Children and Young People Committee
CYP(3) PCC 21
Committee Inquiry into arrangements for the placement of children into care – Response from Welsh Local Government Association ADSS
The Welsh Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru and the Association of Directors of Education Wales welcome this opportunity to contribute to this important inquiry.
Introduction
There has been significant progress made in the placement of our most vulnerable children over the last 5-6 years. Local government are confident there is sufficient legislation around this issue; and new legislation specifically for Wales has been particularly welcomed. As the understanding of “shared corporate parenting responsibilities” has become more widely understood and accepted, professional relationships have been strengthened across and within agencies but it is acknowledged that there is still much to do.
Progress has been supported by ‘Towards a Stable Life and Brighter Future’ (WAG 2007) and there now needs to be a focus on ensuring this progress is consistent across Wales despite geographical and demographical differences, different levels of need, operational demands and pressures in Local Authorities.
Local Authorities are starting to shape foster care provision in Wales, however there is still work to be done by all organisations to ensure there is adequate skilled and experienced foster carers to offer a good choice when a decision has to be made regarding were a child will live. This issue continues to be a challenge and in view of the very limited choice when seeking a placement it can result in a placement not being able to meet the needs of the child.
Advancements in local authorities’ multi agency work and improvements to service delivery have had a positive effect on the outcomes for looked after children as well as improved results against performance targets and reflect the emerging social services improvement agenda.
Local Government acknowledges a need to continue the good work undertaken to implement good management practices in core processes for example, continuing to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to achieve consistent information management.
Gathering information about a child
In determining whether and where to place a child into care, a social worker will need an accurate picture of a child’s needs and circumstances, which may require them to have information from a range of local services- health services, social services, etc. who may also have to consider their responsibilities towards confidentiality. To what extent is information about a child’s needs effectively shared with decision makers, and do you have any examples of good practice in such inter-agency communications? Is there a clear understanding of who is ultimately accountable for decisions about a child’s care?
The Looked After Children statutory review meeting chaired by the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) is a multi agency meeting and provides an opportunity for the professionals to assess whether the objectives of the placement are being met alongside reviewing the current arrangements for that child (i.e. length of time the child is expected to remain in care). The views of the child also underpin any decisions made at these meetings usually via the child’s social worker, or if they are in external provision by their advocate. Towards a Stable Life and Brighter Future guidance outlines the how complex needs panels operate and how information is to be shared.
Powys County Council
In Powys the implementation of the Integrated Children’s System in relation to looked after children has been practice led and has demonstrated improvements in sharing processes/information with health and education. The development of specialist clinical psychology support directly to carers through a ‘Team around the child approach’ which includes specialist training has enabled carers to be more expertly supported and therefore manage some very challenging placements.
Corporate Parenting legislation and guidance has clarified the collective responsibility of local authorities in conjunction with all statutory and non statutory bodies to ensure the effective care and protection of looked after children.
Ultimately, the local authority is responsible for decision to place a child, and the location of that placement. However, that decision is based on all available information about the child and is gathered from a range of necessary services such as health and education.
Using that information
To what extent does the Children’s Commissioning Support Resource Database provide sufficient information about child placements and to what extent is the database currently utilised? How could the database be better utilised?
The CCSR system has had a positive impact upon securing placements for looked after children in Wales. The system was developed to contribute to more effective placement matching and service development. The CCSR Database was rolled out to all 22 Local Authorities in Wales from April 2006. A comprehensive training and support package was provided and continues to be provided to all users of the system by the Local Government Data Unit (LGDU). All 22 Local Authorities agreed a minimum specification for the use of CCSR in July 2008 that places a responsibility on authorities to use CCSR for all placement searches for placements outside of Local Authority provision. The number of searches run by local authorities looking for placements in 2008-09 was 4,071.
CCSR has proved to be a good example of successful partnership working between Local Authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government. The CCSR system is unique to Wales and at the forefront of innovation with several English regions showing interest in having the system for their use.
Conwy County Borough Council
A 15 year old boy with behaviour issues had been fostered lived in a children’s home and with his mother but all of these hadn’t worked in the long term. A search was undertaken on CCSR and a provider found that wasn’t known to Social workers in the local authority. Contact was made with the provider by telephone and arranged visits and arrangements were made to place the boy in the agency’s home. He still shows some challenging behaviour but is improving. He attends college despite never previously engaging in education. The contract with the agency was extended past the initial 6 month period.
