Somewhere over the rainbow - Review of Adoption. `Somewhere over the rainbow

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1 `Somewhere over the rainbow Adoption Scrutiny Review Children and Education Scrutiny Committee Cheshire West and Chester Council June 2012

2 CONTENTS PAGE. 1 Introduction Page 3 2 Task Group details Page 4 3 Our approach Page 5 4 The Review process Page 6 5 Our findings Page Best Practice visits Page 19 7 Conclusions Page 20 8 Recommendations Page Report contact details Page 23 APPENDIX: Appendix A: Review Scope 2

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION Recently, there has been a lot of national political and media interest in adoption. The government has made adoption one of its priorities and the prime minster has described some of the barriers potential adopters face as a scandal. He wants the adoption process speeding up so children spend less time in care. It is reported that a child can often wait up to two years and seven months to be placed with a new adoptive family. The adoption process is seen as too rigid with its rules which can see many potential adopters being refused and therefore considering going aboard to adopt a child. We commenced this scrutiny review in December 2011 following concerns raised with us about the limited numbers of children who were being placed for adoption by the Council. However, in 2010/11 Cheshire West and Chester Council adopted 9 children which increased in 2011/12 to 19. The Government s attention also focused nationally on adoption. It released an Action Plan for improvement and Scorecards that will hold all local authorities to account over their adoption performance. Cheshire West and Chester Council met the threshold for the average time between a local authority receiving court authority to place a child and the local authority deciding on a match to an adoptive family but it did not meet the threshold for the average time between a child entering the care system or becoming looked after and moving in with his/her adoptive family. The government also issued guidelines to all local authorities that they should hold round table submit meetings with all those involved with the adoption process. Cheshire West and Chester Council held its meeting on Monday 14 May During that meeting the current processes were discussed, along with the findings from this scrutiny review. During this review we were saddened by stories that we heard regarding the issues that some of our children and young people in the borough face but were encouraged by the positivity and commitment of our staff who work hard to bring happy endings to these stories. We wanted this review and its subsequent recommendations to be positive and enhance the good work that is already happening within the service to improve performance. Sometimes our lives, for whatever reasons, aren t always great, but we believe that somewhere over the rainbow there is a loving family waiting for everyone. This review and monitoring of performance will be ongoing and we are keen to follow any new developments and improvements during the coming years. During this review, we met with many professionals, visited Halton Borough Council and Shropshire Council, had tea and cake with Adoptive parents and made Easter Cards with young adopted children. Everyone we met were welcoming and our thanks must be recorded to everyone who contributed and supported this review as without them, it would not have been possible. Councillors Howard Greenwood and Margaret Parker 3

4 2.0 TASK GROUP DETAILS: This scrutiny review was undertaken by: Councillor Margaret Parker (Deputy Chairman) Councillor Howard Greenwood SCRUTINY OFFICER SUPPORT: Andrea Thwaite Scrutiny Officer Tel: For further details about this report or additional copies please contact: Scrutiny Team Cheshire West and Chester Council HQ, 58 Nicholas Street, Chester, CH1 2NP

5 3.0 OUR APPROACH WHO WE SPOKE TO Cheshire West and Chester Council Officers: Gerald Meehan, Strategic Director, Children and Young Peoples Services Sandra Campbell, Head of Service, Children and Families Philip Segurola, Interim Senior Manager - Provider Service Sarah Rowland, Senior Legal Adviser Senior Managers Adoption Team Social Workers Adoption Team Senior Managers - Children in Need Team Halton Borough Council s Adoption Team Shropshire Council s Adoption Team Adopted Children Adoptive Parents WHAT WE DID Had coffee and cake with Adoptive Parents and Children Made Easter cards with adopted children Met with Adoption Staff Reviewed the Council s statistical information relating to the number Adoptions Observed an Adoption Panel Undertook best practice exercises with other local authorities WHAT WE READ Leeds City Council Review of Adoption Cheshire West and Chester Council s Adoption Inspection Report - October 2010 Adoption Panel Agency Adviser - Annual report Cheshire West and Chester Adoption Panel - Quality Assurance Report - 1 April September 2011 BAAF Adoption: some questions answered Advice notes 2010 Department of Education Adoption Action Plan 5

