1 Summary

The following decisions are sought.

1.1 That the Statement of Purpose be approved.

1.2 That the conclusions of the Annual Inspection and action plan, and the outline proposals for improvements to the Hampshire Fostering service be noted.

2 Reason(s)

2.1 In order to comply with Fostering Regulations 2002 and the National Care Standards Act 2000.

2.2 The fostering service's ability to provide a range of different family based care, impacts on the Department's performance in a number of priority areas which are identified in the Delivery and Improvement Statement and the County's Corporate Strategic Aim of Maximising life opportunities, Improving services and Developing Councillors and staff.

3 Other options considered and rejected

3.1 None.

4 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision-maker or a Member or Officer consulted

4.1 None.

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1 None.

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1 Not applicable

Approved by: Date of decision:

Councillor Felicity Hindson

1 Introduction

1.1 This report seeks to inform The Executive member for Social Care about key matters relating to the performance and development of the Hampshire County Council Foster Care Service, with reference to the recent statutory inspection and reviews on a range of important aspects of the Social Services Department's family placement responsibilities overall.

1.2 A number of different areas are critical to the Local Authority being able to meet its statutory requirements and service standards as set out and maintained by central government in respect of children looked after in general, and regarding family placement in particular. This report focuses on Hampshire County Council's own fostering service (sometimes referred to as the `in-house' service), as distinct from fostering services provided by the independent sector (from private or voluntary not-for-profit organisations), generally called Independent Foster Agencies (IFA's), from which HCC Social Services in common with other local authorities, purchase placements when necessary.

1.3 A summary is presented which describes work which has been underway since the remodelling of the Social Services Department, which included a reorganisation of the family placement service, which in turn drew on inspection by the Social Services Inspectorate in 1999/2000.

1.4 The most recent statutory Inspection took place in February this year with its Report published in April, followed by the Social Services Department's Action Plan. The 2004 Annual Inspection and Action Plan have been made available in the Members' Room.

1.5 The Statement of Purpose is a key requirement for all registered fostering agencies; a revised Statement is included in this report. (Appendix 1).

1.6 A Children's Guide which sets out what children can expect whilst in foster care, approved by the Executive Member for Social Care in December 2003, is included for Members information.

1.7 Officers are currently drawing up a comprehensive action plan which proposes additional investment in Hampshire's own fostering services by way of a response to the findings of the annual inspection and the other reviews, as well as to wider performance and financial information about growing pressures on the Department's services for children looked after, whereby significant improvements can be secured.

2 Background

2.1 The Government has increased significantly its scrutiny of family placement arrangements overall, adding new legislation and regulations to existing requirements. Local authority fostering services, such as the Hampshire Foster Care Service, and those in the independent sector, are subject to regular Government inspection in order to establish if the National Minimum Standards are being met. Legislation covering these arrangements is to be found in the Care Standards Act 2000, the Fostering Services Regulations 2002, as well as recent amendments to the Children Act 1989. Inspections which have been carried out by the National Care Standards Commission, will henceforth become the responsibility of the new Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).

2.2 The recruitment of foster carers to Hampshire's Foster Care Service continues to be an area of major concern. Necessary improvements in, or the continued achievement of, government key targets could be jeopardised unless key elements in the service can be strengthened. A common group of key messages has emerged from the service reviews commissioned over the last eighteen months which will inform plans for improvement.

2.3 The service reviews include:

2.3.1 `Priorities for Changes for the Foster Care Service', audited against the UK National `Standards for Fostering'. Carried out by an independent consultant.

2.3.2 Internal audit of foster carer payments, carried out in conjunction with County Treasurer's Financial Services Unit in Social Services.

2.3.3 Review of management arrangements in the County Family Placement Service by the Performance Management Unit in Social Services.

2.3.4 `Review of HCC In-House Foster Care Provision' by the County Treasurer's Consultancy Service.

2.4 Information has also been used from the earlier Best Value `Review of Services for Looked After Children', as well as the most recent Inspection by the NCSC.

