HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
FOSTERING SERVICES TOPIC GROUP
FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2008 AT 2.00PM
KINSHIP CARE
Report of the Head of Placement & Provider Services
Author:Jonathan Fisher, Head of Placement & Provider Services
[Tel: 01992 588043]
Executive Member:Jane Pitman
- Purpose of the report
To provide a progress report on the development of Kinship care and proposals for the team.
Following the report by Hilary Seal on Placements Provision in Hertfordshire (March 2007), which proposed a number of developments in Family Placements, agreement was reached to use funding from the so-called “Mumby money” previously set aside for kinship allowances to set up Family Group Conferences and a Kinship team.
The term “kinship” has been used in different ways to mean different things. Kinship care refers to a wide range of arrangements by which a child can be cared for without being looked after. This will include Private Fostering, Special Guardianship Orders, Residence Orders as well as much less formalised arrangements which may or may not be supported by Section 17 funding. Family and Friends care is care provided to children who are looked after by members of the child’s extended family and friends’ network who have been approved as foster carers.
The Care Matters/Time for Change White Paper andsubsequent Bill presently going through Parliament stresses the need for local Children Services and Trusts to support children within their wider family and community network if they are not able to live with their birth parents. The Bill is expected to provide improved frameworks for assessing families and friends as carers as well as broadening the use of Section 17 funding.
Hertfordshire is currently using the term “Kinship” to include the LAC placement aspect of kinship care which could be misleading as this is regarded as Family and Friends. However as the intention is to develop the full kinship service at some stage the term will continue to be used to cover LAC and non LAC arrangements.
- Final outcome
A consultant has been employed to assist in the development of the kinship team. A workshop was held early in January 2008 and her reports are attached.
The expected outcome of the service will be
- Greater use of extended family to care for children as an alternative to being looked after.
- Greater proportion of looked after children placed with Family and Friends foster carers
- More efficient and expert assessment of Family and Friends carers where children are in care proceedings leading to more timely court process.
- Better support to Friends and Family carers
- Better outcomes for children particularly in terms of placement stability.
- Reduced need for Independent Provider Placements
The proposed service is intended to have close links with the new Family Group Conference service. Families exploring possible solutions will be able to access advice as to the benefits of the options available to them within kinship care.
- Decision/Action required by the Portfolio Management Group
- To note progress and agree the incremental development of the service as resources become available (see short medium and long term plans below).
- Identify a representative ‘standing group’ of policy and operational staff/managers to continue development discussions with links to FGCs
Present levels of funding will provide for a team manager with a small team of social workers who will operate across the county from the three main office sites, co-located with the fostering team but closely linked with Assessment and Locality teams where much of the focus of this work is. The team will take responsibility for the majority of Family and Friends Foster carers and the assessment of prospective family and friend carers in Care Proceedings (see short term plan below)
It must be stressed that the potential for this service to grow is immense and in deed it may well challenge many of our accepted ways of working, as families are empowered and social workers take on a more facilitative approach. For this reason it is important to keep the service under review and consider its future management structure
- Background information
A number of practice, policy and legislative initiatives are combining so that Hertfordshire CSF needs to provide a more proactive Kinship service and provision to supportchildren and young people within their families and communities.
Funding is provided which is intended to achieve better outcomes for children as well as reducing the need to purchase independent provider placements. This will link with Family Group Conferences.
A consultant report was commissioned which was followed by a workshop of senior and middle managers
5. Main body of Report
The following is adapted from the workshop report:
What the team will need to do?
Assess potential carers, with the capacity and skills to ‘fast-track’ assessments when there are proceedings
Present carers to panel where children are looked after and carers need to be approved.
Support /monitor/ review carers where appropriate and /or required
The Public Law Outlines, and the anticipated increase in costs of proceedings in public law, are likely to mean that more ‘kinship’ or relative arrangements will be explored before proceedings are instituted.