6 4.0 THE REVIEW PROCESS The Children and Education Scrutiny Committee agreed to scrutinise the Council s adoption process in the following way: Scrutinise its adoption performance figures compared nationally with other authorities Understand the adoption process and pathway Scrutinise internal processes Understand the barriers adopters and potential adopters face. Explore best practice Prior to the start of the review, the Task Group was advised that although adoption figures for Cheshire West and Chester Council had in the past been relatively low, current numbers were increasing. The Task Group was already aware of the ongoing work currently being undertaken by children and young people s services on `Early Intervention and what impact their efforts could have on the numbers and ages of children needing adoption. For this stage of the review the Task Group concentrated on the above bullet points only. The Task Group discussed the importance of adoption as one of a range of options for achieving permanence and stability for children who could not remain with their birth parents but also recognised the value of other alternatives such as: special guardianship. In 2011/12 Cheshire West and Chester Council placed 29 children and young people under Special Guardianship Orders. However, the Task Group learnt that this figures are not reported to government and therefore are masking the underlying performance regarding permanence planning in the Council. Special Guardianship Orders is a legal option which came into force on 30 December It is intended to provide permanence for children for whom adoption is not appropriate. It is most likely to be used for older children who do not wish to make an absolute legal break with their birth family. Special Guardianship Orders is a way of building a lifelong permanent relationship between the carer and the child or young person. (Barnardos) 6

7 5.0 FINDINGS Somewhere over the rainbow - Review of Adoption ADOPTION SCORECARD Cheshire West and Chester Council s performance The government published an Action Plan for Adoption on the 14 March 2012 which included a proposal for the development of adoption scorecards that are to be used to hold local authorities to account on their adoption performance. Cheshire West and Chester Council received its adoption scorecard on the 28 March 2012 and were one of 59 councils who had not attained the performance threshold for the average time between a child entering care and moving in with its adoptive family. The Task Group learnt that Cheshire West and Chester Council s performance presented a mixed but improving picture as it had met the other threshold for the average time between a local authority receiving court authority to place a child and the local authority deciding on a match to an adoptive family. Indicator Indicator A1 Average time between a child entering care and moving in with its adoptive family, for children who have been adopted (days) Indicator A2 Average time between a local authority receiving court authority to place a child and the local authority deciding on a match to an adoptive family (days) Indicator A3 Children who wait less than 21 months between entering care and moving in with their adoptive family (number and %) CWC result 675 days 150 days 35 children 77% Distance from performance threshold CAWC result minus threshold target +36 days Threshold not met -63 days Threshold met Not applicable But CW&C performance above both statistical neighbour and England averages 7

8 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION The Task Group examined performance information which provided an overview of the work of Cheshire West and Chester Council s Adoption Team and Panel for , and 2011/12. A summary is provided below. Numbers of children adopted from care: Number of those children adopted Nationally the number of children adopted in 2010/11 21 children / /12 Numbers of children adopted by foster carers; Number of those children adopted by their Foster Carers Average age of children at adoption The average age at adoption in Cheshire West and Chester in the year: was 5 years 2 months was 6 years 0 months was 3 years 6 months Nationally the average age at adoption in was 3 years 9 months. 8

9 Years Somewhere over the rainbow - Review of Adoption Average length of time from when a child becomes looked after to being adopted Average length of time from when a child becomes looked after to being adopted The national average is 2 years 7 months (2010/12) Following the recent restructuring and investments into the Adoption Service, the number of children the Council had placed in adoption in has improved significantly and will continue to improve over the coming years. However, from the performance information the Task Group scrutinised, it felt that: children were still spending too long in care the average age that a child is placed for adoption by the Council was too high it was taking too long to place children for adoption. ADOPTION PATHWAY The Task Group was advised of the process and steps involved with the Council s current adoption pathway. The following is an Adoption Pathway that was provided by council s Legal Services team highlighting the steps. 9