2.5 The scope of the reviews, all of which now include action plans, have addressed the key aspects - structure, management and support arrangements, payment mechanisms, staffing, premises, and quality of care, as well as a an in-depth analysis of the in-house fostering service.

2.6 It has thus been possible to build up a comprehensive picture with which to inform development of Hampshire's Foster Care Service which is a key part of the complex family placement system overall.

2.7 The Hampshire Foster Care Service:

2.7.1 There are 450 foster carers registered with the Hampshire Foster Care Service, and some 110 Family Link scheme carers. Approximately 10% of foster carers are not actively caring for a child at any one time due to personal or family circumstances, which is in line with the national position.

2.7.2 Some 550 children looked after are placed with Hampshire foster carers at any one time.

2.7.3 Another 150 children looked after are placed with independent fostering agencies (IFA's). This represents an increase of about 30 children since 1^st April 2004.

2.7.4 The current position in Hampshire in terms of in-house vis-à-vis external placements is similar to that experienced by other local authorities, as is the trend; which has seen in recent years a decrease in capacity of the Hampshire service and an increase in placements made in the independent sector. The number of children looked after has not increased significantly nor has the rate in comparison with other similar local authorities.

2.7.5 There are about 120 children receiving regular respite care with Hampshire's Family Link service.

2.7.6 In the last year the service has recruited 138 new foster carers, a combination of `stranger' (i.e. unrelated) foster carers and `Family & Friends' foster carers. There are currently 48 assessments underway, not all of which will proceed to full approval at Panel. In addition 97 foster carers ceased fostering for a number of reasons, and 12 foster carers were `lost' to the service by adopting a child in their care; a good outcome for the child, and a continuation of last year's trend.

2.7.7 In spite of this net increase in foster carers, of 29, the capacity of the fostering service is decreasing, in part because of the decision to put less pressure on current carers by asking them to take more children than they are registered for.

3 The Annual Inspection

3.1 The dates of the key stages of the inspection are listed above in Section 1.

3.2 In the Inspection Report the NCSC concluded that the "Local Authority fostering service satisfies the regulatory requirements".

3.3 In general terms the Inspection confirmed the steady progress being made by the Department to develop its fostering service, which reflects the efforts, and practice standards and commitment by foster carers, practitioners and managers, as well as the support of elected Members.

3.4 There were no serious matters or shortcomings (termed "not substantial" or "substantial" in the Regulations) which will need to be reported upwards to the Secretary of State.

3.5 In its Report the NCSC inspectors recorded that they had "found evidence of good practice or service development" in eight areas or aspects. These were in summary: training of foster carers, approval and support to family and friends foster carers, and recruitment strategy and methods of recruitment.

3.6 The NCSC went on to identify seven areas or aspects of the service which needed further development, whilst not causing serious concerns to the service as a whole. These related to panel membership, support to foster cares, in particular out of hours, and information and communication between children's social workers and the Fostering Service.

3.7 Local authority fostering agencies are required to provide the NCSC with an Action Plan which describes proposals to address requirements or recommendations. The NCSC has confirmed its acceptance of Hampshire's plan which has "covered all the statutory requirements in a timely fashion".

4 Statement of Purpose

4.1 Whilst the NCSC in its annual inspection commented favourably upon the information made available for foster carers and others by the Department, officers have determined that improvement could be made and that these could most usefully be included in the Statement of Purpose, a key document which all fostering agencies are required to produce and make available. It is of necessity a summary of information. It is written in a way which is intended to be readily accessible to all foster carers, families of children in foster care and children looked after in foster care.

4.2 The Statement of Purpose is attached at Appendix 1.

4.3 It is to be issued together with what may be considered a companion document, a `Children's Guide' intended specifically for the use of children, which sets out for children the services they can expect, whilst in foster care, including information about the `Complaints & Comments' procedure in Hampshire. This was originally approved in December 2003 by the Executive Member for Social Care.

