Fostering Service Statement of Purpose

It is a requirement of the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, that each Fostering Agency produces a Statement of Purpose, outlining its aims and objectives and services. This Statement of Purpose outlines the aims and objectives of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and the services provided to our prospective and approved foster carers and those who use the Fostering Service.

This statement is available to all members of staff, foster carers, children and birth parents and is publicised on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website. The statement is updated and amended annually.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Fostering Service is run in accordance with the principles outlined in:

• Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011
• Children Act 1989
• Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2013 (Amendments to the Children Act 1989)
• Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards (2011)
• Children Act Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services (2011)
• Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities
• Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010
• Care Planning and Fostering Regulations (Amendments) 2015
• The Disability and Equality Act 2010
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• The Children (Leaving care) Act 2000
• Training, Support and Development Standards (TSD) for Foster Carers

Our mission is to provide high quality, diverse family placements for children and young people. Carers will be continuously trained and supported by a highly regarded team of professionals to promote stable and safe placements. The Family Placement Team will inspire confidence in children and young people to do the best they possibly can and to develop and reach their personal goals. The team will provide a respectful service, which strives to be free from discrimination, prejudice and racism.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Sufficiency Strategy delivers on our statutory responsibility for sufficiency planning and commitment for the right of every child to live safely and securely when they are not able to live with their own parents, for whatever reason. Where children are not able to safely live with their family of origin, they need to live, either in the short term or permanently, in other care arrangements. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council will, where possible, place them with alternative nurturing and supportive families. Regular data in respect of placement needs and trends is shared with the Director and Assistant Director of Children's Services to also inform the council's wider placement strategies.

The aim of the Family Placement Team is to provide high quality, diverse family placements, which meet the needs of children and young people. Our goal is to ensure that children enjoy a safe, healthy childhood, built on happy memories and loving relationships, where they are encouraged and given every opportunity to achieve in all areas of their lives. Where appropriate, children will be encouraged and supported to remain with their foster carer under a Staying Put arrangement, once they reach adulthood.

The Fostering Service Objectives

• proactively recruit, prepare, assess and train foster carers from a diverse range of backgrounds, who can meet the holistic needs of children
• where possible, place children with carers who are connected to them by virtue of being a family member or friend. These foster carers will be assessed, trained and supported by workers who have specialist experience of working with connected carers. The connected carer will receive the same level of supervision and support as an unrelated foster carer
• listen to children and consider their views when planning for their care
• where possible, and where it is consistent with the child's best interests, place siblings together
• consider a child or young person's age, gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, disability and language as well as their personal experiences when identifying placements and matching children to carers
• promote family time for the child or young person with his or her birth family throughout their placement
• work in partnership with professionals and other significant people in a child's life to identify, maintain and support the child in placement
• offer to all foster carers regular supervision, support and opportunities for training and development
• ensure foster carers make children and young people aware of their rights and the complaints, compliments and advocacy process by providing the relevant information
• work in partnership with independent fostering agencies to identify suitable placements for children
• value our foster carers and celebrate and recognise their ongoing contribution to the Family Placement Service
• ensure that all practice promotes equal opportunities for all and values diversity of both looked after children and carers regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, age, religious beliefs, disability or marital status
• ensure that any decisions are transparent and fair, that any concerns are addressed and information about the complaint's procedure is made available to all
• provide a seamless service for foster carers who go on to offer 'Staying Put' arrangements to young adults, previously in our care
• promote team and personal development and training for staff

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Fostering Service works on the following principles:

1. Child focused: The child's welfare, safety and individual needs are at the centre of the fostering process. Children's views, wishes and feelings will be considered at all times. All assessments of prospective carers will focus on the carers' ability to safely meet the needs of children.
2. Partnership: The Fostering Service will work in partnership with parents and children, foster carers and their families, social work staff, other professionals and agencies when providing the service.
3. Anti-discriminatory practice: The Fostering Service will respect human rights and will ensure that there is fair and equal access to all of its services. The services provided will be free from discrimination, prejudice and racism.

