Fostering Service Statement of Purpose

Transcription

1 Directorate of Children, Education and Early Help Services Fostering Service Fostering Statement of Purpose Service Statement of Purpose 2016/ /17 February 2016

2 Context Reading Borough Council s Fostering Service is an integral part of the Directorate of Children, Education and Early Help Services. It operates within the legislative requirements of: The Children Act 1989 The Children Act 2004 The Children and Families Act 2014 The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and 2013 (Amendments) The Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2010 and accompanying National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services The Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards 2011 and 2013 The Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005 and accompanying National Minimum Standards The Equality Act 2010 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 The Human Rights Act 1998 and Amendments The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 Other relevant legislation and Department of Health guidance, circulars and letters. Reading Borough Council s Fostering Service operates in accordance with the requirements and expectations of: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Kingdom National Standards for Foster Care 1999 The Code of Practice on the Recruitment, Assessment, Approval, Training, Management and Support of Foster Carers 2005 The Outcomes Framework of Every Child Matters: Change for Children The Children s and Young People s Plan Other relevant interagency local strategies and plans required by statute Reading Borough Council s internal policies, procedures and Corporate Plan which includes the following key ambitions: 1

3 Aims & Objectives People who are vulnerable are cared for and protected; people are supported and protected when they need to be. Good quality public services are provided by staff working within a learning environment which supports continual improvement in terms of the effectiveness of practice. Deliver the Directorate Vision, LEAP; Listen to our children, young people and families. Enable families to make better choices to have a positive impact. Act quickly to deliver the right support and outcomes for each child working in a child focused, transparent, timely and inclusive way. Partnership working to deliver integrated help early enough to be effective and proportionate. Deliver the pledge to children in the care of Reading Borough Council. This pledge sets out the standard of care children and young people can expect from the council. The pledge details the support and guidance provided under the following broad headings: Being Involved - Participation Permanence Your Education Life Outside of SchoolTransition to Independence Provide looked after children with a safe, stable, nurturing family environment which will promote their health, educational achievement and wellbeing, and which will assist them in coming to terms with their life experience and reaching their full potential. Provide different types of foster placements to meet the needs of the children being looked after, including temporary, permanent, respite and short breaks. To retain a skilled group of foster carers who are able to meet the needs of children who are looked after. To recruit and assess foster carers in a consistent and visible manner to engage the right quality and number of carers to meet the demands for placements. To meet the key aims of Reading Borough Council and the objectives of the Children and Young People s Plan. 2

4 Service Delivery Children first All work within the Fostering Service is guided by determining and acting on what is in the best interests of each child. Placement matching Placement matching means placing children with a family that can meet their needs. This includes considering the wishes and views of the children, the child s birth parents and significant relatives, as well as factors such as heritage, faith and language. Placement matching is undertaken by the Fostering Duty Social Worker with the area Children s Social Work Teams. When placing children, proximity to schools plus family and friends is taken into consideration. It is recognised that the family placement needs of Looked After Children will be best met through the development of a full range of in house placements. The Fostering Service does not always achieve this within the timescales determined by young people s needs. In these circumstances it is sometimes necessary to purchase independent external provision. A framework agreement has been set up in partnership with Wokingham, Bracknell and 10 other Southern Local Authorities. 26 independent fostering providers are included in this framework. In addition a list of 33 approved providers has also been established. This arrangement was designed to ensure that foster carers are recruited to meet local placement needs that a high standard of care is maintained and best value for money is achieved in the process. The Commissioning Team established and maintains this framework agreement. Types of fostering Fostering is a positive option for children whose needs cannot be met within their birth family. The requirement for alternative care arrangements may be temporary, short term or long term. Reading Borough Council aims to provide a range of placement options to meet the needs of children who need care, including emergency placements, respite, Supported Lodgings, short term, long term, parent and child, as well as managing placements with family and friends and a range of short breaks placements. 3

