WIGAN COUNCIL
FOSTERING SERVICE
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Prepared in accordance with
The Fostering Services Regulations 2011
and National Minimum Standards
June 2011
CONTENTS
1. Vision
2. Aims
3. Objectives
4. Diversity
5. Fostering Manager
6. Structure
7. Staff
8. Services
9. Contract Staff
10. Number of Foster Carers
11. Children Placed
12. Complaints and Allegations and their Outcomes
13. Procedures and processes for recruiting, approving, training, supporting and reviewing carers.
14. Arrangements for approval and review of Statement of Purpose
15. Arrangements for distribution of Statement of Purpose
16. Performance Indicators
1. Vision for the Service
Wigan and Young Peoples Services has the following aspirations for local children. They are based on the Governments strategy outlined in the Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’ for helping all children achieve the following five priority outcomes.
· Be Healthy
· Stay Safe
· Enjoy and Achieve
· Make a Positive Contribution
· Achieve Economic Well Being
2. Aims
As corporate parents for these children in Public Care, we aim to take forward positively this aspiration for them and with them.
An effective, flexible Fostering Service which offers placements of a high quality is integral to achieving this aspiration. This therefore, is the aim of the service and we intend to achieve this by meeting the following broad objectives:-
· Provision of a Fostering Service with flexibility to meet the diverse needs of children.
· Provision of preparation, training and support to Foster Carers to enable them to offer a competent, safe and caring service.
· Provision of appropriate resources to ensure the Fostering Service can compete as a viable service.
3. Objectives
The action plan for these objectives is broadly based on values contained within the UK National Standards.
Value 1 Prioritising the needs of the child or young person in order to
determine which foster placement will be most appropriate.
Objective To have referral systems which rest on comprehensive
assessments of children and young people and accurate and up to
date information about foster carers and what they can offer.
Value 2 Recruiting and retaining a wide range of foster carers to meet every child’s needs.
Objective To have a robust recruitment strategy which is based on an annual assessment of need which takes account of equality and diversity issues and a retention strategy which includes consultation with Foster Carers.
Value 3 Respecting and recognising the importance of ethnic origin, cultural background, religion and language of children and young people, their families and Foster Carers when planning and providing placements.
Objective To have referral systems which provide accurate information about the children referred to the service and to identify placements that meet these needs. To provide training and support to foster carers in cross cultural/cross racial issues. To ensure that children are able to effectively communicate their views regarding the placement.
Value 4 Considering the gender, sexuality and any disability of children and young people who are fostered so that their individual needs can be met within every placement.
Objective To have referral systems which provide accurate information about children referred to the service and identify placements that meet these needs. To provide training, support and specialist equipment to foster carers. To monitor the provision to ensure specific needs continue to be met.
Value 5 Providing continuity to the lives of children and young people so that their identity and education can be maintained and developed and their physical and mental well being promoted and their full potential achieved.
Objective Manage behaviour that can lead to disrupted placements and providing training and support in education and emotional, psychological and physical health. To provide systems which monitor progress and identify potential difficulties which may lead to placement disruption and thus promote continuity for children. To identify children’s individual skills and abilities and actively promote these to ensure a positive outcome.
Value 6 Working in partnership with parents and children, Foster Carers and their families.
Objective To involve parents, children and Foster Carers in care planning. To set up consultative strategies with parents, children and foster carers to review services. To take into account the views, wishes and feelings of the children and ensure that they are aware of the processes by which they make their views known. To ensure that the importance of the parent’s contribution to the children’s lives is recognised.
Value 7 Providing continuity and consistency in training, support and information for foster carers and social work staff so that they have the skills to meet the needs of each child.
Objective To develop a training plan for Foster Carer training with Staff Development section, which is based on an annual appraisal of Foster Carer training profiles. To provide CWDC training to all carers.
Value 8 Providing a service to every young person who leaves Foster Care, which offers continued care and support during this transition.
Objective To set up protocols with the After Care Service to meet the needs of young people placed with foster carers. To provide carers with support and training to prepare young people for independent living.
Individual team plans also contain objectives in relation to Every Child Matters and Performance Assessment Framework indicators which add value to the objectives above.