In addition to the national standards, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Fostering Service has adopted local standards, which underpin its approach to service delivery.

These include:

• responding to enquiries from potential foster carers in a positive and welcoming manner and sending them an information pack within three working days of receiving the enquiry
• the use of a banded payments system, which recognises the valuable contribution made by foster carers as they develop skills and experience, and relates the payment received to the skills and experience they have developed
• celebrating the achievements of carers, children and young people

The Fostering Service is provided by staff from the Family Placement Team, which is part of the Children's Care and Complex Needs service area within Children's Social Care. The team offers a fostering service as well as having responsibility for recruiting and assessing supported lodgings providers.

The Family Placement Team is made up of three specialist teams. The Recruitment and Assessment Team is responsible for the recruitment, assessment, training and approval of mainstream and connected foster carers and supported lodgings providers. There are two teams for the supervision and support of approved foster carers - the Post Approval Mainstream Foster Care Team and Post Approval Connected Foster Care Teams. Although each team focuses on their particular area of expertise, the three teams work closely together to ensure there is a cohesive, flexible and seamless approach to the assessment, supervision and support of our fostering and supported lodgings provider community.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council provides a range of foster care placements for children in the care of the Local Authority. Foster carers may be registered for one particular type of placement or a variety of placements. The following types of placements are offered:

Short term or temporary

These placements range from an overnight stay to several months' duration. In some cases, placements can last for more than a year before a child's plan is finalised, particularly if there are complex court proceedings.

The main purpose of these placements is to provide the child with temporary substitute care where children are unable to remain in the care of their parents and the focus is on supporting the children to return home to birth family or to move on to long term foster care or adoption. Where appropriate, short-term foster carers can be reassessed and approved as long-term foster carers. The tasks of the foster carers vary in accordance with the child's plan. Children may be placed in an emergency or in a planned way.

Long term or permanent

These placements are for the duration of the child's childhood through to adulthood. The carer's task is to offer permanent substitute care to the child, usually with regular ongoing family time with birth family. These placements are always planned and involve children being carefully matched to the skills and family environment of the long-term foster carer and being placed following a period of introductions. Where children have been placed in a short-term arrangement, and this is subsequently assessed as the most appropriate long-term placement, a thorough matching process will take place to ensure that the child's long term needs can be met.

Bridging or task centred care

These placements are usually for young people who are placed as an adolescent and the main task of the carers is to prepare the young person for independence or eventual return to birth family. In some instances, these placements may be for younger children and could involve joining siblings together and the task of the carer may be to help prepare the child(ren) to move into a long-term placement.

Parent and child

A limited number of placements are available for parent and baby placements. The duration of the placement is usually for a matter of months and the task of the foster carer is to support and advise the parent and contribute to any parenting skills assessment that is being undertaken. It may be that the child is placed with the carer under Fostering Regulations and the parent not placed, or both parent and child may be fostered by the fostering family. These placements are usually for parents under the age of 18, however, on occasion this is also available to older parents.

Short break and respite for looked after children

The aim of short break and respite care placements for children who are already looked after is to support the child and the main carer to promote placement stability. Occasionally respite placements are arranged due to the main carer being unavailable for a short period of time.

Short break and respite for children not looked after children

These placements are mainly used by those children who require, for whatever reason, a series of short breaks away from the family home. The main task of the carer is to provide the child with continuity of care away from home.

Emergency carers

These placements are available to children who require immediate placement outside of normal office hours. The children usually stay in these placements only for a matter of days until a more suitable placement is found.

Connected persons as foster carers

The Local Authority has a responsibility to consider whether anyone within the child's network of family and friends can safely care for the child when a decision has been made that the child cannot, for whatever reason, remain in the care of their parents. In these situations, the children are placed with the connected person after the person has been fully assessed and approved as a foster carer.

