Adoption West – Early Permanence Service, Statement of Purpose

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Adoption West – Regional Adoption Agency

3. Our vision

4. Our aims and objectives

5. Agency principles

6. Governance arrangements

7. Management structure

8. Our social work team

9. Types of placements offered by Adoption West

10. Standards of care

11. Safeguarding

12. Equality and diversity

13. Recruitment, assessment and approval

14. Matching progress

15. Placement information – supervision and training

16. Supervision and support

17. Adoption/Permanence panel

18. Early permanence carers reviews

19. Complaints and outcomes

20. Monitoring and evaluating outcomes

21. Ofsted Inspection & Coram membership

22. Appendices

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 1 Review: Sept. 2018

1. Introduction

The Statement of Purpose has been developed in accordance with the requirements set out in the law and regulations. These include:

The Care Standards Act 2000 The Fostering Services Regulations (England 2011) The National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services

The Statement of Purpose is intended as a useful source of information for children, young people, early permanence carers, staff and other professionals. The statement provides information about the agency and the services we provide including the aims and objectives. A copy of the Statement of Purpose is made available upon request to:

Ofsted Users of the service Any person working for or with the early permanence service Any child placed with the early permanence service Any parent or guardian of any child placed with the early permanence service.

Children and young people are also provided with age appropriate guides. This Statement of Purpose is reviewed annually by the management team.

2. Adoption West

Adoption West has been registered by Ofsted under Fostering Services Regulations (England 2011) to enable the approval and registration of prospective adopters as early permanence carers. Adoption West will recruit, prepare and assess prospective adopters to provide foster care to children who have a plan for adoption. Adoption West does not provide any fostering services other than early permanence care.

Adoption West is a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) commissioned to deliver adoption services, by 6 local authorities – Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. It is a company limited by guarantee and is registered with Ofsted as a Voluntary Adoption Agency.

Service delivery is defined by a contract that sets out specific performance measures and the reporting requirements of the RAA. The local authorities make up the controlling committee of company members with ultimate responsibility for organisational performance and appointment / dismissal of directors.

The service operates from 3 hub premises each comprising a multidisciplinary team of recruitment, assessment, matching and support staff. There is one Adoption / Permanence Panel. Adoption West is also registered as an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) to allow the recruitment, assessment, approval and support of early

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 2 Review: March 2019

permanence carers from the pool of prospective adopters, under the Fostering Services Regulations (England 2011).

This Statement of Purpose (IFA) should be read in conjunction with the Adoption West Voluntary Adoption Agency Statement of Purpose that sets out the aims, objectives and arrangements for the recruitment of prospective adopters and the support of adoptive families.

Adoption West becomes operational on the 1st January 2019, staff from the existing 6 local authority adoption services within the Adoption West Area will transfer to the new service through TUPE arrangements and will take up their posts from the operational date (Appendix 1 - Organisational structure). Adoption West will become operational as an Independent Fostering Agency from the 4th February 2018.

Adoption West primary address:

c/o Wiltshire Council Children’s ServicesFloor 2, Old County HallBythesea RoadTrowbridgeWiltshireBA14 8JN

Email: info@adoptionwest.co.uk Website: www.adoptionwest.co.uk

The Responsible Individual is Terence Herbert, Corporate Director Children and Education, Wiltshire County Council.Wiltshire County Council, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge BA14 8JNPhone: 0300456010

The role of Registered Manager is held by Alison Lewis, Adoption West Service Director.Adoption West, Floor 2, Old County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JNPhone: 03303 550333

3. Our Ambition

In collaboration with our partners we aim to improve performance particularly; In reducing the time that children wait for adoptive placements In improving the experience for prospective adopters from initial inquiry,

through the assessment process, panel approval and placement matching and the delivery of post adoption support services

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 3 Review: March 2019

4.Our vision

Adoption West’s overall vision and purpose is: ‘Together we will deliver the best service, enabling children to live and flourish in adoptive families that provide them with security and lifelong relationships’

5. Early permanence – our overall aim

Adoption West offers early permanence to children where their plan is likely to be adoption.

We aim to decrease uncertainty for children by reducing the number of moves they experience, and therefore any trauma associated with this upheaval. We will place children, where their plan and family circumstances allow it, with potential adopters who have been approved as early permanence carers.

Adoption West will assess and, where appropriate, ‘dual approve’ potential adopters as early permanence carers, whenever they are able to offer an early permanence placement to a child.

Adoption West has defined Early Permanence as all early placements for children that may fall within the definition of ‘Foster to Adopt’ and ‘Concurrent Planning’.