10 Adoption Pathway Somewhere over the rainbow - Review of Adoption Start looked after Start gathering information for life story work Consider contact plan Make permanence plan (adoption) Lac review endorses adoption plan Start writing CPR (child s permanence report) Offer independent support to birth family from Adoption Matters Lodge application re placement order Final care hearing care order made Placement order made Care order suspended Matching meeting Visit prospective adopters Write adoption support plan Arrange adoption medical Obtain written legal advice on the adoption plan Write adoption placement report (BAAF form APR) Panel recommendation for match Referral to adoption team for family finding CPR completed Agency decision for match Adoption Placement Plan meeting Family finding strategy meeting Introductions between child and adopters Send papers to agency adviser to the adoption panel Adoption panel recommendation Placement with adopters Lac review post adoptive placement Agency decision Adoption order made 10

11 INTERNAL PROCESSES With the Council s adoption performance information in mind, the Task Group interviewed many senior practitioners within the Council who had involvement with the adoption process, so that it could better understand the internal processes. During discussions, the Task Group was aware that national legislation and guidance largely determined the process. However, it was struck by the sheer complexity leading up to a child s adoption and wondered whether the current statutory procedures made the most effective use of resources. The Task Group did find it difficult to determine a particular reason for why some children spend more time in care than, possibility, they should before they are placed for adoption. It felt that within the national legislation and guidance on the whole the adoption service appeared to be working well and improving but some of the internal processes and practices could still be tightened up. It also questioned whether there was scope to improve and streamline processes within the national legislation and guidance. Listed below, is a summary of the Task Group s main findings which it felt could potentially add to unnecessary delays: Cheshire West and Chester Council has a large number of newly qualified and appointed Social Workers. The Council needs to ensure that they are adequately trained and managed so that they can consider at the earliest stage when adoption could be considered as an option. Social workers should consider if a child should be placed for adoption at the statutory 4 month review stage. The Task Group was unable to ascertain if this happens and questioned whether this should not be considered sooner. The volume of paper-work, reports and records that the Social Workers have to complete is high and it was felt this potentially could be streamlined. The variable quality of Permanency Reports presented to the Adoption Panel. The Adoption Team is not always invited to meetings or copied into any minutes where adoption is considered. The need for even more joined up work between senior respective practitioners to enable forward planning for all children entering care. Extended family members of the birth parent(s) have the opportunity to attend Family Group Meetings so that they can put in a case for them to adopt the child. Up to 7 family members can attend and sometimes a family member can come forward very late in the procedure. Family Meetings need to be held very early on in the process to reduce delay later on. Senior Practitioners from the Children in Need Team or Children in Care Team should manage these meetings and be adequately trained and resourced to do so. In respect of family group meetings extended family members would in most cases apply for a Special Guardianship Order rather than adoption. The important issue is that the potential viability of family members is identified and assessed as early as possible. If adoption is being considered for a child, an Adoption Medical should be obtained at a very early stage and the need for a children in care medical was questioned The Council should be working with local pediatricians to help them prioritise any urgent medicals so cases can get to courts quicker. This 11

12 issue was focused to the Vale Royal area and recent work has taken place to resolve the matter. There is no provision for child and adolescent mental health services for adopted children. In order to improve upon the range and numbers of children whom we place for adoption the Council needs to strengthen the supports that it is able to provide to adopters post order. This needs to be approached on a holistic basis incorporating both the practical and therapeutic aspects of support. In some cases, the Council s Legal Team is not being engaged at the earliest stage of the adoption process. The Task Group was advised of the Family Justice Review 2010, that confirms that nationally care proceedings take too long in the court arena and that local authorities should do more work prior to the commencement of care proceedings to enable decisions to be reached sooner. Cheshire West and Chester Council will need to ensure that greater use of the pre proceedings procedure in accordance with the Public Law Outline is required. This is recognised nationally and locally with a new protocol agreed between the designated Family Judge and the DCS of the North West authorities coming into force on Recently Cheshire West and Chester Council has experienced an unprecedented high number of cases where birth parents have sought or obtained permission of the court to challenge adoption applications causing delay and anxiety for adoptive applicants where they have had the child/ children placed with them for some considerable time. Historical there had been cases where it had been identified that some children had been subject to child protection plans with little evidence of change or multiple or repeated assessments which had led to drift and delay. This would have impacted on the prospects of successfully placing children for adoption. The Council has, since that time strengthened its child protection processes and procedures to eliminate those issues. By implementing improved practice around child protections procedures this has led to more decisive action and the statistical information is reviewed regularly to achieve improved practice. This has been evidenced through the implementation and progress of the Improvement plan. There had been delays in the past by the council in seeking to remove some children from home sooner than it had. This was identified in the last Inspection. The Council fully recognises the need to ensure early and prompt analysis of children s needs and parenting capacity to secure positive outcomes for children. The Council has put in place systems and processes, including comprehensive social worker training, to address the need for robust assessment processes. This has led to progress in promoting earlier decision making when children are assessed as suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm. This continues to be an area where the Council strives to progress and ensure early intervention when children are deemed to be at risk of harm. 12