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
The CCSR has greatly assisted in identifying residential placements for some of our most vulnerable looked after children. A fourteen year old girl experienced a number of foster placement breakdowns. However, in continuing to use the CCSR and refine the searches, a service provider was identified who had a “Crisis Bed” immediately available that would afford her the protection she required. Two months into the placement the young person has made significant progress; she is engaging with specialist services, has not absconded from placement and is actively contributing to the development of her updated care plan.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council
10 children/young people who have been formally matched as long term foster placements to agency foster carers who were identified through CCSR. 3 of the 10 children were placed as long term and then matched, the other 7 were placed as short term placements but when their care plan changed to long term were formally matched. Matching long term hope to maximise placement stability and give the child and foster carer a feeling of permanence.
Amberleigh Care ltd
This provider has recently received referrals through CCSR from 2 local authorities that haven’t used the provider before. A result giving a better opportunity for good outcomes for the child, better choice to local authorities and business to independent providers.
Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council Disabled Children’s team
B had lived at home with mother, stepfather and 2 half siblings until 11 years old. B has been diagnosed with a communication disorder. His behaviour became increasingly difficult within the family and led to a need for accommodation by the LA.
Initially he was placed with foster carers; however there was number of breakdowns with those placements. His Care Plan changed to Residential and following searches on the CCSR, of the 5, which came up as potential matches, 4 were willing to consider B. A placement was identified and B was placed in April 2008, where he has settled: the latest LAC review was positive.
The three regional collaborative Children’s Services Commissioning projects are each using CCSR as an ideal base to develop further processes to ensure effective commissioning and avoidance of duplication.
South East Wales Improvement Collaborative Children’s Services Commissioning Project is seeking collaborative improvement opportunities in commissioning and purchasing of children’s services. This project is a key component of the Connecting Social Services Project for the 10 authorities in South East Wales who are responsible for over 2600 Looked after Children. This project through the 3 key work strands of Individual placement tendering (working with CCSR), verification of provision and engagement with providers will give better outcomes for LAC and estimates savings of £1.5 million over the next 3years. Developing processes will use the CCSR database to short list potential suitable placements for a child. Providers short listed will be then offered the opportunity to tender for the placement outlining how their foster placement will offer the best care and outcomes for that child. As part of this process the child’s care plan (personal details anonymised) will be sent to the short listed providers so that they have the information required to make a decision as to whether their provision has the skills needed. In sending the child’s care plan to prospective providers this ensures that agencies if successful will have the information required to pass onto chosen foster carers.
Mid & South West Wales Improvement Collaboration
The collaborative have used CCSR as a baseline for their children’s services commissioning project and are now proposing to develop a version for adults’ services to assist the collaborative approach taken on commissioning adults services in the region.
The CCSR continues to support the identification of potential placements but its effectiveness should continue to be reviewed with key stakeholders to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose.
There are now plans to extend the usage of the CCSR database and process to education. Carmarthenshire County Council which has an integrated management arrangement for children services, will search for educational placements as well as social care and gather information on improving co ordination and best practice between education and social services. Future areas of work that could be explored include linking health service provision.
A key issue all organisations are continuing to resolve is the provision/provider information and availability is constantly changing which presents a challenge to keep the system constantly accurate and updated. The CCSR Support team continue to work with providers and users of the system to improve the information submitted.
Available provision is another key issue for CCSR users. Some specialist placements requested by courts processes e.g. parent and child assessment placements are not available in Wales and therefore do not have to be listed on CCSR and provision must be sought from other areas of the UK.
Information about a child’s needs and circumstances will be needed by fostering agencies foster carers in order to appropriately conduct risk assessments provide for a child’s needs, etc. To what extent is appropriate information normally provided to fostering agencies and foster carers, and how could such communication be improved? Does the commissioning system enable or inhibit the provision of information to prospective fostering agencies and carers, and do you have any examples of good practice in the provision of information to fostering agencies and/or foster carers?
Information routinely provided to agencies and foster carers at the time of placement of children includes initial and core assessments, the referral and information records, placement information records, the developing care plan and chronology. These documents provide a range of information but the accuracy and quality is not always consistent across and within the regions.
It is critical that there is a well trained, experienced and stable workforce in place to ensure that accurate and detailed information is reported and analysed to enable services to respond consistently to the needs of children looked after.