If the placement has been made in an emergency under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (2010), the connected person is given a temporary approval status and a suitability to foster assessment needs to be completed within 16 weeks of the child being placed.

'Staying Put' carers

Children who have been looked after by their foster carers on a permanent basis often wish to remain within the family after reaching the age of 18 years. Where this is felt to be in the young person's best interests, and with the agreement of the foster carer, the young person continues to live with the family under a 'Staying Put' arrangement, which can last until a young person reaches 21, or up until the age of 25 if the young person remains in education or training. As the young people are over the age of 18 years, Staying Put is no longer a fostering arrangement.  Foster carers may continue to be approved carers if they are available for other foster placements and, as such, will continue to receive supervision and support via the Fostering Service. Where this is not the case, support and supervision will be offered by the Accommodation and Placement Support Team, who are within the Children's Care and Complex Needs Service Area.

Supported Lodgings hosts

Supported Lodgings is a form of supported accommodation which offers looked after young people and care leavers aged between 16-21 years (25 if in full time education) the opportunity to live within a family setting. Supported Lodgings are provided by households who offer a room and support to develop the young person's independence skills. The scheme is suitable for those young people who have been assessed via their Pathway Plan as needing support towards moving to independence and who are willing to engage with the expectations of living in a family home and with the support in place to enable them to live independently, engage in education or employment and work towards economic stability in adulthood. 

The responsibility for the recruitment and assessment of prospective Supported Lodgings providers lies with the Family Placement Recruitment and Assessment Team. Following approval, supported lodgings providers will be supported to transfer to receive their support and supervision from the Accommodation and Placement Support Officers in the Accommodation and Placement Support Team.  

The following services are provided to:

Registered Foster Carers and Prospective Foster Carers

• advice and information (written or verbal) to those interested in becoming foster carers or supported lodgings providers
• initial visits to people expressing an interest in becoming foster carers or supported lodgings providers
• preparation training for applicants
• assessment and approval of suitability to foster and supported lodgings
• supervision for approved foster carers
• support for foster carers and their families via support groups and social activities
• groups for sons and daughters of foster carers
• post-approval training for foster carers
• allowances or financial support
• equipment
• independent annual foster care reviews
• Emergency Duty Team out-of-hours service
• emergency duty support within office hours via the Fostering Duty Service
• CAMHS consultation service for carers
• advice and mediation service - spot purchase for carers subject to an allegation
• membership of Fostering Network
• respite provision
• consultation with carers over development of the service
• grants for home extension/adaptations in specific cases
• virtual school
• Looked After Children's Nurse

Social work staff who need a placement for a child looked after by the council

• a placement officer and duty social worker are available from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and until 4:30pm on Friday
• identification and provision of a range of foster care placements for looked after children
• advice and consultation regarding viability of connected carer placements
• liaison with other agencies to identify suitable placements when none are available from Stockton Fostering Service
• provision of carers for use by the Emergency Duty Team for placements at evening, weekends and Bank Holidays
• out of hours contact with service managers by the Emergency Duty Team
• advice and consultation to social workers regarding general placement issues

On 31 March 2022 there were 162 foster carers formally approved by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, 88 mainstream foster carers and 74 connected carers. Most live within the boundaries of the Borough, however, there are a small number who live outside of the Borough. 

There were 263 children placed in the Fostering Service at this point, 153 children placed with connected foster carers and 110 with unrelated foster carers.

Recruitment, assessment and approval

The responsibility for recruiting, preparing and assessing prospective mainstream foster carers and supported lodgings providers, and the assessment of connected foster carers lies with the Family Placement Recruitment and Assessment Team.

We aim to place children within the Borough and within their own communities unless it is determined this is not in the best interests of the child or young person.

We promote the need to place children with carers who best reflect and manage the child's assessed needs in terms of emotional, ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic and religious needs, as well as any needs relating to disability, gender or sexuality.

We are committed to ensuring that children and young people are securely attached to carers capable of providing them with safe and effective care for the duration of their childhood, and as far as is consistent with their welfare, to promote the upbringing of children and young people within their own families.