5 Key Messages and Common Factors

5.1 As outlined above in section 3 which describes the background, a range of key messages and common factors have been identified regarding areas for development which need to be tackled in order to secure necessary improvements in Hampshire's Foster Care Service.

5.2 The Hampshire Foster Care Service carries out three key functions:

5.2.1 Recruitment of foster carers through a recruitment and marketing specialist, who supports the county's recruitment team;

5.2.2 Support for foster carers and their families, primarily through the three District Fostering Teams, providing formal supervision and informal support, a full training programme, independent support regarding `complaints' and safe care practice, partnership work through it's Hampshire Fostering Network, opportunities for active involvement in local and national development and service development initiatives e.g. the National Fostering Taskforce;

5.2.3 Operation and support of the six Fostering Panels across Hampshire, which functions include oversight of the approval of applications to foster and to approve placements. Composition of these panels includes elected Members. The responsibility is significant and wide-ranging and panel members have access to an expanding training programme in recognition of this.

5.3 These key messages, confirmed in the County Treasurer's Consultancy Report which drew on the range of earlier reviews as well as pursuing development options to greater depth, established that,

5.3.1 Foster Carers must be effectively supervised, supported (on a practical level) trained (to the National Minimum Standards), have access to advice and guidance (24 hours a day and of a specialist, multi-agency nature when necessary), be remunerated adequately and appropriately (for expenses and for skills and/or experience), and feel valued (e.g. as fellow professionals, colleagues and team members). In terms of remuneration, this means that for expenses this should be done efficiently, and in a timely and non bureaucratic manner, and in a way which recognises the actual and hidden costs of fostering. It also means that for skills and experience foster carers need to be part of a professional development programme, which may lead to `paid employment'.

5.3.2 Fostering services must be properly and appropriately (i.e. as required by regulation) staffed, and supported by senior managers and elected Members, in order to be able to meet the statutory obligations and practice standards reinforced in Government performance indicators. These key outcomes include:- Stability and choice of placement for children (PAF A1 and D35), proper planning for children (through properly constituted and regulated Fostering Panel), listening to children, supporting children and young people in the achievement of their life chances, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, disability, culture or geographical location.

5.4 That this analysis of key development factors is accurate can be supported by the fact that the Hampshire Fostering Service has demonstrated that it is capable of providing good services where investment has been possible. For example, in the annual inspections report by NCSC, the highest ratings were awarded in areas of investment, i.e. foster carer training, recruitment strategy and developments in the Family & Friends service.

5.5 The fostering service requires additional investment in the infrastructure and in the level of allowances and fees to carers. In order to produce the necessary outcomes both of these strands are of equal importance and need to be developed together.

5.5.1 Both the report by the PMU (on management and organisational arrangements), and that of the County Treasurer's Consultancy (on the HCC in-house fostering service) stress the importance of this integrated approach to service development, and initial work with the National Fostering Taskforce has emphasised it. Investment in infrastructure leads to improved support services for foster carers, enhancing retention, whilst investment in the allowances and fees structure leads to improved financial support and recognition for foster carers, enhancing recruitment and retention. Neither action can deliver an improved service of itself. The Treasurer's Consultancy report makes clear recommendations about the need for improvement to fees and allowances, and the development to the service which are critical to foster carer retention.

5.6 The Treasurer's Consultancy report includes a cost-benefit analysis of the relative costs and other performance and quality factors in using Independent Foster Agencies (IFA's) and the Hampshire Foster Care Service. It is clear that a case can be made out for significant investment in the in-house service with the likelihood of real growth in the fostering service through the recruitment and retention of carers' who have the skills experience and commitment to offer placement to a wide range of children, underpinned by an improved support system.

5.7 Two significant outcomes have been identified from the preferred option and outline implementation plan described in the Treasurer's Consultancy report. these are an improvement in the stability of placement for more children, with a reduction in the current reliance on IFA's.

6 Future Developments

6.1 A project plan is being drafted which sets out a programme for key service improvements together with the necessary investment to be phased in over three years to commence during the current financial year.