Foster to Adopt (EP) carers are approved adopters available to consider the placement of a child for whom the plan is adoption where this is not yet agreed by the agency decision maker or the court.

Concurrent planning requires the identification and delivery of a detailed rehabilitation plan while the child is placed with carers who are approved for both early permanence and adoption who support that plan. If the rehabilitation plan proves to be unsuccessful, the early permanence carers can go on to adopt the child once care proceedings and the placement order application are completed.

Adoption West has agreed that all prospective adopters will be considered for early permanence. Prospective adopters will be invited to ‘opt out’ if they do not wish to offer an early permanence placement or it is agreed during their assessment that this is not a suitable path for them.

Adoption West aims to achieve the following outcomes:

More children will be identified earlier for an adoption plan We will recruit a larger pool of adopters with diverse skills and abilities

including more adoptive parents able to consider “hard to place” children Fewer children will wait more than 6 months for an adoptive family Children will experience fewer moves before being settled into a permanent

home Our adopters will be better prepared with relevant training and support There will be fewer disrupted adoptions We will be more efficient with our resources to achieve best value

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 4 Review: March 2019

An increased range of post-adoption services will reach more adoptive families to maintain lifelong family relationships

We aim to provide:

High quality care in a safe, stable and nurturing family environment allowing children and young people to thrive and achieve.

A commitment to a child/young person-centred approach. Stability and consistency in the lives of children to enable them to fulfil their

potential. Respect for and promotion of the racial, ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic

backgrounds of children and young people. Consideration of the racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic background

and the gender, sexuality or disability of fostered children and young people when making placement decisions.

A commitment to the recruitment of early permanence carers from diverse backgrounds with varied skills so that we can offer a range of placements for children and young people that enable genuine choice and maximum opportunities for appropriate matching in order to secure improved outcomes.

An inclusive partnership-based approach which embraces children, their families, early permanence carers, the local authority and other agency colleagues, particularly, Health and Education.

A commitment to ongoing learning and training of early permanence carers and staff including opportunities for carers to achieve continuous professional development.

6. Ensuring our service meets user needs and achieves outcomes for children Adoption West will ensure that children who may need a permanent placement are identified early by providing specialist advice and support to help the local authority workers to understand the adoption process and the option of using an early permanence placement.

Adoption West will then track and monitor the progress of all children with a plan for adoption, within the 6 AW local authority areas, to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays and children are placed with early permanence carers if appropriate.

We will measure the effectiveness of our service provision using key performance measures. These will be reported by the Service Director, on a regular basis, to the Governance Board to demonstrate outcomes and service quality/effectiveness.

At regular and specific points in the journey of our early permanence carers and adopters we will seek feedback from applicants on their experience of the services they have received.

We will find creative ways to gather the views of children placed with early permanence carers or for adoption.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 5 Review: March 2019

The Adoption and Permanence Panel will be asked for their feedback on the quality of the work being presented, reports, content, evidence of thorough and careful decision making etc. and for their feedback on working with the Adoption West.

All feedback received will be reported to the Governance Board and will be used to inform and drive service improvement.

7. Agency principles

Adoption West is primarily an Adoption Agency. It is registered with Ofsted to allow the ‘dual approval’ of prospective adopters as early permanence carers under the Fostering Services Regulations (England 2011). Adoption West will ensure that early permanence care is provided according to the National Minimum Standards applicable to the provision of fostering services and meets the regulatory and legislative requirements for foster care. Adoption West does not provide any fostering service apart from early permanence care.

The Adoption Service aims to comply with the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for Adoption 2003 (revised February 2011) and the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003. The service will work to the principles which underpin the National Minimum Standards as set out in the ‘Values Statement’, see Appendix 2 – Adoption National Minimum Standards Values Statement.

8. Governance arrangements

Adoption West is managed and overseen by the Service Director who is accountable to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is comprised of the Directors of Children’s Services of the 6 Local Authority partners. The governance board meets quarterly with the Service Director to monitor and evaluate the ongoing performance of the agency. See Appendix 3 - Governance Arrangements Diagram

9. Management structure

Adoption West is a regional adoption agency that has regional hubs within the communities that we serve. The three hubs are located in Gloucester, Bristol and Wiltshire. Each hub is managed and overseen by a hub manager who is supported by two deputy hub managers within the teams. The hub manager is supervised and supported by the Service Director.

Each hub manager takes one of the following strategic leads: the recruitment, assessment and support of adopters (Adoption Assessment

Lead) the recruitment, assessment and support of early permanence carers, family

finding and matching (Early Permanence lead)

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 6 Review: March 2019

adoption support (ASSA Adoption Support Services Advisor)

There is an additional management post responsible for tracking, quality assurance and agency policies.

