1 / 11

Ofsted Inspection Report - Rainbow Fostering Agency

Rainbow fostering services limited inspection report for independent fostering agency. The agency's main objective is to provide a service to children and young people who are in need of foster care. The service on offer includes long, short term, emergency and planned placements. It also provides mother and baby placements.<br>

rainbowfostering
Download Presentation

Ofsted Inspection Report - Rainbow Fostering Agency

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. RainbowFosteringServicesLimited Inspectionreportforindependentfosteringagency UniquereferencenumberInspectiondateInspector TypeofinspectionProvisionsubtype SC03162117/08/2012 JimPalmerFull Settingaddress RainbowFosteringServices,Unit10,ChurchillCourt,58StationRoad,NorthHarrow,HARROW,Middlesex,HA27SA 02084273355 anneke@rainbowfostering.co.ukRainbowFosteringServicesLtd AnnekeCorneliaWrightAijazAhmad11/02/2008 TelephonenumberEmail Registeredperson RegisteredmanagerResponsibleindividualDateoflastinspection

  2. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 2of11 ©Crowncopyright2012 Website:www.ofsted.gov.uk Thisdocumentmaybereproducedinwholeorinpartfornon-commercialeducationalpurposes,providedthattheinformationquotedisreproducedwithoutadaptationandthesourceanddateofpublicationarestated.

  3. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 3of11 Serviceinformation Briefdescriptionoftheservice RainbowFosteringServiceLtdisaprivatelyownedindependentfosteringagencyestablishedin1998bythepresentmanagingdirectorwhoistheresponsibleindividualfortheservice.TheagencyprovidesaverydiverserangeofcarersacrosstheLondonareawithasmallergroupofcarersinHampshire. Theagency'smainobjectiveistoprovideaservicetochildrenandyoungpeoplewhoareinneedoffostercare.Theserviceonofferincludeslong,shortterm,emergencyandplannedplacements.Italsoprovidesmotherandbabyplacements. Theserviceprovides126registeredplacementswith44fostercarersandiscurrentlylookingafter75childrenandyoungpeople. Theinspectionjudgementsandwhattheymean Outstanding:aserviceofexceptionalqualitythatsignificantlyexceedsminimumrequirements Good:aserviceofhighqualitythatexceedsminimumrequirementsAdequate:aservicethatonlymeetsminimumrequirementsInadequate:aservicethatdoesnotmeetminimumrequirements Overalleffectiveness Theoveralleffectivenessisjudgedtobegood. Theserviceiswellledandmanaged.Seniormanagershaveaverygoodknowledgeofthestrengthsandweaknessesoftheservice.Thereareactionplansinplacetocontinuallyimprovethequalityofserviceandoutcomesforchildren.Leadershipisdynamicandthereisaverystrongethosofchild-focusedpractice.Carers,staffandmanagersarepassionateabouthowbesttheycanmeetchildren'sneeds. Thequalityofrelationshipsbetweencarers,children,supervisingsocialworkersandmanagersisastrengthoftheservice.Childrenareabletoconfirmhowtheyhavebenefitedfromtheirplacementandthedepthofrelationshipbetweenthemandtheircarers. Theserviceprovidesadiverserangeofcarerswhoareabletomeetawiderangeofneedsofchildrenplaced.Feedbackfromplacingsocialworkersispositive.Wheresufficientinformationisavailabletocarersthematchingprocessisverygood;therearesomeexcellentexamplesofgoodmatching.However,despitetheeffortsoftheagency,thisinformationisnotavailableineverycaseatthetimeofplacements