5 Working together The Fostering Service provides support to foster carers in meeting the social and emotional wellbeing of the children they look after through services provided by the Options Therapeutic Team. These services include therapeutic consultation for Children s Social Workers and foster carers, the direct delivery of individual therapy for children and young people. Including creative and talking based therapies. Direct work with children and young people in the community with a Skills Coach, to enable them to develop positive strategies to manage their emotional and mental health. Family interventions including family therapy, KEEP project and attachment base parenting work. Individual support packages are tailored to meet the assessed needs of the children and carers concerned. The Fostering Service works with a range of other teams and departments to ensure good quality care for the children being looked after and support for the foster carers. We work as close partners with the Directorate Children s Social Work Teams to ensure integrated planning and effective service delivery. We work with agencies and services in specialist fields such as Health (via the Looked After Children s Nurse, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and Education (via the Virtual Head for Looked After Children) as well as with Independent Reviewing Officers, children, children s parents and wider family members. Recruiting and Approving Foster Carers Reading Borough Council uses a variety of marketing approaches to recruit a diverse range of foster carers who can meet the needs of children in Reading. The Fostering Service has developed a comprehensive plan of recruitment activity for the forthcoming year. The primary objective is to maintain a highly visible profile for fostering through promotional activity in order that the local community is reminded regularly of the need for foster parents, particularly amongst specific community and cultural groups. The Recruitment and Assessment Team are working in partnership with the Reading Christian Network on the Home for Good project which aims to recruitment 40 foster carers over a three period from the network of churches within Reading. Assessment of Prospective Foster Carers In assessing prospective foster carers, Reading Borough Council follows the Fostering Services Regulations, (2011 & 2013), National Minimum Care Standards Act, (2000), The National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services as well as adhering to the good practice guidance provided by the Coram/ British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) partnership and The Fostering Network. 4

6 Following an initial enquiry, all prospective applicants will be contacted by telephone within one working day and have an opportunity to have a discussion with the duty worker who will send an information pack as appropriate. Prospective applicants are offered a visit at home so they can further discuss their interest in fostering with Reading Borough Council. All suitable applicants will progress to Stage 1 of the process which includes the Skills to Foster preparation training. This is also when statutory and best practice checks and references are undertaken; these include a number of formal checks with agencies such as police, health and education. On successful completion of this stage, applicants will progress to Stage 2. An assessing social worker is allocated to undertake a parenting skills-based assessment with the prospective carer (based on the BAAF process) and further checks are undertaken which include personal references and home, health and safety assessments. Stage 1 and Stage 2 will sometimes be undertaken at the same time to help expedite the process and avoid delay. Approval of Foster Carers The assessment process ends with a written report which is then read and signed by the prospective carers and presented to an independent Foster Panel for review. Reading s Foster Panel is made up of members who have relevant individual and/or professional experience or expertise in looking after children. The Foster Panel considers and makes recommendations about the approval and review of foster carers and family and friends carers ( Connected Persons ), matches children to permanent foster or family and friends foster placements and oversees the assessment and review of foster carers. The Panel meets on planned dates, twice a month and will convene more frequently if required. Reading Borough Council maintains a central list of persons considered suitable to be members of the Foster Panel. Membership and practice conforms to regulatory requirements including independent panel chairs. The Foster Panel makes a recommendation in terms of the approval of the foster carer, which is shared with the applicants. The Agency Decision Maker subsequently makes the approval decision, which is communicated to the applicants verbally within 2 days of the decision and in writing within 5 working days. There is a Foster Panel Adviser available to the Panel, who is not a Panel member. The Foster Panel provides an information leaflet for applicants, including details of Panel processes and membership. Everyone attending the Panel is required to complete a feedback form about their experience and feedback is shared with Panel members. 5

7 All Panel members are subject to annual appraisal by the independent Panel Chair in consultation with the Panel Adviser. The recommendation of the panel is sent to the Agency Decision Maker for Reading County Council. The Agency Decision Maker has the final decision on approval of foster carers. On approval, a supervising social worker from the Fostering Service s Support and Development section is allocated to support the foster carer with their role. Training Foster Carers During the assessment, prospective carers attend a three day Skills to Foster preparation training course. This training is an essential element in the preparation of foster carers for the task of looking after children and young people. Post approval foster carers are expected to participate in locally delivered training which is essential in undertaking the fostering task. They are also required to complete the Training, Support and Development standards (TSD Standards) for foster carers. Training for carers includes provision of the Level 3 Diploma for the Children s and Young People s Workforce. Training is delivered by staff, foster carers and specially commissioned trainers. This programme is managed by the Reading Borough Council Workforce Development Team. A comprehensive programme of additional training is available for foster carers, providing training in issues specific to the children and young people who they are looking after. The allocated fostering Supervising Social Worker will work alongside the foster carer to ensure that they have appropriate opportunities for training and development on an ongoing basis. This includes the KEEPSafe programme (for carers approved for year olds). This is a positive parenting training programme for mainstream foster carers and family and friends carers to improve skills and resilience when looking after challenging children. This is achieved through a structured training programme of 1 day per week delivered over a period of 20 weeks. The training programme provides practical skills and support to give foster carers the confidence to implement positive strategies to enable children and young people to make behaviour changes. This scheme is designed to increase placement stability and improve outcomes for Looked After Children. Supporting Foster Carers Financial support All foster carers receive an allowance for each child they foster. Reading Borough Council provides a clearly defined and effectively administered allowance scheme that meets the full maintenance costs of caring for a child/young person in foster care and those receiving planned short break care. In addition generic foster carers also receive a remunerative carer s fee 6