The VAA and IFA Registered Manager is Alison Lewis, Adoption West Service Director. She is a qualified social worker and has considerable experience within the work of adoption and early permanence. She has been a manager in both local authority and the Voluntary Sector and has experience of strategic planning and service development.The VAA and IFA Responsible Individual role is held by the Chair of the Governance Board - Terence Herbert, Corporate Director Children and Education, Wiltshire County Council.

Adoption West will ‘dual approve’ prospective adopters and provide early permanence for children. Adoption West is therefore registered as an Independent Fostering Service (IFA) to enable the assessment and registration of prospective adopters as early permanence carers. See Appendix 1 - Organisational structure.

Agency Decision Maker

The Agency Decision Maker for the approval of early permanence carers and adopters is the Adoption West Service Director.The Agency Decision Making responsibilities for all decisions relating to individual children, including the matching decision, remains with the ‘home’ local authority responsible and accountable for the child.

10. Our social work teams

Within each hub, a team manager manages the service provided to children and adopters, with the assistance of deputy team managers. The management team oversees the day-to-day management of the service. The social work teams are responsible for the recruitment and assessment of adopters and prospective early permanence carers, provide support to adopted families and undertake family finding and matching for children. These roles are specialised within the social work teams. The social workers also supervise and support the early permanence carers in their fostering roles and responsibilities, supporting the dual registration of the agency as an IFA, and reducing the number of workers that need to be working closely with each adoptive family, thereby reducing the number of people each family has to ‘tell their story to’.

The supervising social workers have experience of statutory local authority work, court work, child protection, therapeutic work and working within early permanence/fostering and adoption services.

All social work staff employed by Adoption West have a relevant qualification, either (BA, BSc or BSW) in social work, a master's degree (MA, MSc or MSW) in social work, or a DipSW, or CQSW. They are also registered with the Health and Social Care Council (HCPC) as required by law to enable them to practice.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 7 Review: March 2019

Staff are required to maintain their registration with the HCPC and to continue to develop their knowledge and skills while they are registered so that Adoption West can be confident that they are able to practise safely and effectively.

The qualifications of staff and their suitability to practice are checked at the time of recruitment and on an annual basis through the appraisal process.

The core functions of the teams in relation to early permanence care are to:

Recruit, train and assess a sufficient number of early permanence carers. Maintain a high-quality group of carers to ensure the full range of needs can

be met to deliver positive outcomes for children in care within the region. Ensure an appropriate range of placements is available in the interests of

matching assessed need, including racial, ethnic, religious and cultural factors.

Promote and encourage permanency to offer a stable home for life for children.

To ensure that children are matched to early permanence carers that can meet their individual needs.

Provide preparation and on-going training to carers in order to improve the outcomes for children in care.

Deliver good quality supervision and support to early permanence carers. Carry out an Annual Review of each early permanence carer. Work in partnership with other professionals, teams and agencies To deliver high quality placement support commensurate with children’s

needs and focused on improving the full range of outcomes.

11. Types of placements offered by Adoption West

The aim of Adoption West is to provide children, with a suitable care plan for permanence, with early permanence carers that best meet their needs. Early permanence carers have the potential to offer the child a permanent home should the adoption plan become the conclusion of court proceedings. Adoption West only provides early permanence placements where the long-term plan includes adoption. Placements may be made:

On entry to care From local authority early permanence care Following a placement order made by the court

Single and sibling placements are offered according to the needs of individual children.

The Early Permanence Service responds to planned and short notice placements. The structure of the Service recognises that short notice placements will occur and seeks to proactively address this need. Carers are specifically recruited and approved on the basis of the early permanence service they will provide. During the assessment process and final approval, consideration is given to the potential impact of an early permanence placement and the capabilities/skills of carers. Thus,

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 8 Review: March 2019

emergency and unplanned placements are directed towards carers with appropriate skills and capabilities.

The Early Permanence Service aims to ensure that each child placed in early permanence care is carefully matched with a carer capable of meeting her/his assessed needs. In matching children with carers, account is taken of the child’s care plan and recent written assessments of the child and their family and the carers, as well as the anticipated longer term, potentially lifelong needs of the child.

The Early Permanence Service aims to achieve matches by means of information sharing and consideration involving all professionals, the child and her/his family and potential carers, their families and other children in placement.

The Early Permanence Service is clear that in order to practice safe caring, early permanence carers need to be provided with as much information as possible, preferably before or as soon as possible after the child is placed, in order to help them provide a safe environment for themselves, their own family and the early permanence child. The supervising Early Permanence Social Worker has a responsibility to ensure carers have as much information as is available.