4. Diversity
4.1 The council has a Corporate Diversity and Equalities Strategy and key objectives that the department is working towards across disadvantaged groups. A copy of this is included in the Foster Carer Post Approval Pack. These can also be accessed via the Councils internet site www.wiganmbc.gov.uk/pub/standards/race-equality/index.htm
4.2 The Fostering Service has a key role to play in terms of meeting children’s needs through the provision of a diverse body of foster carers. The service will seek to develop strategies to widen the sources of placements for children from BME communities in order to meet their individual needs.
4.3 Assessment and training of carers includes issues, of Equality and Diversity using accepted formats such as Fostering Networks Skills to Foster; BAAF Form F Assessment and CWDC training for Foster Carers.
5. Fostering Manager
5.1 Diane Vincent is the named Fostering Manager. Diane is a fully qualified Social Worker with a degree in Industrial Economics, CQSW and, Diploma in Applied Social work. She also holds an MSC in Health and Social Services Management. She has many years of experience working with children and families in several Local Authorities and Voluntary Agencies in the North West of England, both as a Social Worker and in a variety of management posts.
6. Structure
6.1 The Fostering Teams are located in the Social Care branch of children and Young Peoples Services (CYPS). The Fostering Service operates as a specialist borough wide service. Whilst this will continue, working practices have been developed to enable the team to deliver effectively to the five locality areas within Wigan, in line with Wigan Council plans and priorities.
6.2 The teams provide a service both to Recruited Foster Carers and to Family and Friends (or kinship) Foster Carers. The management of the service has recently been expanded to have two team Managers. One Manager will have responsibility for the service provided to Recruited Foster Carers and one Manager for the Family and Friends Carers. The Team Managers are assisted in managing their part of the service by 3 Senior Social Workers. They each manage social work and support staff who specialize in offering a service to one of these groups of foster carers. Presently the Managers are recruiting staff to the vacant posts – see below.
6.3 Workers previously members of the Placement Support Team have been fully integrated into the Fostering Teams as a result of the recent re-organisation of the Children and Young Peoples Services.
/ SERVICE MANAGERFOSTERING
TEAM MANAGER FOSTERING SERVICE
Recruited Carers / Family Network
P/T S.W Sharon Gaskell / TEAM MANAGER FOSTERING SERVICE
Family and Friends Carers
2 SENIOR SOCIAL WORKERS / SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER
WORKING WITH RECRUITED FOSTER CARERS
6 Full time Social Worker Posts
3 Part time Social Worker Posts
6 Full time CYPF Support Workers / WORKING WITH FAMILY FRIENDS FOSTER CARERS
3 Full time Social Worker Posts
3 Full time CYPF Support Workers
7. Staff: Names, Role, Qualifications, Experience
Full Name / Role / Experience / QualificationsAnne Herd / Recruited Fostering Team Manager / Cert. Ed 1977, Dip. Sw. 1995
Began work with Wigan September 1987
With the Fostering Service since 2001 – S.S.W. since 2002
Kath Clark / Senior Social Worker Recruited
Fostering Team
(Full time) / CQSW 1978
28 years as a Social Worker in Children and Families and Community work
Family placement team
since December 2005 and employed as Senior SW from 26.07.2010
Lynn Kitchen / Senior Social Worker
Recruited Fostering Team
(Full time)i / Joined Fostering Service in 2010
Extensive experience in Education welfare service
Julie Clough / Social Worker Recruited
Fostering Team
(Full time) / Dip SW
Joined Fostering Service in Jan 2009
David Newman / Social Worker Recruited Fostering Team
(Full Time) / Dip SW newly qualified
Joined Fostering Service in 2011 from Children in Care Team
Julie Smith / Social Worker Recruited
Fostering Team
(Full time) / Dip SW 2002
NVQ4 in Management
NVQ Assessor
17 years experience with children and families
Family Placement since June 2006
Cath Walker / Social Worker Recruited
Fostering Team
(Part time- 25hrs a week) / NNEB, BA Hons Applied Human communication
Diploma in Social work
Experience in Residential Child Care, Nursery Outreach. Disability Team. Family Placement since 2007
Sarah Lucas / Social Worker Recruited
Fostering Team
(Part time-22hrs a week) / Dip SW 2001
4 years children and families experience in Wigan since July 2004
Margaret Small / Social Worker Recruited
Fostering team
(Part team- 15hrs a week) / Over 20 years experience in Children and families has worked in Wigan Family Placement since 2002
Kim Curless / Social Worker Recruited Fostering Team
(Full time) / Dip SW
Joined Fostering Service 2010 from the Youth service
Emma Birchall
(Lavender) / Social Worker
Recruited Fostering Team
(Full time) / Dip SW newly qualified
Previously a support worker in the team
Jean Lowe / Social Worker
Recruited Fostering Team
(Full time) / Dip SW newly qualified
Previously a support worker in a Locality social work team
Jennifer Roberts / CYPF Support worker
Recruited Fostering
(Full time) / NVQ3
Currently studying for commence SW degree
Linda Smith / CYPF Support Worker
Recruited Fostering
(Full time) / NVQ3
20 years experience in children and families
June 2003 with Family Placement.