8 which recognizes both the skills and experience of different carers in addition to the different levels of involvement possible to deliver and develop the fostering services. An appraisal process reviews foster carers against a set of specific skills criteria the carer s fee is paid at 3 clearly defined skill levels. Foster carers also receive a paid, 14 day service break per annum (time out from fostering) as an agreed period or pattern of respite. Practical Support All foster carers work with an allocated fostering supervising social worker who has responsibility for managing and supporting them (including their ongoing training and development). Supervision visits take place every four weeks providing advice, information and support to the fostering family. Supervision is complemented by a series of support groups for baby carers, teenage carers and family and friends carers. Child care costs can be paid for foster carers who attend training and meetings. Reading Borough Council provides for its foster carers to receive automatic membership to Fostering Network and access to the fostering service out-of-hours telephone line (providing advice and support from Reading Borough Council fostering social workers). In addition the Berkshire-wide Emergency Duty Team provides emergency out-of-hours support for foster carers and the children placed. Reading Borough Council foster carers are matched with a Buddy ; an experienced foster carer who can provide practical support and advice on the fostering role. Foster carers can also access the Mentoring Scheme where they are matched with approved/experienced foster carers for advice and guidance in relation to specific areas of fostering practice. In addition to formal support, foster carers are encouraged to participate in informal support and social activities organized by other carers. Reading Carers Link, run by RBC foster carers, provides a range of support, including an out of hours telephone link to experienced foster carers, a monthly newsletter and visits to newly approved carers The Fostering Service hosts an Annual Foster Carer s Dinner/Event where the local authority commends its foster carers for their services and celebrates their successes and achievements throughout the year. The fostering duty system provides a greater level of continuity to Foster Carers, Children s Social Workers and Independent Fostering Agencies, resulting in better outcomes for children. We continue to use our system of a fulltime dedicated Duty Officer (qualified social worker) and a back up duty social worker who are supported by a duty manager; these roles are managed on a rota basis. 7

9 Assessment and Support of Family and Friends Carers ( Connected Persons ). A specific group of workers assess and support carers offering placements to children/young people with family and friends/kinship carers or a connected person. This includes an advisory and support service for carers who apply for Special Guardianship, existing Residence Orders or Child Arrangement Orders. The Private Fostering Service safeguards and protects the welfare of children who are cared for away from their families by private foster carers, and promotes community awareness of the National Minimum Standards and Regulations that apply to Private Foster Care. This service sits within the Family and Friends section, where carers and the children placed with them, can access support that is tailored to meet their needs. Reviewing Foster Carers Formal supervision sessions with foster carers include reviews of the foster carer s record keeping and outcomes they are delivering for the children in their care. A supervising social worker will undertake unannounced visits to the foster home and there is a formal annual review of each fostering household. Annual Reviews of the terms of approval, the registration and performance of all approved carers are completed and scrutinised by an independent Placement Reviewing Officer (PRO). The first annual review is presented to the independent Foster Panel. In addition further reviews should be undertaken if a change of approval is recommended/requested by the carer or in the case of a serious complaint. Service Statistics Children living in care At the end of December 2015, there were 242 children in the care of Reading Borough Council. Out of this total, 26% (65 children) lived with Reading Borough Council carers, 38% (93 children) were in placements commissioned through Independent agencies and 12% (30 children) were placed with Family and Friends carers. Reading Borough Council was also supporting 2 Staying Put arrangements, with inhouse carers and 5 with independent providers. In addition short break placements were being provided to 18 Children with disabilities/special needs as of December 2015 this included: 8