In situations where placements are not available to meet all the needs of the child or young person, support and information is made available to the carers to help them develop their skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children.

Recruitment strategy

Throughout our recruitment strategy we aim to use, wherever possible, the services of existing experienced foster carers and supported lodgings providers as ambassadors by, for example, attending information sessions. The voice of birth children of foster carers and children in our care will be integrated within our recruitment activity, for example, using testimonials and social media.

Recruitment takes place on three levels:

1) Nationally - Linking to national events (e.g. Foster Care Fortnight) and working in partnership with relevant national bodies (e.g. The Fostering Network).

2) Regionally - Working in partnership with neighbouring Local Authorities to produce joint advertising and recruitment campaigns. This helps achieve synergy from broader consistent messaging, and allows more efficient use of resources, e.g. radio and television campaigns.

3) Locally - Specifically identifying placement needs to target recruitment campaigns at distinct groups.

Local recruitment activity is at four levels:

• continuous - with public information being circulated e.g. leaflet and poster format and digitally, on a regular basis to the public, e.g. health centres, leisure centres, libraries, local businesses, schools and colleges
• specific - for individual 'hard to place' children and young people
• targeted to need, i.e. adolescents, children with disabilities, age range and geographical areas
• within the kinship network of the children (connected person foster care)

Identification of need

Needs are identified in a number of ways:

• ongoing audit of placements available and placements needed
• via referrals shared at family placement team meetings as a standard agenda item
• annual foster care reviews
• information regarding placement disruptions

Recruitment journey

We aim for the recruitment of new foster carers to follow the most efficient path:

• advertising and marketing to result in initial enquiries
• information pack made available to enquirers
• monthly information sessions where general assessment criteria are outlined, and enquiries can move through an informal filtering process
• initial visits to enable prospective carers to progress their enquiry to Stage 1, where appropriate

The process of becoming an approved foster carer is governed by legislation and practice guidance.

Assessment of mainstream foster carers

Preliminary stage - seeking information

A potential applicant makes an enquiry with the Fostering Service online, by telephone or e-mail. A record is kept of all enquiries. An information pack is sent out within two working days of receipt of the enquiry. If the enquirer wants to go on to the next stage, they send back a 'Request for Initial Visit' form.

The Recruitment and Assessment Team manager will allocate the initial visit to two social workers from the team, who will contact the enquirer within 10 working days to make arrangements to visit and share information. A minimum of two visits will be undertaken to discuss further the contents of the information pack and answer any queries, focussing on the needs of looked after children and the role and expectations of the carer. The social workers will explore the family's circumstances, the home and its members and motivation to foster as well as give information about the application process.

The social workers will let applicants know at this stage whether or not what the enquirer may be able to offer is compatible with our recruitment objectives. Enquirers will also be advised whether there is anything about their circumstances that may affect future decisions about accepting an application.

Stage 1 process

A Registration of Interest Form (RIF) is given to prospective carers if it has been agreed that it is appropriate to proceed with an application. Notification will be given within 5 working days of receipt of the completed form whether the RIF has been accepted. The RIF includes consent for statutory checks for all relevant people in the household. Once the RIF has been returned and accepted, references are taken up with all relevant agencies as well as personal referees and current employer. In most circumstances contact will be made with previous partners who have shared a family relationship, adult children and previous employers where the applicant has worked with children or vulnerable adults. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service application (DBS) will be made for all household members over the age of 18 years. Medical examinations are carried out by the applicant's doctor using the CoramBAAF Medical Form, and returned to Stockton's Medical Adviser for comments and a recommendation.

Applicants will be invited to attend a Preparation Training Course, which is the equivalent of four days' training. (Applicants can undertake the course during either Stage 1 or Stage 2 of the process.) Applicants are encouraged to attend preparation groups, however it is acknowledged that at times it may not be possible for all applicants to attend every session, therefore, this will be considered as part of the overall preparation process. The preparation group sessions can include the children of the family if they are of an appropriate age. Evaluation and feedback is completed by the applicants and training facilitators, which contribute to the overall assessment process.