Melanie Smith / CYPF Support Worker
Recruited Fostering Team
(Part time) / NVQ3 Children and Young people
17 years experience working with Children and Families. In present post since 2004.
3 vacancies for support workers
Jaki Tweedale / Team Manager - Family and Friends
(Full time) / Dip SW 1997
PQI 2004
PQ2- 6 BAAF 2008
With Fostering Service since Jan 2005.
Paul Selby / Senior Social Worker
(Full time) / Currently seconded to social work duty team.
Sharon O’Toole / Social Worker Family and Friends
(Full time) / Dip SW 2003
7 years experience in Social care
4 years post qualification experience in Family Placement Wigan.
Les Burns / Social Worker Family
Network/ Family and Friends
(Full time) / CQSW 1991
Mainly worked in Children’s Services. Joined the Family Placement Team in November 2003
Jo Reading / Social Worker (Full time) / Dip SW joined team in 2010
Patricia Boland / CYPF Support Worker Family and Friends
(Full time) / NVQ3 Supporting families
NNEB
27 years experience of working with children and families
In PST since Jan 2003
Susan Sheridan / CYPF Support Worker Family and Friends (Full time) / NVQ 3 Childcare and Education
10 years experience of working with children and families
In PST since Jan 2003
Carron Evans / CYPF Support Worker Family and Friends
(Full time) / NVQ level 3 Children and Young people 2004
5 years experience working with children and families
In Family Placement team since February 2006
Currently completing Dip SW
Sharon Gaskell / Social Worker Family Network
(Part time) / CQSW 1990
6 years in the fostering Service
8. Services
8.1 General Recruitment of Foster Carers
The Team Manager (Recruited Foster Carers) has the co-ordinating role for general recruitment. A recruitment strategy is up-dated each year to ensure the needs of the children requiring foster care are met. The strategy for the year 2011 concentrates on a targeted approach to recruit carers for older children and sibling groups. In addition a regional initiative (Fostering Efficient Recruitment Project) has been developed by Local Authority North West Fostering and has given rise to many more enquiries by potential new foster carers. The target has been to recuit an additional 150 carers regionally. There is a recruitment strategy which has been agreed by the Senior Management team and includes.
· Allocation of budget for newspaper and other advertising.
· Working with the authority’s advertising consultants to review and update advertising material – newspaper adverts, posters and post cards.
· Audit of referrals for emergency and temporary placements to identify age, gender and sibling constellations in order to identify need.
· High profile media events to promote fostering
All recruitment material, including application forms are also on the authorities website.
Some assessments are commissioned externally . This has ensured that the timescale for the completion of the assessments has reduced to 8 months from a previous average of 11months.
8.2 Recruitment of Foster Carers for Specific Children
This service is required when the plan for a child or young person is for placement stability in a foster home. The senior social worker for Recruited Carers has the following role in respect of profiling specific children.
· Liaison with voluntary and independent fostering agencies.
· Consultation with Social Workers re: profile.
· Placing profiles in national magazines and coordinating responses with Social Worker.
· Visiting prospective Foster Carers with Social Workers.