard No Score WELLBEING 12 3 Standard No Score 14 X STAYING SAFE 29 3 Standard No Score 3 3 MANAGEMENT 6 3 Standard No Score 8 2 1 x 9 2 2 x 15 3 4 x 30 2 5 x 16 x ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING 17 2 Standard No Score 18 x 7 3 19 x 13 2 20 x 31 3 21 3 22 x MAKING A POSITIVE 23 x CONTRIBUTION 24 3 Standard No Score 25 x 10 3 26 x 11 2 27 x 28 x 32 x Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 24 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection?

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Fostering Services Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 FS8 38 Young people must not be placed in Regulation 38 placements unless they are genuine friends and family or approved foster carers. Time scales must be adhered to as specified in Regulation 38 (2). Arrangements for all current Reg 38 placements should be reviewed. 30/06/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

2 FS22 28(5) (b) All carers must enter into a written foster care agreement. 30/06/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

3 FS30 24 Foster Care panel must be established in line with Regulation 24 (3)(a) and (d), (9)(a) 31/08/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

4 FS11 3(4) Ensure all fostered children and young people have an appropriate guide. Complete and distribute the children’s guide for children with disabilities. 31/08/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

5 FS13 16(5) The service shall assist with the making of arrangements for education and training and structured occupation during school hours, for those not in school 31/05/06

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STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

6 FS15 20 Ensure that all workers have a full employment history, together with a satisfactory 30/04/06 Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 25 written explanation of any gaps in employment. Ensure elected members on foster care panel are satisfactorily checked. 7 FS17 19 The service must ensure there are adequate numbers of staff in the fostering teams to support all carers. And recruit sufficient carers to meet the needs of children and young people who are assessed as needing the service. 31/05/06

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RECOMMENDATIONS

These recommendations relate to National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice for the Registered Provider/s to consider carrying out.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1 FS19 Family link carers should continue to be more fully integrated into the fostering resource and would benefit from inclusion in joint training and consultations with carers. 2 FS31 The service should enable and assist carers within the fostering link service to remain in contact with parents where appropriate. 3 FS9 The content of LAC documentation on young peoples files should be consistently improved. 4 FS24 Carers should be clear about the retention /return of records made by them about individual young people 5 FS29 The service should complete the review of Payment for skills 6 FS4 The service should develop a reporting system for the whole fostering service to ensure effective monitoring and keep separate records that bring together data on complaints and their outcomes. Local Authority Fostering Service DS0000040133.V251978.R01.S.doc Version 5.0 Page 26

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

Gloucester Office Unit 1210 Lansdowne Court Gloucester Business Park Brockworth Gloucester, GL3 4AB

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Commission for Social Care Inspection

National Enquiry Line: 0845 015 0120 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk © This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI

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