  4. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 4of11 beingmade. Therearegoodmonitoringsystemsinplaceforensuringcompliancewithregulationsandnationalminimumstandards,whichareimproving.Outcomemonitoringrecordsshowthatchildrenaremakinggoodprogressinplacements;somechildrenaremakingexceptionalprogress. Theagencyseekstheviewsofchildrenandotherstakeholdersandmanynewinitiativesaimedatengagingchildrenandcarersinthedevelopmentoftheserviceareinplace.Notallhavehadtimetoconsolidateandmeasuretheireffectiveness,hencetheoveralljudgementofgood.Practiceisgoodacrossalloutcomegroups,andinsomeareasisoutstanding. Areasforfurtherdevelopmentinclude:usingtheviewsandwishesofchildrenandtheirfamiliesinfurtherdevelopingtheservice;ensuringthatchildrenknowhowtoaccessanadvocate;ensuringthatallentriesintherecordsareaccurate,forexamplethenumberofunannouncedvisitstofostercarersinayear;andensuringthatacopyofareportonthequalityofcareissenttoOfstedatregularintervals.Theseshortfalls do not directly impact on children and young people’s welfare or safety. Areasforimprovement StatutoryRequirements Thissectionsetsouttheactionswhichmustbetakensothattheregisteredperson/smeetstheCareStandardsAct2000,FosteringServices(England)Regulations2011andtheNationalMinimumStandards.Theregisteredperson(s)mustcomplywiththegiventimescales. Recommendations Toimprovethequalityandstandardsofcarefurthertheregisteredpersonshouldtakeaccountofthefollowingrecommendation(s): ensurethatchildrenhaveaccesstoindependentadvice,specificallythatchildrenknowhowtoaccessanadvocate(NMS1.5) ensurethewishes,feelingsandviewsofchildrenandthosesignificanttothemaretakenintoaccountinmonitoringanddevelopingtheservice(NMS1.7) ensurethatthequalityofrecordingsareregularlymonitored;specificallythatthefrequencyofunannouncedvisitstofostercarersisaccuratelyrecorded.(NMS26.2)

  5. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 5of11 Outcomesforchildrenandyoungpeople Outcomesforchildrenandyoungpeoplearegood. Childrenandyoungpeoplesaytheyarefullyinvolvedintheplanningfortheirfuturelivesandconfirmthattheyarealwaysgivenanexplanationiftheirwishesandviewscannotbemet.Theagencyhasgoodsystemsinplaceforconsultingwithyoungpeople,throughconsultationevents,activitiesaimedatseekingtheviewsofchildren, feedback questionnaires and at carers’ annual reviews and children's placementreviews.However,theagencyisstilldevelopingsystemsforconsultingwithchildren'sfamiliesandfullyengagingchildrenindevelopingtheservice.SomeyoungpeoplewereinvolvedincreatingaDVDpresentationonthefosteringserviceandsomeyoungpeopleareactivelyinvolvedincreatingapreparationforindependencetrainingprogrammeforyoungpeople.Notallyoungpeopleareclearabouttheimpactthattheirviewsmayhaveonthedevelopmentandqualityoftheservice. Childrenbenefitfrombeingplacedwithcarerswhoareabletomeettheirneeds;theagencyhasaverydiverserangeofcarersabletomeetaverywiderangeofneed. Therearesomeexcellentexamplesofdetailedmatching,andsomeplannedplacementshavedetailedintroductionsandspecialistsupportprovidedtocarerspriortotheplacementcommencing.Asaresult,placementbreakdownsarelowandtheagencyalwaysholdsdisruptionmeetingsifplacementsdobreakdown.Carersreportthattheyareprovidedwithexcellentsupport,andwherenecessarytraining,tohelpthemmeetchildren'ssometimeshighlycomplexneeds.Allpermanentplacementsare agreed at the fostering approval panel; this helps to ensure that children’s needs aremet. Youngpeopleconfirmtheyarehappyintheirplacements.Therearesomeverystrongtestimoniesbyyoungpeopleabouthowtheyvaluetherelationshipswiththeircarersandhowtheyhavebenefitedfromthoseplacements.Youngpeopledescribehowfostercarersadvocateontheirbehalf,withschoolandcollege,placingauthoritiesandinawiderangeofareasintheirlives.Allyoungpeoplespokenwithsaytheirfostercarersarecommittedtosupportingyoungpeopleinachievingthebestpossibleoutcomes.Youngpeoplesaytheyaretreatedasallothermembersofthehousehold.Comments from young people included the following statements: ’I have never felt so welcome and cared for in my life’, and, ‘Thank you for providing me the opportunities to harness my own abilities.’ Childrenandyoungpeopleareencouragedandsupportedinengaginginawiderangeofsocialandleisureactivitiesdesignedtopromoteself-confidenceandself-esteem.Children'sachievementsarerecognisedinawardceremoniesandeventssuchasanartcompetition.Childrenandyoungpeopleareproudtoseetheirartworkdisplayedontheofficewallswhentheyvisittheoffice.Youngpeoplearealsoabletonominatetheircarersforawardsinanannualawardceremonyforcarers. Allyoungpeopleareregisteredwithadoctor,dentistandoptician.Theyconfirmthat

