Contact: Sue Kocaman. 01962 847263 [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

That the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services notes the recommendations of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, and the resulting action plan in respect of the County fostering service, and invites a further report in July 2006 confirming that appropriate action has been taken to improve services.

2 Reason(s)

The purpose of the inspection is to ensure that the fostering service meets the needs of our most vulnerable children. The service supports aims one, four and five of the Corporate Strategy by:

2.1 Maximising life opportunities for children who are looked after by ensuring that good quality family based care placements are provided for Hampshire's children resulting in good outcomes for children who are looked after.

2.2 Building strong and safe communities by enabling children who are looked after to remain in their local communities and to fully participate in and contribute to the life of those communities.

2.3 Improving services by providing a benchmark against which Hampshire can improve its performance and continually develop the service.

2.4 The inspection process and resulting recommendations support all five outcomes required in `Every Child Matters' and the Children Act 2004, by ensuring that services are managed safely and provide safe care for children; that children's health needs are met and promoted, and that they are encouraged and enabled to achieve their educational potential, at all stages of their lives and into adulthood. The service should promote the development of leisure and social activities which enable all children to participate fully in the life of the community, and should enable children who have special needs, physical or emotional. to be able to access services which will enable them to become as independent as possible and to move into careers and employment which will be rewarding and fulfilling.

3 Other options considered and rejected

3.1 That no further report is requested to ensure that appropriate improvements have been made - this would be unacceptable and may leave vulnerable children at risk.

4 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision-maker or a member for officer consulted

4.1 Not applicable.


5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1 Not applicable.


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

6.1 Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor Felicity Hindson

Executive Member for Children's Services

Contact Name: Sue Kocaman 01962 847263 [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report outlines the actions to be taken as a result of recommendations arising from the inspection of the Hampshire County Council Fostering Service by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in December 2005.

1.2 The Care Standards Act 2000 made provision for an annual inspection of all Fostering Services, whether managed by a Local Authority or managed by an Independent Fostering Agency ( IFA). Services are inspected against a set of standards which accompany the Fostering Services Regulations.2002.

1.3 Hampshire's Fostering Service was first inspected in February 2003, then in February 2004, in March 2005 and then again in December 2005. The most recent inspection was the first time that the service had been inspected against the five outcomes of the Children Act 2004, and, took place only nine months after the previous inspection.

1.4 The results of the Inspection were favourable, with three areas of the service being commended, and only one statutory recommendation for improvement, and one good practise recommendation.

1.5 The purpose of the inspection is to ensure that the fostering service meets the needs of our mosr vulnerable children. The service supports aims one, four and five of the Corporate Strategy by:

1.5.1 Maximising life opportunities for children who are looked after by ensuring that good quality family based care placements are provided for Hampshire's children resulting in good outcomes for children who are looked after.

1.5.2 Building strong and safe communities by enabling children who are looked after to remain in their local communities and to fully participate in and contribute to the life of those communities.

1.5.3 Improving services by providing a benchmark against which Hampshire can improve its performance and continually develop the service.

1.5.4 The inspection process and resulting recommendations support all five outcomes required in `Every Child Matters' and the Children Act 2004, by ensuring that services are managed safely and provide safe care for children; that children's health needs are met and promoted, and that they are encouraged and enabled to achieve their educational potential, at all stages of their lives and into adulthood. The service should promote the development of leisure and social activities which enable all children to participate fully in the life of the community, and should enable children who have special needs, physical or emotional. to be able to access services which will enable them to become as independent as possible and to move into careers and employment which will be rewarding and fulfilling.

2 Background

2.1 The County Council's fostering service comprises of a strategic and an operational service manager and four team managers who in turn manage in the region of 65 staff, made up of qualified and unqualified personnel. One team takes a lead role in recruiting and assessing foster carers across Hampshire, whilst the remaining 3 district teams support and supervise existing foster carers.

2.2 The service also employs a marketing and recruitment officer, a training officer, and a fostering panel co-ordinator who oversees the six fostering panels across the County. An independent service is commissioned to support foster carers who have an allegation or complaint made against them, and the County also commissions placements from Independent Fostering Agencies (IFA's) in response to specific need (such as a young person at risk of being sent to a young offenders institution, requiring a family based placement or a mother and baby requiring placement together), or in response to a general pressure on placements in the County.