13 COURT AND COURT PROCEDINGS From evidence received by the Task Group, it learnt of some of the delays that are as a result of delays in the courts and their proceedings. The Task Group had hoped that during its scrutiny review that it would be able to have a dialogue with the local Judiciary Services to discuss any such matters but unfortunately this was not possible. Therefore it was unable to follow up on these lines of enquiries. However during the Adoption Summit meeting held in May 2012, the Council was lucky enough to have a member of the local Judiciary Services in attendance who contributed positively. An outcome from this meeting was that the Council continues the positive dialogue with the Sub Regional Judiciary Services (Merseyside and Cheshire), regarding a review of Court Proceedings to help speed up the adoption process. This being said, the Council s Senior Childcare Solicitor did advise of some of the difficulties that the Council was experiencing with the Legal Services Commission and funding of independent witnesses. Such difficulties have resulted in delays to the Adoption processes which are out of the control of the local authority. The Task Group agreed that this was probably a national issue and that it would need to be raised at that level. BARRIERS ADOPTERS AND POTENTIAL ADOPTERS FACE During its investigations the Task Group also agreed it would consider whether there were any barriers that prevented people adopting our children. Below is a summary of the areas where it thought barriers existed. Recruitment of Adopters During its investigations, the Task Group scrutinised whether Cheshire West and Chester Council was being too strict with its criteria in who was approved for adoption and who wasn t. The Task Group recognised that the Council was only assessing for approval the people who presented themselves as prospective adopters rather than it actively recruiting for potential adopters. The Task Group learnt that the Council was not as effective as some councils in converting potential adopters into approved Adopters. Examples of some of the reasons why potential adopters did not reach stages 2 or 3 of the process were because: they were not in a stable relationship or accommodation; had recently undergone unsuccessful fertility treatment which was felt too early to be considering adoption; having criminal convictions. This being said, the Task Group still thought that the number of Adopters approved was still low in comparison to the number of enquiries it received. The Task Group felt that due to the variety of children who need adopting, for example sibling groups and children with complex needs, a more varied selection of adopters were urgently needed. 13

14 A snapshot break down of adoption enquires and outcomes for 2011/12: Initial Enquiries from families during 2011/12 was: Of those 94 enquiries Number of families who were requested to proceed: Number of families who were counselled out after a telephone conversation before initial visit: Number of families who progressed to Initial Visit: Number withdrawn following Initial visit Number of families who progressed forward after initial visit: Number of families who were invited to apply to become adopters: Number of families now being considered for invitation to July or Sept 2012 groups to go on to be assessed is: (9 of whom have applied, 2 invited to May groups) Of the 9 that applied 3 have been approved, and 6 are currently being assessed have been or are being progressed to become Adaptors for 2011/12 Number of families pending 10 (outcome of requests still in process) The Task Group observed an Adoption Panel and felt that it was well run and managed. It was pleased that 95% of potential adopters who reached the Panel were approved. However it was concerned that only 15% of people who made an initial enquiry with the Council to become adopters were presented for approval at Panel. Councillors felt that there was a limited and narrow selection of adopters being presented to the Adoption Panel for approval. Predominately approvals were given to those from middle income groups and the Task Group felt that either the Council was not attracting or recruiting potential adopters from across the social spectrum or it was being too selective in the people it presented to the Panel. 14