  6. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 6of11 theyareabletohavechoiceaboutwhichdoctortheyareregisteredwith.Wherepossiblesomeyoungpeopleexpressawishtoremainregisteredwiththeirpreviousdoctor.Allsaytheyarehappywiththearrangementsandthattheyareabletoaccessafullrangeofmedicalservicestomeettheirneeds.Asyoungpeoplegrowoldertheyareencouragedtotakegreaterpersonalresponsibilityfororganisingandarrangingtheirownhealthappointments.Fostercarersareveryawareoftheimportanceofpromotinggoodhealthoutcomes,andprovideadviceandguidancetoyoungpeopleinarangeofareasincludingdiet,healthylifestyles,substancemisuseandsexualhealth.Carersliaisecloselywithappropriatehealthprofessionals,includingpsychologicalservices.Psychotherapeuticsupportisalsoavailabletochildrenandcarers.Therearegoodlinkswithhealthcareprofessionalsandthesearebeingstrengthenedatamorestrategiclevelwithintheagency. Childrenandyoungpeoplebenefitfromlivingwithcarerswhopromotegoodeducationaloutcomesforchildren.Mostchildrenaredoingwellorverywellinschool.Significantprogresshasbeenmadebysomechildren,andinsomecasesschoolattendanceandachievementhasexceededexpectation.Somechildrenwithalong-termhistoryofattendancedifficultieshaveachieved100%attendancerecordssincelivingwithRainbowfostercarers.Fostercarersliaisecloselywithschoolsifthereareanydifficulties.Youngpeopledescribehowtheirfostercarershavesupportedtheminschoolandhelpedtoresolveanydifficulties,suchasbullying.Allyoungpeoplehavepersonaleducationsplansinplacewhichareregularlyreviewed. Fostercarersareveryawareoftheimportanceofcontactbetweenchildrenandtheirfamilies.Carersregularlyfacilitateandonoccasionswillsupervisecontactarrangements. Olderyoungpeoplearesupportedbycarersindevelopinggreaterlifeskillsleadingtowardindependence.Youngpeoplesaytheyareencouragedtokeeptheirbedroomscleanandtidyandcarryoutday-to-dayhouseholdtasks.Theyfeelthisisintroducedinanage-appropriatemanner.Theagencyhasrecentlyintroducedanindependencetrainingprogrammeforyoungpeople.Youngpeoplecontributedtothedesignanddeliveryofthecourse.Allyoungpeopleovertheageof16havepathwayortransitionplansinplace. Qualityofservice Thequalityoftheserviceisgood. Theagencyrecruitscarerswithawiderangeofskillsandexperiencethatreflectthewidediversityofthelocalcommunityandtherangeofneedsthatreflecttheplacementrequeststheagencyreceives.Fostercarersarealsoprovidedwithadditionalspecialistsupportpackagesandtraininginordertoenablethemtobewellmatchedwithchildrenandincreasetheirabilitytomeettheirneeds.Theservicemonitorsplacementoutcomesandtherecruitmentteamliaisecloselywiththeplacementreferraldutyworkerinordertoidentifyanyshortfallsinserviceprovision.Thisinformsrecruitmentstrategy.Forexample,currentlytheagencyhasidentifiedaneedtorecruitmoresinglemalecarers.