10 0 Looked After Children in foster care 18 receiving short breaks (as non-looked After Children) 0 being considered for links. Fostering Service Foster carers At the end of December 2015, Reading Fostering Service has 97(this includes Short Breaks) fostering units: 56 Short Term 13 Family and Friends (inc SGO & RO) 2 Supported Lodgings Carers 8 Long Term 6 Respite Carers Short Breaks Carers for Disabled Children: 8 Overnight 4 Day Care Service Feedback for 2015 Complaints about the Family Placement Service Feedback is vital to our growth and development. We take great pride in the services we provide and want to ensure we deliver a quality service to all. We welcome feedback and deal with all comments promptly and professionally. As part of our commitment to safeguarding, we ensure that children and young people in care and foster carers are aware of our Comments and Complaints Procedure and know how to raise concerns. The Fostering Team Manager records and monitors complaints. An Independent Visitor Scheme is available to Looked After Children who do not have a significant relative. An independent advocacy service for Looked After Children has been commissioned. This is available from the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS). They can be contacted on tel: In 2015 the Family Placement Service received 6 complaints in total (3 Statutory Complaints and 3 Corporate Complaints) about the service. One complaint was resolved informally; one was resolved at Stage 1 and 4 at Stage 9

11 2 of the corporate process. Complaints against foster carers All complaints against foster carers are investigated using the Complaints and Allegations Procedure which is outlined in the Foster Carers Handbook. Emphasis is placed on resolving complaints of this nature swiftly. In 2015 the Family Placement Service received 15 allegations were made against foster carers. In supporting foster carers, the Family Placement Service employs The Fostering Network Independent Fostering Support Service to aid foster carers who are subject to investigation following an allegation. Complaints against foster carers All complaints against Foster Carers are investigated using the Complaints and Allegations Procedure which is outlined in the Foster Carers Handbook. In the event that a Foster Carer s practice gives cause for concern the Fostering Service holds a Joint Evaluation Meeting (JEM) to discuss the situation. Recommendations will be made with a view to ensuring that appropriate care is maintained for the children concerned. In the event a foster carers practice is identified as a Standards of Care concern an investigation will be undertaken and the case presented to the Independent Fostering Panel who undertake a quality assurance function by reviewing the case. 10

12 Management Structure and Contact Details Registered Provider Reading Borough Council Fostering Agency: Directorate of Children, Education and Early Help Services Floor 2, Civic Offices, Bridge St, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2LU Agency Decision Maker Head of Service (Safeguarding and Children s Social Care): Catherine Parry and Service Manager (Family Placements): Jean Ash Directorate of Children, Education and Early Help Services Floor 2, Civic Offices, Bridge St, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2LU Responsible Individual Service Manager (Family Placements): Jean Ash Registered Manager Fostering Team Manager: Kirsty Benson-Allison 2-4 Darwin Close Reading, Berkshire RG1 9NT Two independent workers perform the Chair/Vice Chair functions of the Fostering Panel. An independent worker undertakes the role of Fostering Panel Adviser. 11

13 Catherine Parry Head of Children s Social Care Jean Ash Service Manager Kirsty Benson-Allison Team Manager Specialist Fostering 0.8 FTE ATM Fostering S&D 0.8 FTE Programme Supervisor KEEP 0.5 FTE SW Support & Development 1 FTE (Higher Specialist) Support & Development 1 FTE Systemic Therapist KEEP 0.5 FTE Lead Facilitator & Clinical Psychologist 1 FTE SW Support & Development 1 FTE 0.5 post moved to Family & Friends (below) Co-Facilitator KEEP 0.5 FTE Skills Coach KEEP 0.5 FTE SW Support & Development 1 FTE SW Support & Development 1 FTE Creative Therapist - KEEP 0.5 FTE ATM Short Breaks, Fostering & supported lodgings 0.6 FTE ATM - Recruitment & Assessment 1 FTE Social Worker - Short Break Scheme 1 FTE (Higher Specialist) Duty Social Worker Fostering Duty 1 FTE (Higher Specialist) SW - Recruitment & Assessment 1 FTE (Higher Specialist) SW - Recruitment & Assessment 0 65 FTE (Higher Specialist) SW Support & Development 0.5 FTE Social Worker - Short Break Scheme 1 FTE (Higher Specialist) SW - Recruitment & Assessment 1 FTE Vacancy SW - Recruitment & Assessment 0.5 FTE interviews ATM Friends & Family 0 8 FTE Jana Shulkin SW - Permanency 1 FTE Recruitment Officer 0 5 FTE Social Worker Friends & Family 1 0 FTE (Higher Specialist) Family & friends 0.5 FTE (Agency) Social Worker Friends & Family 0 5 FTE Social Worker Friends & Family 1 FTE Social Worker Friends & Family 0 8 FTE Social Worker Friends & Family 1 FTE (Locum) Permanent from 2/11/2015 SW - Permanency 0.76 FTE (Agency) Holli will soon be taking up a full -time, permanent role, as a Fostering Permanency SW Permanency 1 FTE (Agency) Recruitment Officer 0.5 FTE SW - Permanency 0.54 FTE (Agency) 12