6.2 The main elements would include the introduction of the national recommended fostering allowance rates, replacement of the Skills Fees Scheme with one which rewards all foster carers (instead of a small group) and critically, introduce a `professional fee' for foster carers, which would represent a realistic level of income to encourage a `career choice' to foster. All of these proposals will be dependant on the necessary budget being identified, and the introduction of new developments will be phased in , in order to monitor their effectiveness.

6.3 It is clear from all the reports listed that these financial improvements will not in isolation secure the necessary changes. The associated developments are outlined in the Treasurer's Consultancy report, and these primary areas could all be implemented by Hampshire's fostering services. These include, out-of-hours support, respite care, discretionary payments, membership of the National Fostering Network, and incentive payments for recruiting new carers.

6.4 The development plan will need to deliver against four key targets. These are, first, to introduce allowances at the rate recommended by the national fostering network ; second, to secure against agreement to detailed proposals for priority developments together with implementation plans for the remainder of 2004/5 by November; third, to produce proposals for further developments for 2005/6 by December; and fourth, to have carried out an evaluation of the initial stages of the development plan by April 2005.

7 Hampshire County Council Corporate Strategy

7.1 This report and the fostering services referred to support the corporate strategy key aims; in particular

7.1.1 Aim 1: Maximising life opportunities, in this case for some of our most vulnerable members of the community.

7.1.2 Aim 5: Improving services, and,

7.1.3 Aim 6: Developing Councillors and staff in terms of Members' involvement on Fostering Panels and improvements for Foster Carers.

8 Race Relations (Amendment) Act

8.1 The Government's Regulations and Inspection arrangements specify requirement concerning racial (and other forms of) discrimination. Compliance with the Act in terms of carrying out an Impact Assessment is confirmed, forming part of the programme of work relating to the Department's Service Plans.

9 Conclusion

9.1 The Hampshire Foster Care Service provides a good service for Hampshire's Children Looked After, and the commitment of the county's foster carers is impressive. The annual inspection report identified areas of strength with some other areas of development, which have been addressed in the Action Plan; there were no areas of serious weakness.

9.2 The reorganisation of the fostering service three years ago which was part of the remodelling of the Department has brought significant benefits.

9.3 These two factors provide secure foundations on which to build.

9.4 Significant improvements are required in order to increase the capacity and scope of Hampshire's Foster Care Service and its infrastructure. The capacity of the service has been in decline with an associated increase in the use of independent sector providers. There are serious implications for performance in a number of areas as measured by Government, as well as significant, and rising budget pressures.

9.5 An outline three year project plan identifying significant additional investment has been prepared in order to implement service development, which will include as a key element of the commitment to expand Hampshire's Foster Care Service and improve conditions and support for foster carers. This will be presented to the Executive Member for Social Care in October 2004.

10 Recommendations

It is recommended that the Executive member for Social Care

10.1 Notes the conclusions of the Annual Inspection, the Action Plan, and the progress made in fostering services overall in Hampshire.

10.2 Approves the Statement of Purpose.

10.3 Supports the outline proposals for improvements to the Hampshire Foster Care Service.

Appendix A

Hampshire Fostering Service Statement of Purpose

Aims and Objectives and Principles of Care

Hampshire County Council Social Services Department has a family placement service which covers the whole of Hampshire. The purpose of the family placement service is to provide a range of good quality family based care for children of all ages in Hampshire, who are unable to stay in their own families, either within our own resources or through independent fostering agencies in the Hampshire area.

Families are provided for children and young people who need to be cared for, for short or long periods of time, or for a planned series of short breaks. Where possible a child will be "matched" with a family who is from the same cultural or religious background, and who has the skills and training to care for the child, including children who have specific health, dietary, educational, physical or emotional needs.

Where this is not possible training, advice, equipment, and access to specialist help is arranged to support foster carers and children.

Structure of the Service

The service is made up of a county wide recruitment team and 3 district teams. The fostering recruitment team receives information about specific children requiring family placements, and general information about children's needs, in order to achieve a strategic approach to recruitment.