  7. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 7of11 Youngpeoplearecarefullymatchedtosuitablecarers;thisprocessisstrengthenedbytheintroductionofanewmatchingtrackingtoolintroducedearlierthisyear. However,thisprocessissometimeshamperedbyalackofinformationfromplacingauthorities,particularlyinrelationtoemergencyplacementreferrals.Fostercarersreportthattheyalwaysreceiveallpre-placementinformationheldbytheagencyandanymissinginformationisrequestedspeedilyfromtheplacingauthority.Childrenand young people’s needs are assessed very thoroughly. All young people haveplacementplansandtheseareregularlyreviewed.Specialistadviceandguidanceareavailabletofostercarerslookingafterchildrenwithcomplexneeds. Thereisarigoroustrainingandassessmentprocessforprospectivefostercarers.Mostassessmentsarecompletedandpresentedtothefosteringpanelwithineightmonths.Theassessmentofcarersisundertakenbysessionalsocialworkstaff,whoseworkissupervisedbymanagersandsubjectedtoaqualityassuranceprocesspriortopresentationatpanel.Samplesofassessmentdocumentsshowtheassessmentstobethorough,competencybasedandsupportedwithgoodevidence.Allregisteredfostercarershaveverygoodqualityregularsupervisionwiththeirallocatedsupervisingsocialworker.Recordsofsupervisionmeetingsarewellrecordedandallfostercarersreceivetheirannualreviewwithinappropriatetimescalesandaminimumofoneunannouncedvisiteachyear.AllhavecompletedtheChildren'sWorkforceDevelopmentCouncil'strainingstandardsprogramme,andmanyhaveNationalVocationalQualificationsatlevels4and5.Thepostapprovaltrainingprogrammeisimpressiveandverycomprehensive.Thisishighlyvaluedbyfostercarersandisastrengthoftheservice. Thefosteringpanelisappropriatelyconstitutedandthechairofpanelissuitablyexperiencedandknowledgeableabouttheroleofpanel.Panelminutesindicatethatthepanelisrigorousandprovidesaqualityassurancefunctionfortheagency.Itwilldefermakingrecommendationstotheagencydecisionmakerifinformationisunclearormissing.Allpanelmembersreceiveannualtrainingonthelegislativeframeworkandtheroleofpanel.Panelmembersallreceiveanannualperformanceappraisal.Fostercarersreportthepanelprocessisthoroughanddetailedinitsexaminationofeachreferral,butprofessionalinthemannerinwithquestionsarevoicedwithprospectivefostercarers.Theagencyisrecruitingnewpanelmemberstothecentrallistinordertowidentherangeofpanelmembersavailable. Fostercarersareverystronginsayingtheyarevaluedmembersoftheteamlookingafteryoungpeople.Theysaythattheiropinionsarealwayssoughtandarerespected,eventhoughnotalwaysagreedwith.Theyareveryclearaboutthelevelsofdelegatedauthority.Relationshipsbetweenfostercarersandtheagencyareverygood.Carersfeelverywellsupportedandvalued.Theagencyhasexcellentretentionandrecognitionopportunitiesforcarers.Thisisanotherstrengthoftheserviceandhelpstodevelopcarerswhoareenergeticandpassionateaboutpromotingtheneedsofchildrentheylookafter. Fostercarershaveagoodunderstandingoftheneedtopromotechildren'srightsandgaveexamplesofhowtheyadvocateonbehalfofthechildrentheylookafter,