14 Staffing Structure (as of January 2015) The Fostering Service Team Manager (Recruitment and Assessment, Permanency Fostering, KEEPSafe and the LAC Therapeutic Service, Support and Development, Supported Lodgings, Family and Friends and Short Breaks) manages the following staff: Recruitment and Assessment Assistant Team Manager 1 x1 FTE Higher Specialists Social Worker Social Worker Social Worker (permanency work) Recruitment Officer 1 x 1.65 FTE 1 x 1 FTE 1 x 0.5 FTE 2 x 1 FTE 1 x 1 FTE Support & Development Section (Fostering + Supported Lodgings) Assistant Team Manager 1 x 0.8 FTE Higher Specialist 1 x 1 FTE Social Workers 1 x 0.5 FTE Social Workers 6 x 1 FTE Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities Assistant Team Manager 1 x 0.6 FTE Higher Specialists 2 x 1 FTE Social Workers 1 x 1 FTE 13

15 Family and Friends Section: Assistant Team Manager Higher Specialists Social Workers Social Worker Social Worker 1 x 0.8 FTE 1 x 1 FTE 1 x 0.8 FTE 1 x 0.5 FTE 1 x 0.5 FTE KEEPSafe: Programme Manager 1 x 0.5 FTE Lead Facilitator & Clinical Psychologist 1 x 1 FTE Co-facilitator 1 x 0.5 FTE Creative Therapist 1 x 0.5 FTE Systemic Therapist 1 x 0.5 FTE Skills Coach 1 x 0.5 FTE Staff Qualifications and experience: Service managers and team managers have both social work and management qualification/training to support their extensive experience in providing services for children. They are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Social Workers all hold relevant professional qualifications and are registered with the HCPC, as well as having experience in supporting children in need and Looked After Children. Social Work Assistants do not hold a professional qualification but have experience of working with children, young people and families gained from working with a range of services. They work under close supervision of social workers and team managers. Independent and Agency Workers: The Fostering Service employs independent workers when necessary, from a regular pool of workers, to undertake assessments of foster carer applicants. Agency workers are only employed when permission is granted as a result of the need to cover a staffing vacancy. Business Support Team: At present 1 x full-time member of staff for the Permanency Service and 1 x full-time for the Fostering, Short Breaks and Directions, 1 x full-time Panel Coordinator for the Foster Panel, 1 x part time senior administrator and 1 x part time general Administrator. 14

16 Performance: Senior Managers chair regular meetings that monitor and track performance. The information monitored relates to each stage of service delivery, from the prospective carer s initial enquiry to post-approval ongoing supervision. Reading Borough Council s Directorate Management Team and the Corporate Parenting Panel (which meets quarterly) scrutinise the performance of the Fostering Service as part of its overview of the quality of care offered to the Local Authority s Looked After Children. Details of the Registration Authority OFSTED, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester M1 2WD Tel: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Website: 15

17 APPENDIX 1 New foster carers (units) and foster carers who have left the scheme during April 2015 January 2016: New carers (units): 5 Short Term 1 Respite 22 Family and Friends (inc Special Guardianship Order & Child Arrangement Order) 0 Short Breaks for disabled children TOTAL = 28 (inc Family and Friends) Current and new supported lodgings carers, and numbers who left the scheme during 2013: New Carers to the Scheme: 0 Resignation of Carers: 0 16

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