Barnardo's – Yorkshire

Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency - Barnardo’s Adoption North England 1 Barnardo’s Adoption North England Barnardo’s Unit 9, Pavillion Business Park, Royds Hall Road, Leeds LS12 6AJ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this voluntary adoption agency

Barnardo’s is a well-established children’s charity. The charity operates a variety of children’s services, including this voluntary adoption agency.

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Information about this voluntary adoption agency

The voluntary adoption agency operates 5 offices in England which are registered with Ofsted under the following unique reference numbers:

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Information about this voluntary adoption agency

URN SC051836-Barnardo’s Adoption North England URN SC434885- Barnardo’s Adoption Midlands & South West URN SC051838 -Barnardo’s Adoption London, East & South East URN SC051840 – Barnardo’s Making Connections URN 2762721- Barnardo’s CAFIS Three offices (URN SC051836, SC434885 and SC051838) recruit, prepare, assess and approve prospective adopters, and offer a variety of support services to children and families, both before and after the making of an adoption order. One office (URN SC051840) provides tracing and intermediary work for adults who were placed for adoption by the agency. The fifth office (URN 2762721) has opened since the last inspection and is commissioned to provide adoption support, including intermediary and access to records for adopted adults and birth family members.

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Information about this voluntary adoption agency

All 5 offices are managed by suitably qualified and experienced managers.

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Information about this voluntary adoption agency

Since April 2018, all voluntary adoption agencies inspected under the social care common inspection framework have received one inspection and one overall judgement irrespective of the number of premises they use. This inspection report covers all 5 registered services. Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 2

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outstanding

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The voluntary adoption agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the voluntary adoption agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children, young people and adults.

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outstanding

Date of previous inspection: 23 May 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 3

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Adopters are overwhelmingly positive about their approval journey and the continuing support they receive from their social workers, project workers and therapists. One adopter wrote:

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

‘Communication was consistently clear, timely and thoughtful, and we felt very well supported at every stage of the process… What stood out most was the relational nature of the work. Staff were personable and genuinely invested in us as a family, not simply in progressing a process. The training we received was bespoke, appropriate and grounded in real understanding of children’s needs and adopters’ experiences… Ongoing contact and post-adoption support have been strong, and through Barnardo’s we have formed lifelong friendships with other adoptive families.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Social workers are sensitive to the needs of prospective adopters during their assessment. If prospective adopters require a pause in their assessment, they are treated with respect and signposted to additional support. During this time, social workers stay in touch with the prospective adopters, which maintains engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Social workers provide therapeutic parenting support which provides positive outcomes for children and adopters. Therapeutic input is offered at the assessment stage, when the child moves into the home and following the adoption order. The therapeutic parenting approach helps families to recognise and understand their own vulnerabilities and any trauma that may influence their parenting. This support is a significant strength for the agency, enabling adopters to develop the insight and resilience needed to care for children with complex emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Children are making significant progress with their adopted families. Children’s social workers attribute the progress children make from their starting point to the quality of care they are receiving. Adopters support children’s educational development by continuing their learning from school at home. Social workers facilitate prompt contact with headteachers of virtual schools, if required, to provide additional guidance on a child’s educational placement or assessment of special educational need.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Extra-curricular activities, such as LEGO club, are encouraged by adopters and enjoyed by children. Adopters also are enthusiastic about days out, which encourage their child’s interests, such as visits to an airport viewing area. Adopters also enjoy watching their children progress and enjoy new experiences as a family.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Adopters and children remain part of the Barnardo’s family post-order. Children told inspectors about activities they enjoy, such as family days and events run by project workers, including forest school and Christmas parties. The children describe benefits from coming together with other adopted children, which supports their Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 4 sense of identity, belonging and emotional wellbeing. Adopters also value the opportunity to meet with other adopters at social events and continue to access training, such as therapeutic parenting. This serves as a useful reminder to adopters who are adapting to the changing needs of their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Children have exceptional relationships with their parents which are built on trust and love. They advocate that children who are adopted are ‘special as we have been chosen’ and ‘we feel safe now’. Children’s life chances are being enhanced because of the consistency in care and love they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Adopters promote children understanding their life story by maintaining relationships with children’s birth families and previous carers, where appropriate. For some children, their foster carer remains an important part of their extended family. Social workers in one office are highly skilled in working with older children and their adopted and birth families. They listen to children’s views, resulting in some children being successfully and creatively co-parented. This individualised care addressing complex and changing needs is worthy of wider dissemination.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The agency provides a commissioned and highly effective service for birth families, recognising them as important partners in the lifelong adoption journey. Social workers consistently prioritise the needs of children while working respectfully and inclusively with birth families. The service plays a significant role in promoting stability, identity and emotional wellbeing for both children and adults impacted by adoption. Services are tailored to individual need, culture and circumstance. Innovative and creative work and facilitated contact support help families process experiences and sustain positive identity narratives for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Feedback from birth families consistently reflects that they feel listened to, valued and better able to move forward. This demonstrates the agency’s strong commitment to restorative and relationship-based practice. A birth relative wrote to inspectors:

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

‘From the very beginning, the process was professional. I was kept informed, treated with respect and compassion. When contact began with my sister, [they] checked in to see how everything was progressing. At Christmas, they very kindly forwarded a Christmas card on my behalf. Without this service, I would not be in contact with my birth sister.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Adopted adults and birth relatives accessing adoption records and intermediary services receive timely, sensitive and well-prepared support, including clear explanations of processes and potential emotional impact. Social workers evidence high levels of professional judgement, with service users reporting that they feel respected, listened to and supported before, during and after disclosure of their information.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Social workers and managers forge transparent working relationships with prospective adopters and adopters. They are therefore alerted to the potential for a Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 5 complaint and militate against escalation. There were only 2 complaints across the 5 offices over the last 12 months. Leaders have thoroughly investigated both complaints, with recommendations identified and learning acted on.

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outstanding

Leaders and managers oversee strong safeguarding practice. Social workers put the safety of children first, and this is evident in every stage of the service user’s involvement with the agency.

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outstanding

Workers are experienced in their initial assessment of suitability to adopt. When an enquiry progresses to initial visit and vulnerabilities become apparent, enquirers are treated with respect and provided with useful signposting to improve their potential suitability to progress.

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outstanding

The assessment of prospective adopters by social workers is rigorous. The agency assures itself of applicants’ suitability to adopt through statutory checks and references, including from children the applicants have significant contact with. Social workers remain curious and ensure that adopters are well prepared to meet the needs of children who have experienced complex trauma. The assessment report provides detailed description and analysis of the prospective adopters. Social workers use research-informed references which strengthen their evaluation and recommendation to the adoption panel.

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outstanding

Children are matched with adoptive parents through careful and considered planning. The agency promotes decisions that are child centred and tailored to each child’s individual needs. A psychologist meets adopters at the point of matching and then after placement to support their understanding and reflection of the child’s lived experiences. This helps adopters to understand the potential impact on the behaviour and needs of children who have experienced trauma and how to provide them with safe and naturing care.

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outstanding

Children placed with adopters through an early permanence arrangement have stability from an early stage, with the number of moves during the court process reduced. For these children, care plans are progressed swiftly, minimising drift and delay.

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outstanding

When children are moving into their new homes, social workers develop transition plans which are reviewed in line with children’s experiences and needs. This helps children to have a voice. Social workers visit adopters, responding proactively to worries expressed by adopters. Their excellent working relationships with adopters, children’s social workers, independent reviewing officers and family finders provide effective oversight and support in line with the needs of children and their adopters. Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 6 The suitability of adopters is reviewed by the adoption panel and agency decision- maker if there are concerns about the care they provide. This provides independent oversight and decision-making about their continued suitability to adopt.

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outstanding

Adopters are helped to understand emerging risks as children get older. The number of safeguarding incidents is low in this agency. However, if concerns arise, they are managed promptly and effectively. Social workers and managers work closely with partner agencies to ensure that risks are appropriately assessed and that timely protective action is taken in the best interests of children and adults.

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outstanding

Allegations within the agency are infrequent. However, when concerns are raised, the agency takes swift and decisive action. Referrals are made promptly to the local authority designated officer and relevant safeguarding teams, ensuring that concerns are managed appropriately and in line with safeguarding procedures.

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outstanding

Social workers demonstrate a clear and consistent understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and adults. If children make unsolicited contact with birth family through social media, social workers assess risk and work creatively to manage the contact and ensure that vulnerabilities are assessed and addressed with support plans.

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outstanding

High levels of support from the agency enable families to remain together. Sadly, a small number of children do not achieve permanence because their adoptive placement disrupts. Social workers are invested in their adopters and work hard to understand the pressures that they experience. Social workers go above and beyond to provide emotional, practical and therapeutic support. Social workers, however, recognise their duty of care and demonstrate excellent child-centred practice when a placement irretrievably breaks down. Social workers recognise that sometimes a placement ending is the right decision for a child. The adoption manager collates learning from internal disruption meetings to understand patterns and trends. This learning is acted on by the agency, informing practice to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

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outstanding

Case records provide an accurate record of the journeys of children and adopters. For children accessing their records in later life, they will benefit from the way records are now written to the child, which has developed since the last inspection. This demonstrates the agency’s commitment to providing children with transparent records so that they understand their adoption story.