  8. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 8of11 forexample,withschoolsandonoccasionswithplacingauthorities.AllyoungpeoplehaveaninformationpackwhichincludesinformationonhowtoraiseaconcernorcomplaintandhowtocontactindependentorganisationssuchastheChildren'sRightsDirector.Despitethisinformationbeingprovidedtoyoungpeople,notallareawarehowtheycouldaccessachildren'sadvocacyservice. Safeguardingchildrenandyoungpeople Theserviceisgoodatkeepingchildrenandyoungpeoplesafeandfeelingsafe. Thesafetyandwelfareofchildrenarepromotedbysafeguardingpoliciesandprocedureswhichareknownandunderstoodbycarersandstaff.ThesepoliciesweredevelopedinconsultationwiththeLocalSafeguardingChildrenBoard.Allstaffandcarersreceiveregulartraininginsafeguardingawarenessandareconfidentthattheyknowhowtorespondiftheyhaveanyconcernsaboutchildren'ssafety.Childrenandyoungpeoplefeelsafeintheirfosterplacements.Theysaythatfostercarerskeepthemsafeandanyconcernsthattheymayhaveathomeorinschool,suchasbullyingarefollowedupbytheircarers.Youngpeoplearegivenadviceonhowtokeepthemselvessafewhenonlineorusingmobiletelephones. Thesafetyofyoungpeoplewhoareabsentfromhomewithoutauthorityorwhoaremissingispromotedbytheuseofrisksassessmentsandalocalprotocolbetweentheagency,thepoliceandplacingauthorities.Allfostercarersarefamiliarwiththedistinctionbetweenthetwo.Therearerelativelyhighnumbersofchildrenwhoabsentthemselvesfromhome.However,theagencyhasastrategyinplacetoreducethosenumbersandthereisasmallreductioninthemostrecentmonitoringfigures. Therehavebeenthreeincidentswheresafeguardingallegationshavebeenmade.Eachofthesewasappropriatelyrespondedtoandreferredtolocalauthorities. LiaisonwithLocalAuthorityDesignatedOfficersisgood.Regularliaisontakesplacewhensafeguardingconcernsarise. Theagencyhasrobustsystemsinplaceforrecruitingstaffandcarersandnostaffstartworkuntilallchecksaresatisfactorilycompleted.Carersarenotpresentedtothefosteringpaneluntilalltheirchecksarecomplete.Allstaffrecordsholdastatementconfirmingthattherearenogapsinemploymenthistory;however,inonecasetheemploymenthistorywasidentifiedbyyearonly.Thiserrorwasimmediatelyrectifiedbyanewstaffapplicationformbeingdesignedandareminderissuedtoallstaff. Childrenandyoungpeople'ssafetyispromotedthroughtherecruitmentandassessmentprocess.Supervisionofcarershasasafeguardingfocusandfostercarersareveryawareoftheirresponsibilitiesintermsofkeepingchildrensafe.Allfostercarershavesafecarepoliciesandindividualriskassessmentsinplace.Theyallreceivealeastoneunannouncedvisitayearandhavearegularhealthandsafetychecklistupdate.Fostercarersarefullyawareofthosemattersthattheyhavetoreporttotheagencyandareawareoftheimpactofabuseonchildren,themselves