Local authorities continue to strive to improve the quality and timeliness of care plans is the key to successfully sharing information and in 2008-2009 92% of first placements of looked after children began with a care plan in place. (Performance Indicator SCC/001b 08-09).
Pembrokeshire County Council
Foster Carers in Pembrokeshire County Council are provided with a list of question developed on a Fostering Network resource to ask before they agree to take a placement to help ensure foster carers have all the relevant information they require before the placement is made.
The developing commissioning systems will enable better provision of information to prospective fostering agencies and carers. Systems in themselves will not improve or quality assure the accuracy and quality of the information being provided.
A key part of the commissioning process is the communication between practitioners and providers. Commissioning does not take way the need for communication but makes best use of existing resources in a manner which allows for the complex nature of the placement process.
In a service area which has such a high turnover of staff the establishment of robust consistent systems helps to ensure that newly qualified staff have a set process to follow enabling them to find suitable placements and foster agencies and carers the best chance of providing placements for children that they can best cater for.
Commissioning Support Package for Partnerships
Run by the Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) and the Partnership Support Unit it provides partnerships with the skills and knowledge to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and then affectively design, develop and implement joint places to meet the needs of their population group in their communities by
Exploring the emerging commissioning agenda for the population group with which they are concerned.
Exploring key messages from the SSIA ‘better outcomes for children in need programme’
Understanding the essential elements of commissioning and purchasing good practice
Sharing knowledge and comparing practice.
To what extent are placements planned out? Is there clarity over whether placements will be for a short period of time, whether it may eventually lead to adoption, etc.? Can you provide any examples of good practice in the planning of foster placements?
Permanency planning meeting are undertaken before the child’s 4 month review. During the meeting consideration is given to every aspect of the child’s needs wishes and feelings as well as the views of parents, significant others, child’s social worker and their supervisor, current carers. The purpose of the meeting is to agree the detailed agreements and agree specific actions needed to progress the permanency plan. The plan may be twin tracked and include contingency plans should the need arise. If a matter is before Court the permanency plan may be dictated by the Court rather than the LA in conjunction with other professionals.
Local Authorities make every reasonable effort to ensure that where it is not in the best interest of a child to live within their birth family, permanency plans are developed and implemented at the earliest appropriate opportunity, so that a child knows where they are going to live and limit the length of time there is uncertainty. The process is complex involving the IRO, Guardian Ad Litem and the Adoption Panel etc. In practice it is sometimes difficult to discuss options such as adoption when assessments may have only just begun.
Pembrokeshire County Council
There has been a decrease in the number of children with challenging behaviour in Pembrokeshire being placed in specialist placements due to the development of the Foster plus Scheme. This scheme is designed to maintain children with very challenging behaviour with specialist in-house foster carers who have the specific skills and experience necessary to meet their needs effectively. The scheme has been successful in reducing the number of children placed in out of county settings
Powys County Council
Joint visits between Fostering Supervising Social Workers and the Child’s Social Worker are undertaken on a regular basis.
It is sometimes difficult to make a good match between foster carers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children as there is usually little information about their backgrounds so there is little opportunity to match according to cultural needs; this also applies to other children who we know little about. However once needs are established provision to accommodate requirements are made.
To what extent are the risks of foster placements explained to foster carers?
Foster carers undergo a rigorous selection and training programme before becoming approved foster carers. During this time the risks of the position are outlined in detail. Training is often provided by or within consultation by independent organisations such as the Fostering Network or the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAFF).
Arrangements are made for the child’s care plan to be provided to foster carers. The care plan will include background information on a specific child and highlight any particular support requirements and risks to the foster carers before commencement of the placement. The child’s referral form will highlight any presenting behaviours that might pose risk.
Foster carers will have access to family placement social workers to raise any issues that they feel is appropriate. Foster carers can develop their strategies for dealing with and responding to the individual child. These strategies need to be clearly aligned with local authority departmental policies and discussed with the relevant social worker.
Legal requirements and good practice request all local authorities to undertake a matching process and would be shared with the foster carers and advice given if required.
To what extent do children and young people participate in their own placements’ process?
Children and young people are encouraged to communicate their needs as much as their age and understanding allows. Increasingly when considering long term foster care children (in particular older children) are consulted on the kind of home and carers they would like to have and in some cases provided with profiles of potential cares and placements. Wherever possible children and young people meet their foster carers before the placement starts and a planned introduction is agreed. This may not always be possible due to the nature of the reasons why the placement is being made, geographical issues or the availability of key stakeholders. For emergency or very short notice placements it is not always possible to engage the child in the placement matching process.