12. Standards of care

Our early permanence service is committed to implementing the wider objectives of caring for children including:

Children are protected/safeguarded from harm Families are supported in remaining together Where it is clear that families and children are unable to live together,

planning will be swift and clear to identify permanent substitute carers. Wherever possible, care is provided in an appropriate location to balance the

confidentiality of the placement with the need to facilitate contact. Contact with the family and extended family will be facilitated and promoted (unless clearly inappropriate).

Adoption West will work in close partnership with all the Local Authorities within the region.

The objective of achieving permanence for children underpins the work of Adoption West Early Permanence service and is at the core of everything it does.

13. Safeguarding Children

Adoption West has a safeguarding responsibility for all the children that use its services and with whom the agency has contact. This responsibility includes taking all possible steps to ensure their welfare and to protect them from harm.By working to provide secure and stable early permanence and adoptive homes for children and working closely with adopters and local authority social workers we aim to achieve the best outcomes for children.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 9 Review: March 2019

Our work is underpinned by the government guidance Working together to safeguard children and the Adoption West Safeguarding Policy is available on our website www.adoptionwest.co.uk

14. Equality and diversity

The Service aims to:

Value and celebrate diversity and promote equality of opportunity. Ensure that all employees and service users including early permanence

carers and children alike are treated equally with fairness. Treat all complainants in the same way in line with the Equality Act 2010. Any

discrimination will be challenged, and actions taken accordingly. Ensure our working practices are characterised by flexibility, efficiency and

excellence, the result of a supportive management style that enables its diverse work force to realise their full potential in serving our customers.

Ensure our employee profile reflects diversity at every level of the organisation, and posts will be filled through a fair system of recruitment and promotion.

15. Recruitment, assessment and approval

Recruitment

Recruitment is targeted, based on knowledge of children likely to be placed for adoption on a regional basis. By tracking the children that ‘should be placed for adoption’ and building a comprehensive picture of the regional need for adoptive placements, Adoption West is developing a more realistic picture of placement requirements.

The team depends upon a variety of methods to attract interest from members of the public, including:

Word of mouth Local press and radio advertisements General publicity via posters and leaflets in public places News releases Information on Adoption West website Specific recruitment campaigns Specific advertising of children/sibling groups Event stands Social media

Information is provided on the Adoption West website regarding early permanence, and further information is provided through initial conversations and literature for prospective adopters. Early permanence is an ‘opt out’ option in Adoption West, so all adopters are invited to consider early permanence and to attend initial training.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 10 Review: March 2019

Should a prospective adopter decide they do not wish to consider early permanence, or their circumstances do not meet requirements for early permanence, they may ‘opt out’ and continue their assessment as prospective adopters only. Assessment

The adoption assessment process is divided into stages, we aim to complete: Stage 1 within 2 months of registration of interest, and Stage 2 within 4 months of completing Stage 1.

If the adopters choose to have a break in the assessment process Stage 2 will be completed within 4 months of the date at which it is agreed with the adopters that the assessment will resume for Stage 2.

Front Door

When prospective adopters first make contact, it will be through the Adoption West front door – by telephone/email/internet contact. The enquiry will be passed to front door staff to initiate the process as follows:

Information pack sent to enquirers within 24 hrs. Designated Pre-Stage 1 Worker will contact the applicant to arrange an office

visit to share information and provide Registration of Interest form (ROI). 2nd time adopters will receive a telephone call.

Stage 1

All prospective adopters will be invited to a half day training course on early permanence during Stage 1, at the end of Stage 1 they may ‘opt out’ of early permanence if they wish. If prospective adopters decide to continue with an early permanence assessment the Prospective Adopters Report (PAR) will be completed and their suitability as early permanence carers will be assessed as part of the adoption assessment process.

The prospective adopters will submit a Registration of Interest Form to Adoption West.

The Adoption West manager will accept or decline the application the ROI into Stage 1 and allocate a Social Worker to undertake the initial work.

The manager will give the Registration of Interest (ROI) form to the allocated worker who initiates through admin, the letter of acceptance to the prospective adopters (including Prep Course Stage 1 invite and workbook).

The prospective adopters will be invited to the Preparation Course – one day, and the half a day of Early Permanence training – “An introduction to early permanence”.

The assessing social worker will make contact with the applicants to arrange a visit within one week of the acceptance letter and inform the applicants in advance that the documents for DBS verification will need to be seen.