The three district teams are located in six offices located across Hampshire. Each team covers a district as follows:

North Team - Basingstoke, Alton and Aldershot

South East Team - Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Petersfield

South West Team - New Forest, Eastleigh, Romsey, Andover and Winchester

These teams receive information about children and young people who need to live in a family setting, on a short or long term basis or about children who need a family to offer regular short stays to a child with a disability, in order to support that child and its family. This is the family link scheme which is partly paid for by the health trusts in Hampshire.

Family and Friends Carers

The district family placement teams will work with the child's social worker, in the first instance, to see if anyone who is in the child's extended family or kinship network could, with support and financial assistance, look after that child.

Only when that is not possible, will the family placement social worker look for suitable placement with an already approved foster carer, or ask the recruitment team

to try to recruit a foster carer specifically for that child. The foster carer may be a Hampshire foster carer, or may foster for an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA).

Recruitment of Foster carers and the Fostering panel

The Fostering service recruits and assesses foster carers, offers training and advice, and operates the fostering panels, of which there are six in Hampshire. These each meet monthly and they recommend on the approval of foster carers, and oversee regular reviews of foster carers, to ensure a high quality of care. They also approve the quality of plans made for children who need permanent care away from home. Fostering panel membership is strictly regulated.

Supervision and Support

Foster carers, on approval, receive regular supervision and support, during the working week from the family placement social workers, social services assistants and foster care support workers.

Out of office hours support and guidance is available through the Hampshire Out of Hours Service. In addition to this there is a dedicated Foster Carer Support line which is run in conjunction with the Carers Support line.

Hampshire Fostering Network

Hampshire foster carers have a local network of support groups represented on a central committee, which receives a small grant to enable it to support foster carers in consultative roles or to provide representation on working groups around the County. The Committee meets monthly with managers and family placement staff, and regularly with senior managers, to ensure that issues of mutual interest and importance are addressed. The Fostering Network are also integral to the recruitment of new foster carers.

Information and Training

Access to specialist information is available to all Hampshire foster carers through the Hampshire Social Services library and a programme of specific training is also available, enabling foster carers to progress through several "skill levels". Foster carers are also supported in accessing the NVQ3 in childcare. A specific trainer has been recruited to ensure that foster carers receive the training they require.

A foster carers website has been developed so that foster carers can access information more easily. There is also a website for looked after children which links to the foster carers website.

A Fostering Handbook provides a comprehensive guide for all foster carers in the county.

Staffing

2 service managers (one operational/one strategic)

4 team managers

1 senior practitioner

27.5 qualified social workers

1 marketing co-ordinator

12.5 social services assistants

7.25 family link co-ordinators

3.5 foster care support workers

Administrative support is provided by social services resources team.

Foster carers

There are 450 Foster carers registered with Hampshire Fostering Service, and around family link Foster carers. About 10% of Foster carers are not fostering at any one time, due to personal or family circumstances. This reflects the national position.

There are around 550 children placed with Hampshire Fosters carers, and another 120 children who are placed with Independent Fostering agencies. This represents a decrease in capacity for the Fostering Service.

There are in the region of 120 children receiving regular respite care with the Family Link service.

Comments and Complaints

All foster carers are aware of the Hampshire County Council Comments and Complaints procedure should they need to use it. Should foster carers wish to complain or comment to an outside body they are invited to contact the National Care Standards Commission on 02380 8213000.

All children who are living in Hampshire foster care placements are provided with information about how to comment or complain about any aspect of their care or supervision.

In the last year, 45 complaints were made against foster carers which were all investigated. Hampshire have an Independent Support Service for Foster carers who are the subject of a complaint or allegation, in recognition of the fact that such an experience can be very stressful for the whole family.

Allowances and Fees

All foster carers and family link carers receive an allowance to meet the expense of caring for a child which is based on the national recommended rate. These rates are reviewed annually, and published in order that all foster carers are notified.

Some foster carers and family link carers also receive a fee in recognition of their skills.