  9. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 9of11 andallothermembersofthehouseholdandwidercommunity.Anyaccidentsorinjuriestoyoungpeopleareappropriatelyrecordedbycarersandreportedtotheagency. Childrenandyoungpeopleandtheircarersaregivenadviceonhowtocomplain,andhowtosupportchildreninmakingacomplaint.Childrenandtheircarersconfirmthattheyknowhowtoraiseacomplaintandsaythatanyconcernstheyhavewillbelookedintofairlyandthoroughly. Leadershipandmanagement Theleadershipandmanagementoftheindependentfosteringagencyaregood. Leadershipandmanagementinthisserviceareverystrong.Seniormanagersprovideexcellentleadershipandarecommittedtodrivingupthequalityofserviceprovisionandoutcomesforchildren.Someaspectsoftheleadershipareoutstanding,withverystrongmonitoringsystemsinplace.However,someofthesemonitoringsystemsarestillbeingdevelopedandasyettherehasnotbeensufficienttimetofullyevaluatetheireffectiveness.Children'sprogressinplacementismonitoredregularly,anddetailedreportsareproducedforchildren'splacementreviewsandforcontractmonitoringmeetings.Managersandstaffareveryawareofthestrengthsandweaknessesoftheserviceandusethemonitoringinformationeffectivelytotakeappropriatemanagementactiontoaddressanypatternsortrendsthatareidentified.However,todatenoreportonanyreviewofthequalityofcarehasbeenmadeavailabletotheChiefInspector,asrequired. Fostercarerssaythattheyverystronglyfeeltheyarepartoftheprofessionalteamlookingafterchildren.Theysaidthattheirviewswerealwaysrespectedandthattheyhadanopendialoguebetweenthemselvesandtheagency.Theydidsaythatthismutualrespectwasnotalwaysreplicatedbythechildren'splacingsocialworkers. There are excellent systems for developing foster carers’ range of skills and forrecognisingtheirachievements,forexample,throughannualawardceremoniesandtheopportunitytojoinanoccupationalpensionscheme.Fostercarershighlyvaluethelevelofsupportandavailabilitymadetothemofsupervisingsocialworkers,themanagerandthedirector.Thisisarealstrengthoftheorganisation. Fostercarersreport'yearonyear'improvementstotheservice.Themajorityoffostercarersareveryhappywiththeservicetheagencyprovidesforthem. Children'sviewsaresoughtabouthowtheservicecouldbeimprovedanddeveloped,throughquestionnaires,consultationevents,placementandcarerreviews.However,notallyoungpeopleareclearabouthowtheirviewscouldhelptodeveloptheservice.Whileconsultationwithyoungpeopleisgood,thisisanareaoffurtherdevelopment. Childrenbenefitfromthegoodlinksthatexistbetweenfostercarersandtheirsupervisingsocialworkersandotherprofessionalagencies.Thiscontributestoimprovingoutcomesforchildren,particularlyinhealth,educationandpsychologicalandemotionalsupport.However,workiscontinuinginordertostrengthenand

  10. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 10of11 furtherdevelopinter-professionalpartnershipsatastrategiclevel. Theservicehasreceivedtwocomplaintsduringthelast12months.Thesearewellrecordedandappropriatelyinvestigated.Feedbackfromplacingauthoritiesispositiveabouttheopenmannerinwhichtheagencyresolvesanyconcernsraisedwiththem.Casefilesshowthatpracticeissuesareraisedwhennecessaryinfostercarerandstaffsupervision.Theagencyhasagoodrecordoflearningfromincidents,andviewstheseasopportunitiestotaketoteammeetingstoshareanylearning.Allrecommendationsandrequirementsfromthepreviousinspectionhavebeenimplemented. Theagencyemployssufficientsuitablyqualifiedandexperiencedstafftoenablecarerstomeettheneedsofchildren.Staffprofessionaldevelopmentisanotherstrengthoftheagency.Anumberofstaffcommentedabouthowstronglytheyaresupportedintheirprofessionaldevelopment.Theagencyhasacultureofopenlearningandimprovingpracticethroughsharingknowledgeandexperience,forexample,inteammeetings.Allstaffreceiveregularsupervisionandannualappraisals. Theagencyworkscloselywithplacinglocalauthoritiestomonitortheoutcomesforchildren placed and ensure that foster carers act within the local authority’s plan for thecareofthechild.Thisensuresthatgoodcorporateparentingpracticeisembeddedwithintheagency.Theagencywill,however,actintheinterestsofyoungpeoplebychallengingplacingauthoritiesshoulditbenecessary.

  11. InspectionReport:RainbowFosteringServicesLimited,17/08/2012 11of11 Aboutthisinspection Thepurposeofthisinspectionistoassurechildrenandyoungpeople,parents,thepublic,localauthoritiesandgovernmentofthequalityandstandardoftheserviceprovided.TheinspectionwascarriedoutundertheCareStandardsAct2000toassesstheeffectivenessoftheserviceandtoconsiderhowwellitcomplieswiththerelevantregulationsandmeetsthenationalminimumstandards. Thereportdetailsthemainstrengths,anyareasforimprovement,includinganybreachesofregulation,andanyfailuretomeetnationalminimumstandards.Thejudgementsincludedinthereportaremadeagainsttheinspectionframeworkandtheevaluationscheduleforindependentfosteringagencies.

More Related