The applicant’s details will be checked against local authority information systems.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 11 Review: March 2019

Applicants, and any household members over the age of 18, must consent to an ‘Enhanced’ Disclosure by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) LAC (97) 17 which specifies offences that automatically exclude an individual from becoming an early permanence carer or an adopter.

Within 2 weeks, the social worker will: complete a home visit, complete the Stage 1 Agreement, plan end of Stage 1meeting. check DBS and Documents and return to Admin for processing.

The end of Stage 1 meeting with manager, worker and applicants will be held in the office. At this point the prospective adopters may choose to ‘opt out’ of early permanence. The allocated social worker will initiate the Stage 2 acceptance letter, including the Adoption Preparation Course for Stage 2

Stage 2

All prospective adopters will be assessed regarding their suitability to become early permanence carers unless they decide to ‘Opt Out’ and continue to adoption only. In stage 2 all early permanence carers must attend a further full day of training prior to placement and they will be linked with early permanence carers, who have already had a placement, as part of their assessment.Process:

The allocated worker will commence the Home Study and completes the Stage 2 Agreement – this will be approx. 5 visits, plus 3 reference visits, observations.

Additional Early Permanence assessment and questions will be completed within the report.

The applicants will be linked with experienced early permanence carers. The prospective adopters will be invited to a further 3 day preparation course

over 3 weeks. The prospective adopters will be invited to a full day of Early Permanence

training. A Mid-Point Review will be held with the Manager and the applicants – a

phone call or face to face - (at this meeting the panel date will be confirmed). The Prospective Adopters Report (PAR) is completed with applicants Panel Preparation Meeting will be held to prepare for Adoption/Permanence

Panel The carers attend Permanence Panel, if they wish. The Agency Decision Maker will confirm approval of the prospective adopters

or make a "qualifying determination".

A Qualifying determination is made by an adoption agency when it considers a prospective or existing adopter is not suitable to adopt a child.

16. Matching for an early permanence placement

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 12 Review: March 2019

For early permanence to work effectively the local authorities within Adoption West will share information about the child with Adoption West for the purposes of making an early permanence placement and agreeing the initial match. Adoption West is committed to an open and honest approach to matching children with early permanence carers. Thorough joint working with social workers for children is essential in understanding the needs of children within an early permanence placement. There is a requirement that all placement requests for children are accompanied by a clear and comprehensive referral form. This information is used when considering the best match for the child/ren. Adoption West closely liaises with local authorities to ensure the best possible match.

Medical advice will be provided – as much as is available at the time of placement and may include information from both the medical advisor and the child’s social worker.

EP carers will be given access to Medical Advisors wherever possible to help them in the initial matching process, this may be a telephone call or a meeting. Early permanence is an opportunity for information gathering and sharing for a child’s life story.

When an early permanence placement is made, the birth parents will be informed about Sharing Stories: Mediation for Life Story Work and formally referred unless they do not consent to referral at this time. If they do not agree to referral initially the local authority will ensure that this is revisited during the placement regularly as this is in the child’s interests and may benefit the family and the early permanence carers/adopters.

17. Placement information – supervision and training

Pre-Placement

Early permanence carers will be provided with a pack containing the following: An early permanence handbook ID cards – need to be completed by carers with passport photograph and

laminated by Adoption West. Bank details form – completed by carers and returned to Adoption West for

processing in anticipation of placement Mandatory training information – the following to be completed in the first year

of approval: o Paediatric First Aido Safeguardingo Infant Care Guidelineso Allegations management

Further training will be provided to meet the needs of carers providing early permanence

Carers will be registered with Fostering Network

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 13 Review: March 2019

Carers will also be sent an Early Permanence Carer Agreement that must be completed and returned to Adoption West before a placement is made

The Complaints Policy Other policies including, Managing Behaviour, Bullying, Safeguarding and

Child Protection, Managing Allegations, Missing Child Policy, and the Children’s Guide will be discussed with the carers and are accessible through the website.

Placement

When a placement is made, a Placement Planning Meeting will be arranged and chaired by the child’s local authority SW within 5 days of the start of placement. The Adoption West SW must ensure that the following is covered:

Expectations of Record Keeping for Early Permanence Carers. Delegation of PR has been given to carers Contact arrangements are discussed fully and understood by Early

Permanence Carers

Visits / case notes

From the start of placement, the Adoption West social worker will visit the carers weekly in the first month, and thereafter fortnightly. At the first review, if all parties agree, these can move to monthly, however this will depend on the complexity of the placement arrangements and the level of support required by the early permanence carers.

Adoption West social workers will complete a Visit Record for all supervisory visits, these must happen bi-monthly at a minimum. This should be completed by the social worker and signed by both the social worker and carer with a copy being given to the carer.