Once all checks are returned, a decision will be made about whether to accept an applicant onto Stage 2 of the process and the applicant will be notified of the decision within 10 working days.

The Fostering Service aim to complete Stage 1 of the process within 8 weeks.

Stage 2 process

Stage 2 of the suitability to foster assessment is a complex and robust assessment, which focusses on the prospective foster carers' capacity to safeguard and meet the needs of any child placed in their care. The assessment consists of a minimum of six to eight sessions, including individual sessions for each applicant. The topics covered include personal background, history and experiences, parenting experiences, birth children's views, the home environment, health and safety (including pet safety) and the applicants' reflection and understanding of material presented from group sessions. In addition, interviews will be completed with two personal referees as well as former partners and adult children of the applicants.

When all the necessary material is available, the assessment report is completed by the social worker, using contributions from the applicants themselves at appropriate points. The report is quality assured by the Family Placement Registered Manager and is presented to the Fostering Panel, which normally meets every two weeks. Applicants are invited and encouraged to attend the panel meeting where the assessment is discussed. The Panel considers the report and makes a recommendation regarding the application. Panel can recommend that applicants are approved, not approved or defer for further information. The recommendation is then approved (or not) by the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director, Children's Social Care). Applicants are then notified in writing of the outcome of their application within 5 days of the decision.

If applicants are recommended as not suitable to foster, they then have 28 days from the qualifying determination made by the Agency Decision Maker to accept the qualifying determination, make representation to the fostering service or to apply to have their suitability to foster considered by the Independent Review Mechanism. The Fostering Service aims to have a decision on all applications within 8 months of application.

Assessment of connected foster carers

Definition of a 'Connected Person'

• a relative of the child, ie grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt, whether full blood or half-blood or by marriage or civil partnership or a step-parent, as defined in section 105 of the 1989 Children Act
• a friend of the child
• a person connected with the child who may be someone who knows the child in a more professional capacity such as a child minder, a teacher of a youth worker, who would not fit the term relative or friend but who may be an appropriate person with whom to place a child because of the pre-existing connection

Where consideration is being given by a child's social worker for the child to be placed in foster care with a connected carer, the social worker will undertake a Viability Assessment which should consider both the current and the anticipated future needs of the child and how viable it is for the proposed connected person, with the provision of appropriate support, to provide for this child's needs. The child's social worker will provide the connected person with written information about what to expect in the fostering assessment and the role and responsibilities of a foster carer in relation to working with the Local Authority. 

Where a Viability Assessment recommends that a full fostering assessment should be completed, the child's social worker will make a referral to the Family Placement Recruitment and Assessment Team, who is responsible for completing the suitability to foster assessment. The assessment will be completed in line with the process outline above, however, Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be completed concurrently. 

In some instances, it is necessary to place children with a connected person in an emergency; where this is necessary, a brief assessment will be completed by the child's social worker and agreement sought to place the child under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. Where agreed, the connected carer will be given temporary approval as a foster carer for a period of 16 weeks (which can, in particular circumstances be extended for a further 8 weeks). It is the responsibility of the Recruitment and Assessment Team to complete the full suitability to foster assessment and present it to Panel and Agency Decision Maker within this period of temporary approval.

Assessment of supported lodgings providers

Supported Lodgings are a form of temporary supported accommodation for vulnerable young people who are not ready to live independently for a variety of reasons. It is expected that the Supported Lodgings Service will provide places for care leavers aged 16 to 21 years, for a period of up to two years. This can be extended depending upon circumstances. Young people placed on this scheme will have their own room in a family home and be given support by the adult, or adults, in the home. It is a requirement that Supported Lodgings Carers have the capacity to offer each young person a bedroom of their own that is furnished and maintained to a good standard. They will also be expected to offer support and guidance to the young person when required and to help him/her towards independence by assisting the young person in a variety of areas, for example to budget, cook, clean and access education or training.