2.3 Hampshire's fostering service has 570 foster carers and 120 Family link foster carers, and there are 580 children using the fostering service and 120 children using the Family link service at any one time. Foster carers may be recruited into a general pool of `County carers' or be recruited as `Family or friends' carers, to care for a specific child or children.

2.4 In addition the County Council supports relatives who offer to care for vulnerable children outside of the care system, through its kinship care scheme.

2.5 99% of children under the age of ten and 87% of all children who are looked after, are placed with families as opposed to living in residential care. The ability of the County to offer stable placements which last as long as required by the child or children, is directly related to the number of families who are available to foster, and the degree of choice which can be exercised in placing a child or children.

2.6 The stability of a placement has a direct impact on the child's educational, health, social and emotional needs being met. Making the right placement is therefore pivotal to the child achieving the desired outcomes, and moving successfully into adulthood.

3 Inspection outcomes

3.1 The inspection summary concludes that the service performs well in the following areas:

`The service offers a good level of support to all its carers. Regular supervision sessions are undertaken by family placement social workers and young people are appropriately placed in safe and secure environments in which carers promote young peoples mental and emotional wellbeing. The service promotes the health development and educational achievement of young people. The service values diversity, promotes equality for the children, young people and their families. Case records were viewed and were comprehensive. The foster service provides respite care for children with disabilities and is positive in recognising that parents remain the main carers for these young people. The kinship care service supports young people and families and enables them to remain out of the Looked after Children system. The service promotes contact between young people and their families. The service has sufficiently qualified and experienced staff to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met.'

3.2 The service is deemed to have made improvements in the following areas since the last inspection in March 2005.

`Since the last inspection the service has recruited a significant number of foster carers, at the time of the inspection there was a recruitment drive to recruit and approve another 150 carers to enable better placement choice. The staff recruitment process now ensures that documentary evidence of qualifications are on file and that references are verified with direct contact. Carers said that they were provided with all the relevant information before a young person is placed. Supervisions of carers were being undertaken routinely. Carers reported that payments were being made in a timely manner. Young people spoke of being visited by their social workers, although they were not being routinely consulted by the services family placement social workers. The matching process has improved with new forms being in place to ensure appropriate placements are sought.'

3.3 The service was considered to be able to make improvements in the following areas:

`The foster service needs to ensure that annual reviews of foster carers approvals take place in accordance with the regulation. The service was aware that this was not being met and managers spoke of prioritising this. The service should ensure that young people are being consulted routinely by family placement workers and record any contact or consultation with children and young people. The service managers informed the inspectors that safe caring booklets would be provided to all carers, in addition to the guidance and training already provided.'

4 Conclusions

4.1 An action plan has been developed and approved by the senior management team in response to the recommendations for improvement, and is contained in this report at Appendix One.

4.2 The full Inspection report will be available on the website of the Commission for Social Care Inspection in due course.

4.3 A further report will be submitted to the Policy Review Committee in July 2006, along with the Annual report and Statement of Purpose. This will provide an opportunity for members to be updated on the progress of the action plan and to ensure that the range of investment proposals and service developments agreed in October 2005 have been evaluated and progressed.

5. Legal Implications

None

6 Financial Implications

6.1 There are no financial implications resulting form the inspection, which have not already been taken into account in considering the programme of investments to the service. These investments are part of a strategic budget plan to develop and improve family placement services for children and include such initiatives as enhanced fee paying schemes for foster carers.

7. Personnel Implications

None

8 Impact assessment

The inspection of Hampshire's fostering service confirms that issues of diversity and equality are appropriately valued and promoted.

13 Crime prevention issues

None

14 Views of the Local County Councillor

Not applicable. This report refers to County wide services and there are no specific issues relating to any one Councillor's Electoral Division.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Children's Services Policy Review Committee notes the recommendations of the annual inspection of the fostering service and the resultant action plan,and invites an update report in July 2006.

Appendix A

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL FOSTERING SERVICE

ACTION PLAN IN RESPONSE TO INSPECTION

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

None