An unannounced visit needs to be completed bi-annually to all early permanence carers, following their approval, even if a child hasn’t been placed in that time. Bi-annual unannounced visits are a minimum requirement.

Early permanence carer recording

Early Permanence Carers are required to keep daily records. The Adoption West social worker will provide the carers with the tools and information required to enable them to complete their records.The carer records will be collated on file within Adoption West on a weekly basis and made available to the child’s social worker to store on the child’s file.

Finance

Adoption West early permanence carers will receive weekly payments for any child placed by Adoption West.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 14 Review: March 2019

Weekly payments

Weekly payments for a child placed under an Early Permanence Arrangement, will be paid by the local authority responsible for the child and will be at the age-related fostering rates agreed within that authority.

Mileage

Day to day transport should be funded by the carer as well as health appointments within a 6 mile radius (this forms part of their Early Permanence Allowance paid by the local authority). Mileage to contact can be claimed for distances over 6 miles. Mileage is payable at 45 pence per mile – this must be agreed in advance with the local authority.

Early permanence carer support groups and development

Early Permanence carers are invited to attend a support group and will be given details of all the support groups within the Adoption West area. There is an expectation that carers will continue to further their development by attending training courses. Support groups offer carers an opportunity to share experiences and widen their support networks.

18. Supervision and support

Adoption West recognises that the role of an early permanence carer is complex and places additional stresses on the adopters. Adoption West therefore commits to enhanced support for early permanence carers and to provide information about EP support groups, as well as information about peer-support networks and additional social work support.

Adoption West Early Permanence service believes that every early permanence family is entitled to high quality supervision and support, and this is provided in the following ways:

Each early permanence carer is linked with a specific supervising early permanence Social Worker who will be responsible for delivering day-to-day support and supervision. The visits are purposeful, with a clear agenda, and are recorded on a pro forma.

All carers receive a visit by their early permanence Social Worker monthly. In some circumstances a more frequent pattern of visiting may be needed. This contact is both supportive and supervisory so as to ensure the early permanence carer is operating within the Fostering standards, policies and guidelines.

Carers are given the telephone number for the out of hours Emergency Duty Team in the local authority that is responsible for the child.

Carer Support Groups are arranged to encourage mutual support and networking amongst carers.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 15 Review: March 2019

Adoption West Early Permanence Service pays the annual membership subscription to Fostering Network for each early permanence family, which entitles them to additional levels of support, advice and information, legal advice and insurance cover.

Early permanence carers are given a handbook that covers policies, procedures, guidance, safe caring and other essential information.

When a child is placed, the carer is given the information necessary to care for the child and the Care Plan specifies any particular arrangements for the support of the placement.

Referrals can also be made by the social worker for the child or carers to receive additional ongoing planned support from other professionals.

Early Permanence carers will be linked with experienced carers/adopters as appropriate for additional support

19. Adoption / permanence panel

Adoption West administers one Adoption/Permanence Panel and one Central List of panel members for the three hub areas. This panel meets in different venues (Bristol, Gloucester and Trowbridge) to enable flexibility and ease of access for adopters. The panel meets on approx. 5 occasions per month.Usually, and on every occasion when an early permanence arrangement is presented for consideration, there will be panel members present at the meeting who bring relevant knowledge and expertise re foster care and the Fostering Services, National Minimum Standards 2011

The Adoption and Permanence Panel considers proposals presented by the Adoption Agency regarding:

The approval of prospective adopters The approval of early permanence carers Matching of children and adoptive families Whether children, whose birth parents are consenting, should be placed for

adoption

Independent of the Adoption Agency, the Adoption and Permanence Panel plays an important role in the scrutiny of the proposals presented to determine whether all the issues have been appropriately clarified and whether the proposal is sound. The Adoption and Permanence Panel makes a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker as a result of their deliberations.

The Adoption and Permanence Panel has access to medical and legal advice to assist in their recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker.

Panel members are required to undertake training, at least annually, and attend an annual appraisal.

The Adoption and Permanence Panel will make its recommendations based on detailed written reports, the applicants are invited to attend the Panel in person.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 16 Review: March 2019

The Adoption and Permanence Panel delivers an independent quality assurance role that provides Adoption West with valuable feedback on the quality of adoption work across the whole service and is used to inform the development and improvement of services to children and adopters. Where this feedback refers to the service provided by a local authority this is fed back to the respective manager responsible for adoption work in that authority.