Preliminary stage - seeking information

A potential applicant makes an enquiry with the Family Placement Team online, by telephone or e-mail. A record is kept of all enquiries. An information pack is sent out within two working days of receipt of the enquiry. If the enquirer wants to go on to the next stage, they send back a 'Request for Initial Visit' form.

The Recruitment and Assessment Team manager will allocate the initial visit to two social workers from the team, who will contact the enquirer within 10 working days to make arrangements to visit and share information. A minimum of two visits will be undertaken to discuss further the contents of the information pack and answer any queries, focussing on the needs of looked after children and the role and expectations of the supported lodgings provider. The social workers will explore the family's circumstances, the home and its members and motivation to offer supported lodgings as well as give information about the application process.

The social workers will let the applicant know at this stage whether or not what the enquirer may be able to offer is compatible with our recruitment objectives. Enquirers will also be advised whether there is anything about their circumstances that may affect future decisions about accepting an application.

Where, following a subsequent visit, the enquirer wishes to make an application and a decision has been made to accept it, the social worker provides the enquirer with an application pack.

Assessment process

A Registration of Interest Form (RIF) is given to prospective carers if it has been agreed that it is appropriate to proceed with an application. The RIF includes consent for checks and references. Once the RIF has been returned and accepted an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service application (DBS) will be made for all household members over the age of 18 years, a health report will be sought from each applicant's doctor and references will be taken up with two personal referees and current employer. Applicants are encouraged to attend preparation groups, however it is acknowledged that at times it may not be possible for all applicants to attend every session, therefore, this will be considered as part of the overall preparation process. The preparation group sessions can include the children of the family if they are of an appropriate age. Evaluation and feedback are completed by the applicants and training facilitators, which contribute to the overall assessment process.

The assessing social worker will aim to complete the assessment within a sixteen-week period and any necessary extension to the assessment period will be agreed by the assessment team manager. The supported lodgings assessment is a complex and robust assessment, which focusses on the prospective provider's capacity to safeguard and support the young person placed in their care. The assessment consists of a minimum of six to eight sessions, including individual sessions for each applicant. The topics covered include personal background, history and experiences, parenting experiences, birth children's views, the home environment, health and safety (including pet safety) and the applicant's reflection and understanding of material presented from group sessions. Where an assessment is being completed of a connected person to provide supported lodgings for a named young person, the assessing social worker will consider the applicant's capacity to meet the needs of that specific young person rather than the needs of any young person. The assessing social worker will liaise closely with the young person's social worker and complete at least one joint assessment session with the applicant in order to fully identify and explore the young person's needs and the applicant's capacity to meet them.

When all the necessary material is available, the assessment report is completed by the social worker, using contributions from the applicants themselves at appropriate points. The report is quality assured by the Family Placement Registered Manager and is presented to the Fostering Panel, which normally meets every two weeks. Supported lodgings does not come within the remit of fostering legislation, therefore, presentation to Panel in these instances are a matter of good practice, rather than legal necessity. Applicants are invited and encouraged to attend the panel meeting where the assessment is discussed. The panel considers the report and makes a recommendation regarding the application. Panel can recommend that applicants are approved, not approved or defer for further information. The recommendation is then approved (or not) by the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director, Children's Social Care). Applicants are then notified in writing of the outcome of their application within 5 days of the decision. If the applicant is not approved as a supported lodgings provider, they will be offered 28 days from the decision of the Agency Decision Maker to accept the qualifying determination or make representation to the Family Placement Service.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council recognises the invaluable role that foster carers play in providing quality placements for looked after children. Fostering is a very rewarding experience, but also a challenging one. Good quality supervision, training and support is essential in ensuring foster carers maintain high standards of care and provide children with the safe, stable, healthy and nurturing environments which they need to develop and thrive. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is committed to supporting foster carers financially, practically and emotionally to carry out their role. 