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outstanding

Social workers undertake appropriate risk assessments of adopted adults accessing records. They exercise high levels of professional judgement when preparing individuals for distressing information. Social workers liaise with local authorities to reduce delay in receiving information and progress complex cases.

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outstanding

Leadership oversight is embedded across the service. The agency has robust recruitment processes regardless of role. This provides leaders with assurance that Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 7 staff, panel members and external assessors have the appropriate skills and integrity to work with children and adult service users.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual has robust governance and monitoring systems overseeing the quality of service provided by the agency and the ambitious service development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency benefits from the infrastructure of the charity, including marketing to target adopter recruitment strategies and data dashboards which track the experiences of children, such as placement stability and the workforce capacity. Leaders use information generated to analyse patterns and trends to inform policy and practice direction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency acts in response to sufficiency demands. This has resulted in some consolidation of offices and structural changes since the last inspection. The responsible individual balances this against increasing complexity of need for adopters and children, remaining tenacious that service delivery is led by local need irrespective of where families live. Alternative ways of supporting adopters and children through a national directory of registered therapists are responding to individual need across the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders know their strengths and weaknesses well. The adoption manager has had a positive impact on improving the adoption practice of the agency since the last inspection. She has confidently standardised practice across the offices. This means that families receive a similar level of service, for example during assessment and when attending adoption panel, irrespective of geographical location.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The adoption manager holds a high external profile, participating in national development of adoption practice. She brings knowledge of evidence-based frameworks and models of therapeutic care into the agency. All staff, from leaders to administrators, are now trained in evidence-based models to promote therapeutic engagement with adopters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The adoption manager also fulfils the agency’s decision-maker role. Her scrutiny of approval and matching decisions is robust. She makes timely and well-reasoned decisions, which are consistently focused on securing permanency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The panel chairs and members demonstrate a high level of knowledge and expertise, which inform the agency in making child-centred decisions. The agency is creative and purposeful in ensuring that the child’s voice is clearly heard and meaningfully represented within panel processes, strengthening the quality and impact of decision-making. An innovative children’s panel has been piloted since the last inspection in response to feedback from young inspectors. This is a creative way Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 8 of helping children feel included and connected to the agency, as well as enhancing decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders develop and maintain professional relationships between the agency and partner agencies to ensure the best possible care, experience and futures for children and adults. Leaders at one office had existing working relationships with a local authority, resulting in a commissioned service with effective collaborative working. This promotes healthy challenge and quick responses to support birth families when needed. Leaders are also working in partnership with local authorities and regional adoption agencies by advocating that early permanence can be considered for all children. Prospective adopters are supported to consider this during their assessments and training is delivered, which has been attended by the judiciary. The impact is being seen, with an increase in referrals for older children seeking early permanence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual expects case records to be of high quality. She oversees cycles of audits which feed into the agency’s policies and procedures. Managers monitor the completion of the audit action plans in social workers’ supervisions. This contributes to the learning and development of social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers create a culture of high aspiration and positivity. The learning culture is evident throughout the agency, with a strong emphasis on supporting the developmental needs of staff and panel members. Feedback from children, adopters, social workers and adult service users informs training. Panel members appreciate the opportunity to attend whole service days and receive training which is relevant for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The practice managers provide effective oversight, guidance and support to social workers. Social workers speak positively about the quality of support and leadership they receive. They describe feeling valued and part of a cohesive team. They mostly describe caseloads as manageable, although some describe pressure from workload, travel and resource pressures. Despite this, the unanimous commitment to the agency and achieving good outcomes for families and adult service users is impressive. One social worker wrote:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘I believe the agency demonstrates a strong child-centred ethos, with a consistent focus on achieving safe, timely and well-matched placements for children. Staff show a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and adoptive families. As a team we have a clear culture of support, reflection and learning which positively impacts staff morale and the quality of work.’ Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Voluntary Adoption Agencies and The Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003, The Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005, any other relevant legislation, and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 1

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Voluntary adoption agency details

Registered provider address: Unit 9, Regent Building, Pavilion Business Park, Royds Hall Road LS12 6AJ

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Voluntary adoption agency details

Email address: brenda.farrell@barnardos.org.uk

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Inspectors

Jo Warburton, Social Care Inspector Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for voluntary adoption agency – Barnardo’s Adoption North England 1 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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Inspectors

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