BOROUGH OF POOLE
REPORT TO COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND EDUCATION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 2006
REPORT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BOROUGH OF POOLE
FOSTERING SERVICE
- Purpose of Report
1.1.To provide an update report on the activity and performance of the Borough of Poole Fostering Service between April 2005 and March 2006.
1.2.To include the annual review of the statement of purpose of the fostering service which has been updated, as required by Fostering Services Regulations 2002 (Appendix 1 - revisions italicised).
- Recommendations Required
2.1.That members note the performance outlined in the Report.
2.2.That members recommend formal approval of the revised Statement of Purpose for the fostering service and the Statement on Private Fostering.
2.3.That members make other recommendations regarding the service as appropriate.
- Fostering Service Performance
3.1 Enquiries, Approvals, Reviews and De-registrations
Cases considered by fostering panel during the year April 2005 – March 2006
Foster Carers approved 7
Foster carer reviews47
De registrations 8
There were 72 approved foster carers in March 2006, with approval for 133 places.
In the year to March 2006 74 members of the public enquired about becoming a foster carer.
6 of the carers de-registered in 2005/6 left for personal reasons. The other two carers left the service to join independent foster agencies.
3.2Children looked after and placement types
Rate of children looked after per 10,000 population aged 0-17 years:
44.2 Poole March 2006
60.7 National average March 2005
55.3 Benchmarking average March 2005
Percentage of children looked after in foster care or placed for adoption*:
90.0% Poole March 2006
80.7% National average March 2005
83.7% Benchmarking average March 2005
* PAF performance indicator B7 which excludes placements with parents.
125 Poole children were looked after in March 2006. 104 (83%) were placed in foster care as shown in the chart below (81 with in-house carers, 4 with carers from other local authorities, 9 with independent fostering agency carers and 10 with friends and family carers).
There was a 5% increase in the number of children looked after between March 2005 and March 2006 (from 119 to 125). Over the same period the number of children in foster care rose by 13%.
3.3 Placements
There was an increase in the number of Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) placements between March 2005 and March 2006 (from 5 to 9). The number of placement weeks in IFA placements actually fell by 10% between 2004/5 and 2005/6 (from 315 to 282 weeks). 18 children were placed with IFA carers in 2005/6, divided equally between males and females. A commissioning strategy is being developed to ensure that the use of placements with independent providers is within a value for money framework which can provide best outcomes for those children placed.
The partnership established by Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset to fund a treatment foster care scheme (Turnaround) is currently being evaluated. Two children were placed with Turnaround carers in 2005/6, using these placements for a total of 61 weeks. Both children were 10 year old males.
There was a 32% increase in placement weeks spent with family and friends carers between 2004/5 and 2005/6 (from 290 to 384 weeks). 10 children were placed with 6 family and friends carers in March 2006.
7 (8%) of the 92 children in foster placements in March 2005 were from black and ethnic minorities. This included one unaccompanied asylum seeking child.
56% of children and young people in foster placements were male.
74 children placed with in- house and friends and family carers in March 2006 were of school age. 64 attended a mainstream school and 10 attended special schools. 19 of the children had a statement of special educational needs.
3.4 Placement Endings
72 in-house and friends and family placements ended in 2005/6. After their placement ended:
25 children ceased to be looked after
20 returned to their family
4 went on to live independently in the local area
1 case transferred to Adult Social Services (disability)
47 children remained looked after
26 moved to another in house foster carer
6 moved to an Independent Fostering Agency foster carer
6 were placed for adoption
4 moved to independent living (retaining looked after status)
2 moved to other carers
1 was placed with parents (on a care order)
1 moved to a residential care home (disability)
1 moved to a young offenders institute
3.5 Performance indicators with reference to the Fostering Service
Placement stability (PAF A1 and D35)
There was a notable decrease in the percentage of children staying in three or more placements in 2005/6 when compared to previous years. Only 7% of Poole children had 3 or more placements (9 of 125), down from 12% in 2004/5. The national target is to achieve a PI of below 16%, and the national average outturn for this indicator was 13% in 2004/5.
60% of children looked after for at least 4 years had been in the same foster placement for at least 2 years in March 2006, the highest outturn yet recorded by Poole. This indicator was part of Poole’s Local Public Service Agreement which ended this year. The target of 65% was missed, but Poole’s result is 10% higher than the national average (50% in March 2005).
