Father Hudson's (Adoption Support Agency)

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 1 Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) Father Hudson’s Society St George’s House, Gerards Way, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 3FG Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this adoption support agency

This adoption support agency, known as the Origins Service, is part of Father Hudson’s Society. The adoption support services include access to records held by the agency and intermediary services for adopted adults and members of their birth family.

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Information about this adoption support agency

Although the agency is registered to provide adoption support services for children, it does this through a service level agreement with Adoption Focus, specifically in relation to the adoptive families who were approved by Father Hudson’s Society when it operated as a voluntary adoption agency. Adoption Focus is a voluntary adoption agency, which was formerly provided by Father Hudson’s Society under a different name until it became a separate entity in 2009. The agency has not completed any work with children since the last inspection.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The manager undertakes all the work in relation to adoption support, assisted by a part-time administrative member of staff. The manager is experienced and appropriately qualified.

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Information about this adoption support agency

In the last 12 months, the agency has supported with 102 cases of sharing adoption records and providing adoption intermediary services. An additional 179 people received other services that included advice, information-sharing and help with tasks such as accessing an adoption order from the court. The agency also provides ongoing support to some of those who have accessed an intermediary service in previous years.

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outstanding

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected outstanding Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 2 The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The adoption support agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the adoption support agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for service users.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 9 February 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 3

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Adopted adults and their birth families receive exceptionally high-quality adoption support that is informed by research. A skilled and experienced manager supports sensitive and timely access to birth records, counselling and intermediary work. The work has a significant and positive impact on those receiving a service.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager responds quickly to all initial enquiries. She provides detailed and helpful information about the services the agency provides, the processes that are followed and funding arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager has a degree of autonomy regarding funding and is proactive in providing a considered and considerate service that promotes accessibility and fairness. Where appropriate, the agency applies for funding on behalf of the service user. The manager also promotes the availability of funding, whenever she can, with other agencies.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager promotes the importance and value of providing adopted people with the opportunity to access their birth records and the information they need to answer questions they may have about their origins and family background. She establishes with each service user the best way to communicate, what their expectations are and how best to share her findings. She is flexible and creative, using face-to-face meetings as well as virtual platforms to reach people who work shifts or live a distance from the agency, sometimes abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager ensures that information gathered is shared in an extremely sensitive manner. She has extensive knowledge and understanding of adoption as well as a specific understanding of the history of the organisation’s adoption agency. This enhances her skills at presenting information, listening to the service user and supporting them to have a greater understanding of what is being given to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Service users are presented with a well-organised bound folder containing all information, including original documentation. The manager has advocated for the continued safe storage of the organisation’s original adoption records and paperwork. As a result, some service users describe the significant emotional impact of receiving original photos, documents and letters signed and written by their birth parents. One service user stated, ‘I was astounded by the comprehensive records retained from 1955/6. Original air mail correspondence with relatives in the US, in excellent condition 68 years later! For an adopted child, this is a treasure trove of information.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager provides a bespoke intermediary service to adopted adults, adoptive families, birth parents and other relatives. She builds strong and trusted relationships that result in service users receiving a service that is tailored to their Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 4 individual needs. For many service users, this leads to a link to or reunion with a member of their birth family.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager is mindful and diligent to the timing and timeliness of her enquiries. She is considerate of individuals’ well-being, ages and health needs, pausing the process where appropriate to take account of emotional needs and to provide additional support. She remains in constant contact with the service user while brokering and building new relationships with skill and sensitivity. She uses research in her own practice and signposts service users to reading, support networks and research relevant to them. She welcomes new methods, such as Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing and recognises the impact it is having in the field. One service user said, ‘She has always been available, supportive and very quick to get back to me. This was especially helpful when I had conflicted feelings on my next steps. She helped me to find a happy medium in how to move forward. I am very grateful for her guidance.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Service users and their relatives are treated with the utmost dignity and respect. They describe receiving a non-judgemental service that is empathetic and has a profound impact on their lives. Many talk about reaching closure and being able to move on with their lives. One service user described ‘finding the missing piece of my jigsaw’.

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outstanding

There have been no safeguarding concerns or complaints since the last inspection. Adopted adults and their families are fully aware of how to make a complaint.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that safeguarding policies and procedures, including for child protection and adults who disclose historical abuse, are regularly reviewed and updated to safeguard service users. The manager and administrator attend a range of relevant safeguarding training. They use this knowledge to inform their practice.

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outstanding

The manager has excellent knowledge of current safeguarding practice and research relevant to her work with adult adoptees and their birth families. She remains professionally curious and constantly considers factors that may impact on all parties accessing birth records or who are involved with the reunification process.

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outstanding

The manager uses a wide range of tools that ensure the well-being and safety of individuals. For example, when facilitating new relationships, the use of the letterbox service is considered, as are alternative means of communication. A thoughtful approach helps to provide adopted adults and birth families with a strong but safe foundation to allow them to continue to develop their relationships.

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outstanding

Professionals in other organisations and working parties seek the manager out for advice and guidance on a range of issues, including safeguarding and relevant legislation. The manager shares her knowledge and expertise to inform others and wider practice. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 5 At all times, confidential information is sensitively managed. The manager is diligent in making sure identity checks are completed before any information is disclosed. Confirmation is always received that no veto has been registered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an experienced leader and an expert in her field of work. She is pioneering and uses research-informed practice to continually raise standards and improve outcomes for service users. She is passionate about the rights and needs of people affected by adoption and committed to them receiving a professional service delivered to a consistently high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager develops her practice, raises issues and influences change through professional networks, partnership meetings and through her membership of working parties. For example, she is an invited member and a very active participant of ‘Improving Adoption Services for Adults: a time for change’, set up by the University of East Anglia, in partnership with the National Adoption Strategic Team and PAC-UK. A major task of the group is to update and expand the existing ‘Adoption: Access to Information and Intermediary Services Practice Guidance’, originally published in 2008.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager consistently works alongside, and where necessary, challenges other agencies for the information that she needs to enable her to complete her work effectively. For example, she has raised concerns about a national service provider that has halted a service that was key to adoption support agencies researching whether a birth relative is still alive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that all service users’ case records are well structured and evidence the expectational journey that they and their families experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is clear governance of the agency. The board of trustees and responsible individual receive regular detailed reports prepared by the manager that include case studies and feedback from service users. The feedback from service users is consistently and overwhelmingly positive and describes exceptional practice. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the social care common inspection framework.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 7

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Father Hudson’s Society

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: St George’s House, Gerards Way, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 3FG

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Adoption support agency details

Email address: siobhanclemons@fatherhudsons.org.uk

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Inspectors

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for adoption support agency: Father Hudson’s (Adoption Support Agency) 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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