Planning for the short to long term
In the short term
It will complete assessments, including viability assessments working closely with and in support of assessment and Locality teams
Private Fostering Assessments and monitoring
Support, train and monitor Friends and Family Carers
In the medium term
Undertake assessments for Residence Orders and complete Residence Order reviews
SGOs are currently held in Adoption Support—(-if Kinship Team has support function, could they transfer also?)
In the Long term
There will be stable on-going arrangements, where children are not looked after, where this team could be case holding.
Consistency and clarity of remit needed.
What tools/models are there?
Tools are either BAAF/Fostering Network forms or Assessment Framework –both have shortcomings and do not seem ‘fit’ for this particular assessment task.
There is no consistency across the county about what forms and formats are to be used for different ‘kinship’ circumstances.
No model for viability assessment, and no consistency about who should be completing viability assessments.
FGCs, or a similar family meeting could be mechanism by which resources in the family can be identified, including early consideration of potential alternative carers when it appears that parents need additional support to care for their children and /or it appears that the child may need to be cared for by someone other than his/her parents.
Some authorities are further down the track with kinship care and could offer ‘what works’ examples.
Support Function. What should this include?
Sign-posting and advocacy to other universal and targeted services
Opportunities to attend groups, develop networks, contact helpful organisations
Link-worker identified
Financial help
Respite arrangements
Learning opportunities, access to formal training
Advocacy/support to access services to assist the child (therapeutic interventions)
Reviews of the arrangements.
A contact point to try and avoid crises.
Help for the parents of the child.
Strong message that services/support should be needs based, and should not depend on legal status of the arrangement, but that “not everyone will get everything”
Any financial support should be equitable, transparent and not offer incentives or perverse incentive to favour one legal option over another.
Next Steps
Identify a representative ‘standing group’ of policy and operational staff/managers to continue development discussions
Agree language (kinship care, relative care, family and friends etc)
Have communication strategy to provide information to all stakeholders, (workers, families)
Provide information
Recruit team manager
Develop/ implement assessment tools that are fit for purpose and reflect good practice
Develop procedures—who does what, business planning
Agree support levels/ financial arrangements
6. Links and synergies between Area Services and the Strategic Core, and across the Portfolios
7.Financial implications
Presently £225K is available for 2008-09. This will enable the team to be set up, but will be very limited, focusing very much on assessments arising from the Public Law Order.
It needs to be stressed that while children may be diverted from care their needs remain considerable due their complex needs and the capacity of carers to manage. Funding for support needs to be established. The means of support may be through the Childcare support team presently funded by Residential services. A budget will need to be agreed and funded if these children are to succeed in kinship care
It will be necessary to ensure panels are reviewed and that suitable information is available to children and families and carers as to the service they could expect.
It will be necessary to work with partner agencies to ensure that priority is given to children placed within kinship arrangements as well as children who are looked after.
8.Implications for CSF Portfolios
Commissioning, Performance and Resources
It will be necessary to keep this service under review and consider the impact on practice as well as other teams. It may be necessary to de-commission or reinvest as performance improves.
As the exit route from care will increasingly be through SGOs, ROGs and related Kinship arrangements it will be necessary to increase allowances and fund support care arrangements e.g. respite support foster care and the childcare support team.
Learning and School Effectiveness
Children who are in kinship arrangements or Family and Friends Care are likely to have the same level of need as Children Looked After. As such it will be necessary to ensure these children do not miss out due to their change in status. As Children Looked After are prioritised for admission to school it will be important to ensure sufficient support and prioritisation for children in kinship arrangements.
Social Care
Family Placement services will be the lead service but it will be important to have effective cross service protocols and clarity of role to avoid duplication and misunderstanding.
Integrated Children’s Services
9.Conclusion
Team to be established as soon as possible once team manager is in post in April 2008. Social workers from different fostering and adoption teams have already expressed interest in joining the team.
Background papers
Kinship Care and Family and Friends Foster Care Briefing Notes
Kinship Care in the context of the Local Authority’s Statutory Duties
Development of Kinship Care Team Draft paper
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080222 Kinship Care Report