Out of County Residential placements Corporate Parenting Panel 1 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Out of County Residential placements Corporate Parenting Panel 1 December 14 Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Introduction • The Council needs to provide a variety of residential care packages to meet the individual needs of looked after children. • The Council has a shared contract with Bedford Borough Council for ‘in-house’ residential care managed by The St Christopher’s Fellowship. This contract is for the management of two residential homes, providing 13 places • Residential homes often need to include access to additional care and health services. • Some children taken into care need to be provided with accommodation away from their home location for their own safety. Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Residential placements • To fulfil our role as corporate parents, we need to find the most appropriate homes for looked after children • Children who need to move to residential homes are our most vulnerable and often have the most complex needs. • The Council has to meet OFSTED/statutory requirements including: • to monitor the quality and suitability of residential placements • to manage risk at any placement and around the child • ensure the safety of any child placed in care • OFSTED National Minimum Standards for Children in Care 2011 - “Children in residential care should be given the opportunity for as full an experience of a supportive homely environment as possible” Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Making a placement If it is the most appropriate option for the child and after careful consideration and judgement, we will source an residential placement. The next steps are: • To consider the holistic needs of the child first • Determine who could meet these needs (decisions are made by team including social workers, commissioners and provider information). • Contact potential providers to assess suitability of the home (location, mix of children, and potential risk elements) • Any appropriate home who have availability, then consider the latest OFSTED inspections grades, Reg. 33 and 34 reports, statement of purpose, cost, location and staffing (qualifications, training, vetting) Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

How – monitoring placements • Once in placement, the Council receives a monthly report from the provider re every child’s placement and progress • The Council also ask for additional information to provide additional quality assurance (see next slide for more information) • Social workers carry out regular and regulatory visits • IRO’s complete 6 monthly reviews for all Looked after Children, and in most cases will meet with staff from the residential home provider • Commissioners receive Regulation 34 reports from providers every quarter • Commissioners receive Regulation 33 reports from independent inspectors every month • Commissioners complete annual quality assurance checks/compliance Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Additional monitoring Commissioners also collect and monitor the following information on a monthly basis and present to senior managers: Dashboard monitoring sheet - Placement stability - Health and wellbeing of the young person - Safety and Risky Behaviours, including episodes of children absconding and/or any potential CSE risk - Participation (extra-curricular activities, preparation for independence etc.) - Educational Outcomes Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Additional quality assurance • The Council has recently commissioned an independent Quality Assurance and Compliance Manager. She will: • make visits to every residential home where we have children placed. This will be a risk based approach. • Take on a ‘mini-inspection’ of the home, talking to staff, and children. • Experience of the child will be central to the visits • Take a ‘critical friend’ approach with the residential homes, enabling them to have open and honest discussions • Report back to Central Bedfordshire Senior management and the homes on findings and any recommendations for improvements. …. Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������

Any questions? Central Bedfordshire Council ������������������������������