15 During its investigation the Task Group spoke to a selection of Adoptive Parents. Prior to their own recent experiences, the Adoptive Parents perception of Adoption had been that: there was an upper age limit for people to be considered for adoption; there was no financial support for people adopting; there were no babies to adopt adoption was for middle class families only. The Task Group agreed that there appears to be a general lack of information about who can adopt. After its discussions with Adoptive Parents, the Task Group learnt that public s perception still reflected the historical position of adoption as a white middle-class activity. It felt that the public s general understanding about adoption is out of date and the service is missing out on people who could help. The people who the Task Group spoke to weren t on the whole, aware of the children who need adopting today. The Task Group agreed that the above, coupled with the evidence that they had seen of the people who were approved to become adopters by Panel, suggested that the Council needed to work harder and smarter to attract potential adopters from all walks of life. Length of the Adoption Process Adoptive Parents spoke of their experiences of the process to be lengthy and bureaucratic. Cheshire West and Chester Council s Performance Information for however states that as at December 2011, 12 applications considered, 11 were within the government s 8 months timescales (NMS 17.7), the one outside the timescale was due to the application being deferred by Panel for further health information on one of the applicants. The Task Group therefore questioned whether the Council was therefore doing enough to keep potential Adopters regularly updated during the approval stage, on how their application was progressing. The Task Group learnt that administration officers from the Business Support service dealt with initial enquiries from potential adopters and that a follow up call was made 14 days after the promotional pack was posted. Councillors felt that all initial enquires should be taken by an experienced member of the Adoption Team and that the follow up calls should also be made by the Adoption Team within 5 working days. Concern was raised by the Adoption Team that there was only one dedicated Adoption Team Business Support Officer and that post holder had a constantly high work load. As a result Adoption Social Workers had to undertake some admin tasks such as preparing packs for Panel. As a result, this was causing delays in the approval processes. Councillors were advised of the current Business Support vacancy and hoped that this new post would alleviate some of the current pressures on the team. 15

16 Sibling groups and children with complex issues There are currently not enough potential adopters seeking to adopt sibling groups or children with complex issues. When the Council found potential adopters who were willing to adopt siblings groups, their application to become adopters is often `fast tracked through the system. The Task Group was advised that when potential adopters agreed to adopt sibling groups, support plans that include enhanced financial support and incentives can be offered by the Council on a case by case basis. It was concerned whether any such financial assistance and/or incentives were widely known and discussed whether the Council needed to undertake more targeted and extensive advertisement campaigns to attract more potential adopters who would adopt sibling groups and children with complex needs. However it is important for all prospective adopters to be realistic about what they can cope with. Post adoption Support The Task Group was encouraged that the Council had recently created a dedicated Post Adoption Support Team, however there were a couple of areas that they felt could be improved upon. Emotional Health and Wellbeing Support The Task Group was advised of the lack of emotional health and wellbeing support for Adopted Children. It felt that there is a particular need for adopted children to have their own local dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and that their needs should be classed as a priority. Adoption support is an important part of the system and Adopted children and their families are likely to have significant needs and require appropriate support to deal with them effectively. Improving post adoption support has the potential to aid recruitment of prospective adopters, make adopters more open to adopting children who currently wait the longest to be placed, and reduce the chances of adoptions break downs. In order to improve upon the range and numbers of children whom we place for adoption the Council needs to strengthen the supports that it is able to provide to adopters post order. This needs to be approached on a holistic basis incorporating both the practical and therapeutic aspects of support. Financial Support Councillors learnt that the personal finances of a potential adopter should not be a barrier though during an Adoption Panel that the Task Group observed, it felt that prospective adopters were asked unnecessary questions about their personal finances such as: which company was their car insured with? The Task Group questioned whether the Council was actively promoting the allowances available to potential adopters or whether its recruitment/publicity material was welcoming enough to those on a lower income. 16

17 Contact Plans Somewhere over the rainbow - Review of Adoption The Task Group became increasingly concerned about the varying levels of contact Birth Parents can be granted with their birth child(ren) once they have been adopted. Currently the Council proposes what level of contact birth parents should have, such as: once, 6 or 12 times per year etc and which are then approved by the Courts. The Judiciary Services also expressed concern at the Adoption Summit Meeting that if the contact time with Birth Parents had to be so high and frequent, should the Council be actually considering adoption for those children? Too frequent contact with birth families can also be barriers for some potential adopters. The Task Group were told of two particular recent cases: A Contact Plan was approved for birth parents to have contact with their child, post adoption, 6 times per year. This level of contact was a barrier to their child being adopted swiftly. Another Contact Plan had enabled a relationship to develop between birth parents and their child that didn t exist prior to the child coming into care. Although the Task Group recognised that research indicated that both birth families and adoptive parents can recap great rewards from helping children to retain links with their origins, it was concerned that such high level of contact could be doing more harm than good and also act as a barrier for children to be adopted. Concern was also expressed as to whether the Council had enough resources to manage such high level contact plans. 17