If the Agency Decision-maker does not approve the prospective adopter/early permanence carer as suitable, the prospective adopter/early permanence carer may apply to the Independent Review Mechanism for an independent review of the proposed agency decision and the prospective adopter’s case. This information is provided to adopters in writing following the outcome of the Agency Decision.

Contact details for the IRM are as follows:

Independent Review Mechanism (IRM)Unit 4 Pavilion Business Park, Royds Hall RoadWortleyLEEDSLS12 6AJTel No: 0845 450 3956 (charged at local rate) or 0113 2022080Fax: 0845 450 3957 or 0113 2637414Email: irm@irm.org.ukWebsite: www.independentreviewmechanism.org.uk

20. Early permanence carers reviews

All early permanence carers are reviewed each year under the Fostering Service Regulations and National Minimum Standards. The first review of approval should take place not more than a year after approval and be presented to Adoption West Adoption and Permanence Panel. The Annual Review is conducted using an agreed format which appraises the last year and assesses the training and support needs of the early permanence carer and their family.Early permanence carers will be required to demonstrate they have completed the Training, Support and Development Standards for foster carers at their annual review. Support is provided by their Adoption West social worker to enable early permanence carers to evidence their knowledge against the relevant standards. A proportionate approach is taken to the work undertaken and assessment of the standards as it is recognised that early permanence carers will have many time constraints due to their additional parenting responsibilities.

The Adoption West social worker will complete the review form and instigate the consultation process involving the following:

The social worker of any child who is or has been in the placement for the last year

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 17 Review: March 2019

The early permanence carer The carers’ own children The child in placement (depending on their age and understanding) The Independent Reviewing officer for the child

The views of all consulted will be included within the report and presented to panel. Annual reviews are also an opportunity for the early permanence carers to comment on the service they receive, how they are assisted in the early permanence task, and to identify any perceived gaps in service provision, resources, training or support. Carers may also wish to comment on the service provided for the children in their care.

Ensuring compliance with the following statutory requirements is also part of the Annual Review process. This includes the completion of: -

Health and Safety Audit – using the required health and safety checklist. Safe Caring Family Policy – ensuring that the family policy is up to date and

being implemented. Statutory Checks including DBS checks on all household members over the

age of 18 years old. Medical Checks

Early permanence carers will be invited to attend Panel at the time their review is presented. If concerns are raised about the carers these will be discussed fully as part of the early permanence review process and within panel. Information to carers about the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) must be made available.

Permanence

There will be a formal linking and matching process according to best practice when considering whether an early permanence placement should become an adoption placement. This should include linking meetings, risk assessment meeting and consultation with medical advisor and the children’s services responsible for the child.

If a Placement Order is made by the court, a formal linking process will be undertaken to consider the potential adoption match. This will be presented to the Permanence Panel for a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker in the local authority responsible for the child. If the match is recommended at panel and approved by the Agency Decision Maker, the early permanence carers cease to be early permanence carers (the fostering regulations cease to apply) and the placement continues under adoption regulations. If the match is not approved alternative arrangements will be made and plans put in place to move the child to their next placement in accordance with the child’s plan.

21. Complaints

Adoption West wants to listen to the views of those people who use its services and to respond quickly

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 18 Review: March 2019

We will ensure that: Early Permanence Carers are provided with the Complaints Procedure Complaint investigations are completed promptly. Action taken to follow up complaints and outcomes are monitored by the

management team.

Our policy covers complaints about:

the standard of service you should expect from us the behaviour of our staff in delivering that service any action, or lack of action, by our staff or others engaged on behalf of

Adoption West

Anyone who is dissatisfied about any aspect of our service that they have not been able to resolve immediately with the member of staff concerned, should use the Adoption West Complaints process set out in the Complaints Policy.

Full details of the Complaints Procedure can be found within Adoption West policies and on the Adoption West website, early permanence carers will be provided with a copy when they are approved. Children receive a guide that includes information about how to complain.

22. Monitoring outcomes

Adoption West are committed to maintaining high standards and to continually striving to improve the services we provide to children and early permanence carers/early permanence carers. Our early permanence service has a number of ways we monitor the service we provide;

Monitoring reports are submitted to the management team and the Adoption West Governance Board.

Feedback from children, early permanence carers and adopters Staff supervision, linked to the appraisal system Monthly-recorded visits to early permanence carers, Annual reviews, Feedback from training sessions Complaints, compliments, and their outcomes Hub Managers monitor data about incidents of concern in early permanence

care, including allegations and disruption in any placement.