Children and young people are encouraged to attend and participate fully in their own reviews. The Independent Reviewing Officers provides an opportunity for all children and young people to meet them on a one to one basis.
Ceredigion County Council In Ceredigion all looked after children are invited to the local authority’s Looked after Children Council and Corporate Parenting Group. Children under 11yrs attend Give Us Support Group (GUS).
Advocacy Services are now well established in most local authority areas and looked after children are clearly benefiting from them where they access them.
Powys County Council
In Powys all foster carers and Looked after children have a computer which has improved communication / consultation by the IROs with young people and this has enabled young people to email their views direct to the IRO/advocacy service/social worker and provide a creative approach to those who do not wish to be directly involved in their review meeting.
Following a placement
To what extent do you consider that a child’s social workers remain engaged in their care, once they have gone into a foster placement? For example, who is responsible for initially liaising with schools? Are foster carers given sufficient flexibility and autonomy to care for their children, without bureaucratic impediment?
There are statutory requirements for social workers to visit a child frequently with different timescales dependent upon how long the child has been in care. The Children and Young People Act 2008 regulations will say that every child placed by a local authority should be visited by someone from the local authority at least once a month.
Within each local authority there is a designated LAC Education Co-ordinator with specific responsibilities for looked after children. Each school has a designated teacher responsible for Looked after Children within that school. The personal education plan (PEP) is the main mechanism for engaging looked after children in their education. Towards a stable life and brighter future guidance states that the development of the PEP should involve the child to ensure that it fully meets their educations needs and can reflect the views and educational ambitions of the child.
Within each local authority area there must be an identified lead officer in health with specific responsibilities for looked after children, and we are concerned about the impact of the NHS reforms on this.
The local authorities approach is very much being part of a team to achieve the best outcomes for the child. Depending on the legal status and level of parental care of the child day to day care and responsibilities are given to the foster carers.
Regulations and legislation determine how much autonomy foster carers have and this can on occasions be a challenge. Examples include seeking agreement to routine or emergency medical treatment and intervention and agreement to go on school trips and family holidays. Following amendments to some regulations (e.g. over night stays looked after children are increasing treated as one of the family.
To what extent are placements of children into care qualitatively reviewed? Can you provide any examples of placements being given a cost-benefit analysis for example?
All local authorities in Wales are required to appoint Independent Review Officers to chair the review of looked after children’s cases; monitor the authority’s function in respect of the review; and refer a case to the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS CYMRU) if the failure to implement the care plan might be considered a breach of the child’s human rights. Reviews of children looked after must be carried out within set timescales, as set down by regulation:
• Within 28 days of the child becoming looked after
• Within 4 months of the child becoming looked after
• Thereafter at least every 6 months. Where a child moves placement the review cycle re-starts.
The individual placement review ensures the child’s care plan is considered, reconfirmed or changed and such decisions agreed and recorded in consultation with all those who have an interest in the child's life, including the child.
The National Review of the Independent Reviewing Officer Service in Wales recently published, stated 64% of children surveyed expressed that their overall experience and outcomes of being looked after by the local authority were positive, while 85% stated their overall quality of care whilst being looked after was positive. The timeliness of reviews continues to improve with 90% of reviews that were due, held on time in the year ending 31 March 2008, up from 86% in the previous year.
Local Authorities are required by Regulation 29 (The Fostering Services Regulations 2001) to review the approval of foster carers at least once a year. The annual foster carers review focuses on the foster carers, offering an opportunity for airing and discussion of both the foster carer’s views and of the local authorities view and of any arising difficulties.
The primary concern for local authorities is to find the best available placement for a child. Price is one of many aspects that need consideration. Cost benefit analysis exercises are undertaken but as part of a wider approach to improve commissioning techniques in this field ultimately secure the best placement of each individual child/young person.
General
Are there any further comments you'd like to make about the placement of children into care? Are there any specific recommendations you would suggest the Committee makes to the Welsh Assembly Government.
The Welsh Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru and the Association of Directors of Education Wales value the opportunity to provide this evidence to the committee and welcome the prospect of providing verbal evidence at a later date to contribute to the debate on particular issues.