18 WORK WITH HALTON BOROUGH AND KNOWSLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL: The Task Group was advised that Cheshire West and Chester commenced a collaborative agreement with Halton and Knowsley councils in the autumn of 2011 with a view to sharing aspects of their adoption processes and services. The three authorities are now meeting on a regular basis at both an operational and strategic level. To date the following has been achieved: The three Authorities are now co-operating in the running of the pre approval training courses for potential adoption applicants. A full programme of training courses has been drawn up with the three authorities taking it in turns to host and run the sessions. This now permits for six courses to be run per year minimising potential delays in the application process. Work is underway to agree upon shared marketing materials as part of a move towards coordinated recruitment campaigns across the partnership. A three year contract has been awarded jointly to Adoption Yorkshire to carry out birth parent and birth record counselling on behalf of the three authorities. An initial family day has been organised as part of the process of informal post adoption support to adoptive families. It is intended to build upon this by developing a broader network of groups and events for adoptive families that will be accessible to adopters across all three authorities. Regional Consortium Adoption 22 The Task Group was also advised that Cheshire West and Chester Council belongs to Adoption 22 which is a collaboration between the 22 local authority adoption agencies in the north west region together with associate voluntary adoption agencies operating in the area. Adoption 22 exists to facilitate the sharing of good practice across the region and more practically to share resources in order to provide suitable placements for children in need of adoption. The main aims are: To increase the availability of good quality adoptive placements across the region. To promote the effective matching of children to prospective adopters through the maintenance of a web based database to assist in finding families for children. To develop a better targeted and coordinated programme of recruitment for potential adopters throughout the north west To share good practice and develop joint approaches for adoption and post adoption support across the region through information sharing and collaborative training initiatives. The Task Group was encouraged by these two recent initiatives and the benefits from them were evident. 18

19 BEST PRACTICE VISITS During the review, the Task Group visited Shropshire Council and Halton Borough Council to explore examples of best practice, such as: how these Councils managed their adoption services how these adoption services were performing. Shropshire County Council was chosen because in 2011/12 they adopted 44 children, there are currently the quickest local authority at placing children. Halton Borough Council was chosen because of their active promotional work of the service and their conversion rate from initial enquiries to approved adopters. Shropshire Council Shropshire operates a joint Adoption Service with Telford and Wrekin. It s Adoption Team employs two Permanence Co-ordinators whose sole responsibility it is to drive the adoption process forward and to work alongside social workers to ensure that the plan for permanency for looked after children is considered at a very early stage and progressed as quickly as possible. Since 2005, Shropshire Council had been running parallel plans for children who come into care; one for rehabilitation/foster care and one for adoption. At a very early stage adoption is considered for children and their birth parents are informed of this being a possibility also at a very early stage. To date only 15% of children who had parallel plans were not adopted. Because of the successes of their early intervention work, there are no older children or very few sibling groups needing adoption. If a Birth Parent, has another child and it was likely that this child would be adopted too, work starts early to try and place this child with its adopted sibling. If this is to be the case, the Adoptive Parents are approved as Foster Carers first and the child is placed whilst they are approved to adopt the sibling. All of Shropshire Council s initial enquiries are followed up within 5 days of their information pack being distributed. Enquiries from potential adopters who meet the initial threshold are invited to an information evening prior to their first home visit. To help speed up the adoption process, social workers are only required to write one report which is presented to the Adoption Panel and to the Court. The standard BAAF (British Adoption and Fostering) permanency report has been adapted which reduces the need for social workers to write two reports. Their adapted report received the approval of Ofsted in 2007 and has been working effectively ever since. Once the report has been approved by its Adoption Panel, the same report along with a very short covering report is presented to the Court. Contact with Birth Parents was also seen as a barrier in Shropshire and delayed children from being adopted swiftly. Contact with birth families is now only once a year, with no direct contact or photographs being presented to birth families. They felt that face-to-face contact was too damaging for both adoptive children and their new families and therefore reduced it to a minimum, unless there were exceptional circumstances During their discussions, the Task Group learnt that Shropshire Council s Adoption Team do not promote Special Guardianship Orders for permanent placements for children as they feel that this was the easy option and social workers were avoiding making tough decisions. 19