23. Ofsted inspection

Adoption West Early Permanence Service is inspected under the Care Standards Act 2000 and an assessment made in relation to compliance with the

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 19 Review: March 2019

The Fostering Services Regulations (England 2011) The National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services

Ofsted can be contacted at:

Ofsted Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Tel: 0300 123 1231 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

Coram BAAFAdoption West is a member of Coram BAAF. This is a national organisation providing general advice, information, training, research and further reading about all aspects of early permanence and adoption practice. Adoption West has joined the Coram BAAF Early Permanence Network this enables the agency to maintain up to date knowledge about developments in early permanence work.The Coram BAAF website is informative and a helpful resource for training purposes.

Visit www.corambaaf.org.uk

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 20 Review: March 2019

Appendix 1. Adoption West Organisational Structure

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 21 Review: March 2019

Appendix 2. Adoption West – Values and Principles of Operation

Adoption West is primarily an Adoption Agency and therefore operates under the National Minimum Standards for Adoption 2003 (revised February 2011) and the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003. Adoption West works to the following principles which underpin the National Minimum Standards as set out in the ‘Values Statement’,

the child’s welfare, safety and needs are at the centre of the adoption process

the child’s wishes and feelings should be taken into account according to their age and understanding and will be actively sought and fully taken into account at all stages of the adoption process.

the particular needs of disabled children will be fully recognised and taken into account when decisions are made.

every child is entitled to grow up as part of a loving family throughout their childhood, which should meet all the needs of the child in terms of religion, ethnicity, language, physical, social and emotional development, and that promotes a supportive, lifelong relationship.

children, birth parents, families and adoptive applicants will be treated fairly, openly and with respect throughout the adoption process.

adopted adults will be treated fairly, openly and with respect throughout the searching process.

adopted people should have access to information and services to enable them to address adoption related matters throughout their life.

practice in relation to the recruitment, training, assessment and support of adopters will underpin the maintenance of high standards of care for children.

a sense of identity is important to a child’s wellbeing. To help children develop this, their ethnic origin, cultural background, religion, language and sexuality need to be properly recognised and positively promoted and valued.

a child’s birth heritage, religious, cultural and linguistic background are all important factors to consider in finding a new family. The adoptive family should reflect this, if this can be found without unnecessary delay. No child should be denied loving adoptive parents solely on the grounds that the child and parents do not share the same racial or cultural background.

Adoption West will work in partnership with birth families and those with parental responsibility, to ensure that effective plans are made and implemented for their child. This will involve birth families in planning for the future of their children, to recognise their feelings and needs and to take account of their wishes.

every effort will be made to find adoptive homes where brothers and sisters can live together, unless this will not meet their individually assessed needs.

every effort will be made to provide children with stability and security as early as possible

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 22 Review: March 2019

wherever it is appropriate to the child’s plan and circumstances, early permanence will be considered to reduce the number of placements experienced by a child

where a child cannot be cared for in a suitable manner in their own country, inter-country adoption may be considered as an alternative means of providing a permanent family.

‘drift’ in planning for children is not acceptable, as it can have a severe impact on the health and development of children. Delay may be unavoidable, but should be accounted for by recording reasons why delay has occurred.

every child is entitled to information about her/his birth family in order to promoter her/his sense of identity.

there will be arrangements for ongoing contact, direct or indirect, between the child and birth family unless there are exceptional circumstances

adopted adults have their identify safeguarded and the right to decide whether or not to be involved in contact or communication with birth family members.

Adoption West will work in partnership with other agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children are delivered; this includes the Government, Local Government, other statutory agencies, voluntary Adoption Agencies and Adoption Support Agencies.

Adoption has lifelong implications for all involved. Children and young people who have been adopted, their adoptive families and birth families will have access to a range of professional services and supports appropriate to their assessed needs.

all the parties to the adoption process will have access to the Department’s complaints procedure.

commitment to involve users in the ongoing review and development of the Service.

the policies and procedures guidance in the form of the Adoption Manual will reflect current practice and be regularly updated.

confidentiality is a priority and therefore policies, procedures and practices reflect this.

arrangements can be made through appropriate interpreters for those who are unable to understand a document to have it read, translated or explained to them.

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 23 Review: March 2019

Appendix 3. Governance Arrangements

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 24 Review: March 2019

List of Adoption West Directors

For each director please provide the information below.

Title First name(s) Surname Date of birth Position Is this person disqualified?

Mr Terence Herbert 11/06/1968 Director No

Mr James Beardall 01/06/1970 Director No

Mr Andrew Dempsey 02/08/1963 Director No

Mr Eifion Price 24/02/1958 Director No

Ms Sonya Miller 02/04/1970 Director No

AW Statement of Purpose IFA 25 Review: March 2019