3.6Shared Care
In March 2006 there were 26 shared carers providing care for children with a disability.
- 23 of these were approved for overnight stay and 3 for day care only.
- 27 children received shared care in the last quarter of 2005/6.
- 14 children were on the waiting list for shared care, a small reduction from 16 in June 2005.
4. Profile of Poole Foster Carers
Poole fostering service is privileged to have retained committed and loyal foster carers, many of whom have fostered for the Borough, and previously for Dorset County Council for many years.
Recruitment efforts by the fostering service include publicity campaigns, leaflet drops and targeted adverts about specific children. The fostering team is aware that there will need to be a significant increase in newly approved foster carers, in part to fill the gap left when a number of existing carers retire, and also to provide more placement choice for children looked after.
The complex needs of the children who are looked after require foster carers with a high level of professional skill and resilience. Foster care often involves sensitive work with children’s family members, close partnership working with therapeutic services, education specialist and health advisers.
Foster carers are now recognised as a key element in an effective childcare workforce. The fostering service is expecting the carers to provide quality care which promotes improved outcomes for children looked after.
The fostering service acknowledges that the current pool of carers is unable to meet the needs of some children, particularly young people who have significant behaviour issues or therapeutic needs who require placements without other children in the household. Similarly the fostering service is frequently unable to offer placement choice.
5. Support to Foster Carers
Each foster carer is linked to a qualified Family Placement Social Worker who makes regular supervisory visits. The Family Placement Social Workers liaise with the social workers who are responsible for the children, and who are also in regular contact with the placements.
Foster carers are encouraged to attend regular support groups. Evening groups are held on a monthly basis and a monthly day time group is also available. A support group for foster carers’ own children is established.
There is a required pre-approval foster carer training programme, and regular post –approval training events are held. The fostering service has introduced regular mandatory training sessions for foster carers, as well as making a range of training opportunities available, some of them alongside social workers and other agencies.
Practical and financial support is provided to foster carers. The level of support needs to be kept under close review. There is considerable disparity between the rate of remuneration that foster carers approved by Independent Providers can expect, and that of local authority foster carers.
6. Fostering Panel
The independently chaired Fostering Panel meets monthly. It makes recommendations to the Head of Children and Families Services Unit as to the approval of prospective foster carers. It also considers specific placements where carers are approved to care for a particular child known to them. Reviews of foster carers are brought back to panel for consideration. The panel also considers any fostering situations where there have been concerns. The Fostering Panel actively provides a key quality assurance role for the fostering service.
The Panel has regular access to medical and legal advice. It is ably supported by a Panel Administrator from Legal and Democratic Services. Panel members have had training on the role of panel members (May 2006) and on Diversity and the role of the panel (July 2006).
7. Private Fostering
In March 2006 there were no current private fostering arrangements. 3 new notifications of private fostering arrangements were made to Poole Children and Families in 2005/6, matching the total of 2004/5.
In line with revised Regulations and National Minimum Standards for Private Fostering which came into force on 18th July 2005, there is an ongoing communication strategy to target community groups and other agencies about the need to raise awareness of the notification requirements, (see separate Statement on Private Fostering).
8. Fostering Team and Management
The post of Children’s Service Manager for adoption and fostering was unfilled between 2004 and December 2005 when the current post holder, Delia Amos, commenced in post. Delia Amos has since been appointed as Principal Manager within the re-structured management arrangements of Children and Families.
The appointment of the team managers in the restructuring of the Children and Families service, including the fostering team manager, will be confirmed after an interview process on 19th and 20th September 2006. The movement of the Shared Care team out of Children and Families, as part of the more integrated service for children with health and disability issues, will require the establishment of clear protocols about the fostering management arrangement.
The new structure includes a new post for an Independent Reviewing Officer, based in a separate unit within the Planning and Performance team, who will undertake statutory foster carer reviews. This will be a significant quality assurance function and is welcomed by the fostering service.
CSCI Inspection
The Commission for Social Care Inspection inspects each fostering service every year. The next inspection is planned to coincide with the triennial inspection of the Poole adoption agency. The Poole Adoption Agency was inspected in 2003 and will be inspected again in October 2006. The fostering service inspection in October will also include a separate inspection of private fostering arrangements.
Gerry Moore
Head of Service
Children and Families
August 2006
Appendix 1
Statement of Purpose of the Poole Fostering Service
Appendix 2
Statement on Private Fostering
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