20 Halton Borough Council Halton Borough Council s conversion rate for potential adopters making that initial telephone call to becoming adopters was 45%. This was significantly higher than Cheshire West and Chester Council s rate of 15%. Halton Borough Council undertakes targeted advertising campaigns to attract potential adopters, especially for older children and sibling groups. Their adoption team work closely with its Children in Need team at an early stage to identify the children coming into care that will need adopting and then they often tailor their recruitment campaigns to match those children s needs. Their initial telephone screening of potential adopters is undertaken by a member of the Adoption Team and a follow up call is made within 5 working days of their information pack being posted out. Halton Borough Council s information pack is inclusive and dispels the myths of who can and who can t adopt. Potential incentives and financial help are clearly identified in its introduction. Early and regular contact is made between Social Workers and the Legal Team and the Adoption Team and early work is undertaken with the Children in Need Team to forward think about the children who are coming into care and who may need adopting, Both Councils had been on their journeys of improving their adoption service for a considerable amount of time. 7.0 CONCLUSION: Following this review, the Task Group agreed that time is a crucial element in the work with children. The longer a child remains in an environment where they are at risk of suffering harm, neglect or abuse and the longer their journey through the care proceedings system takes and then the older and more damaged they will be at the point at which family finding is undertaken and the impact this has on possible successful outcomes for that child should never be underestimated. During the scrutiny review, the Task Group was encouraged by the improvements that have already been made to the service and the associated processes but felt that more could be done. Children and Young People s Directorate has already started to work through some of the recommendations made by the Task Group during its investigations, which they are pleased about. The Task Group hopes that its work continues to complement the improvements that have already happened in Children s Services and that this report goes some way to ensuring that all our children belong to loving family. Every child deserves the right to be happy and have a safe and stable home, and just as importantly a loving family. If this is to be with a new family then we owe it to them to find them one as quickly as possible, we need to be working to a timetable of months rather than years. As previously said sometimes our lives, for whatever reason, aren t always great, but the Task Group believe that somewhere over the rainbow there is a loving family waiting for everyone. 20

21 8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATION : That the Council: 1. commissions a systemic review of its adoption process by undertaking a selection of case audits. The Task Group to be provided with a schedule of anonymised cases that include completion timescales and then an appropriate Officer to undertake a case audit of the cases that they have selected to identify and factors which have either caused delay or expedite the process. This exercise to take place before the end of August undertakes an exercise, with the Task Group s involvement, to ensure that Adoption is being considered at the stage of 4 month as a bare minimum, 3 investigates whether a similar organisational approach to that taken by Shropshire Council for a more streamlined approach to internal processes, such as: the use of a single Adoption Report for both court and adoption panel, running parallel plans for children and the allocation of resources for a Permanency Co-ordinator should be explored in Cheshire West and Chester Council, 4 commissions the services of an Adoption Consultant, funded by the =9 Children s Improvement Board, who can independently review the Council s adoption process, so that it can be streamlined where appropriate, 5. allocates resources to provide specific emotional health and wellbeing support to meet the needs of Adoptive Children, 6 undertakes a Mystery Shopper exercises on the Adoption Service to determine why a number of our potential adopters are falling away at the very early stages of the process, 7 undertakes a detailed analysis on why Cheshire West and Chester Council s conversion rate from potential adopters to approved adopters was lower than other local authorities,. 8 develops a more enhanced, robust, inclusive and targeted marketing strategy, including an Information Pack, and the Task Group be consulted on its drafting, 21

22 9. ensures that all initial enquiries from potential adopters are dealt with by a member of the Adoption Team and that follow-up calls are made within 5 working days of the Information Pack being posted out, 10. organises regular appropriate activities such as Adoption Information Evenings/Open Days. 11. commissions an independent review of its Contact Plans, so that contact with Birth Parents is more realistic and appropriate for both Adoptive Parents and adopted children, unless there are exceptional circumstances, 12. allocates additional resources to develop and manage the Family Group Meetings. Appropriate training should be made available for Staff to manage Family Group Meetings, 13. ensures that greater use of the pre proceedings procedure in accordance with the Public Law Outline is implemented, 14 undertakes an exercise to determine why it has experienced a high number of cases where birth parents have sought or obtained permission of the court to challenge adoption applications causing delay and anxiety for adoptive applicants where they have had the child/ children placed with them for some considerable time, 15 produces regular six monthly analysis for the Children and Education Scrutiny Committee on the number of children who are subject to child protection plans, starting 3 September updates the Children and Education Scrutiny Committee at its meetings on 15 October 2012 and April 2013 on how all the above recommendations have been progressed and how the service has improved. 22

23 RECOMMENDATION TO THE CHILDREN AND EDUCATION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 1. that it raises at a national level with the Local Government Association and the Judiciary Service the difficulties that are being experienced with the Legal Services Commission and funding of independent witnesses 2. that it act as Champions for adoption; 9.0 REPORT CONTACT DETAILS AND DATE Councillor Margaret Parker Bus. margaret.parker@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk Councillor Howard Greenwood Bus. howard.greenwood@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk For further information relating to the review please contact: Andrea Thwaite Scrutiny Officer Scrutiny Team Cheshire West and Chester County Hall Chester CH1 2SF Tel: June

24 Appendix A TITLE OF REVIEW: OUTLINE PURPOSE OF REVIEW: EXPECTED TIMESCALES: TERMS OF REFERENCE: KEY AREAS OF ENQUIRY: CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER SCRUTINY REVIEW SCOPE Review of Cheshire West and Chester Council s adoption service and associated processes. To assess and understand Cheshire West and Chester Council s adoption process and whether it is fit for purpose within the context of the government s agenda to increase the numbers of children being placed for adoption nationally. January 2011 April 2012 Executive 9 May 2012 To compare the performance of Cheshire West and Chester nationally and with statistical neighbours in relation to the numbers of children placed for adoption and the timeliness within which they are placed Review current adoption resources and processes to identify any existing shortfalls/obstacles to achieving high performance and outcomes in this area Explore the role of adoption as part of the Authorities broader permanency strategy Establish numbers of break downs in adoption placements and the effectiveness of post adoption support services in preventing this. Facilitate an understanding of the government agenda for adoption and challenge how the position in Cheshire West and Chester measures up to the enhanced framework of expectation The efficiency of adopter recruitment in securing the range and volume of adoptive placements required The speed with which children are placed for adoption and any delays/obstacles to this being achieved Explore the role of adoption in term of the Council s overall permanency strategy The numbers of children adopted in CWaC over the last three years and how this compares to the performance of similar Councils The number of adoptive placement breakdowns and analysis of why they failed What support do we give our Adopters subsequent to the making of adoption orders Review the age profile of children when adoption is agreed to be in their best interests. 24

25 HOW REVIEW COULD BE PUBLICISED: POSSIBLE WITNESSES EXPECTED OUTCOMES: POSSIBLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION: SCRUTINY MEMEBERS OFFICER: SCRUTINY OFFICERS: Analysis of consortium arrangements within the region where Authorities combine to provide shared adoption services Press Release Scrutiny website Newsletter Team Brief Gerald Meehan Strategic Director of Children and Education Scrutiny Committee Sandra Campbell Head of Children and Families Services Philip Segurola- Interim Senior Manager Provider Services Adoption Team Manager and Adoption Service Staff Chair of Cheshire West and Chester s Adoption Panel Current and Previous Adopters Members of the Post Adoption Support Group for Young People Judiciary/Court Officers Officers/Members of comparator Authorities Increase the number of children achieving permanence through adoption. Improve the timeliness of children being placed for adoption by identifying potential shortfalls/obstacles to the adoptive process. Further build upon the range of services available to families and children/young people by way of post adoption support. Councillor Pat Merrick Councillor Margaret Parker Councillor Howard Greenwood Philip Segurola- Interim Senior Manager Provider Services Andrea Thwaite Scrutiny Officer 25