Responsibility for the support and supervision of approved foster carers lies with the Post Approval - Connected Carer Team or Post Approval - Mainstream Team. Each foster carer for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council will be allocated a named, suitably qualified supervising social worker to support them in carrying out the fostering task. When placing children with foster carers, the child's social worker is responsible for ensuring that the foster carers receive sufficient information about the child, their family and situation, as well as involving carers in the planning and consultation process. Children's Social Workers should ensure that they too also support the foster carer by visiting regularly and maintaining effective communication.

The allocated supervising social worker will supervise the work of the foster carer regularly and will identify and support with training and development needs. The usual minimum frequency for supervision is every six weeks, however, many foster carers have a much higher level of contact than this. In certain situations, the supervision frequency may be less than 6 weekly; this is usually in respect of those foster carers who have limited respite arrangements or where a permanent foster care arrangement has been identified as needing less supervision. 

In addition to the support provided by supervising social workers, the Family Placement Team facilitate bi-monthly support groups for mainstream and connected carers, as well as celebration and social events. Additionally foster carers have access to a caravan at Haggerston Castle, allowing them short breaks and the provision of Tees Active Leisure Cards gives opportunities for foster carers and children in our care to use the Council's leisure facilities at a reduced rate.

Regular fostering workshops are provided for foster carers and the Fostering Service has implemented the Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care in relation to foster care induction, training and development. In addition to this in-house training and development, other training opportunities are available through Workforce Development, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Safeguarding Children's Partnership as well as links with other fostering agencies and external providers.

All foster carers who are approved by Stockton Fostering Service have their approval reviewed at least once per year. The review will be conducted by an Independent Reviewing Officer and will involve a meeting with the foster carers. The review is also used as a means of giving foster carers the chance to give some feedback on the service they receive from the department. All annual reviews are submitted to the Agency Decision Maker for a decision in respect of ongoing suitability. Where annual reviews are presented to fostering panel for recommendation prior to Agency Decision Maker, the foster carer is invited and encouraged to attend.

Complaints and commendations

All service users, including children, foster carers and birth families can utilise the Local Authority's Customer Feedback and Complaints Procedure.

Information about how to make a complaint is given to every prospective foster carer. The Children's Guide, which is given to all children who are looked after by the local authority, includes details of how to make a complaint. Read the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Customer feedback and complaints policy.

Complaints are dealt with in four stages:

Early resolution

Early resolution is an opportunity for the Council to put things right and agree to undertaking actions which will lead to a complaint being resolved within a short time period, usually within five working days. A person can make their complaint over the telephone, by e-mail, in writing or in person to a member of staff. Where a complaint is received by the Information Governance Team the complainant will be contacted by an officer from Children's Services within five working days to better understand their dissatisfaction and attempt to find an early resolution to their complaint. Should it not be possible to resolve the issue at this stage, the complainant can request that the complaint is considered at Stage 1 (Investigation). The complainant will need to provide reasons they remain dissatisfied and what the desired outcome is. This will be given consideration to determine if it is appropriate for further investigation at Stage 1. The Council recommends that complainants submit their requests for consideration of their complaint at Stage 1 within 20 working days of being notified of the outcome of early resolution.

Stage 1 (Investigation)

Where complaints progress to Stage 1, the investigating officer will undertake a full investigation into the complaint, consider the complaint and seek to find possible solutions. An advocate can be provided to assist a child making a complaint and any adult can refer themselves to the Advocacy Service at the Citizens Advice Bureau if required. A written response explaining the outcome is sent to the complainant within 25 working days.

Stage 2 (Review)

If a complainant is not satisfied at the end of Stage 1, they can choose to have the complaint reviewed. Requests for complaints to be reviewed at Stage 2 must include the reasons for the request to progress to the next stage and also the desired outcome. The Council recommends that complainants submit their requests for consideration of their complaint at Stage 2 within 20 working days of receiving the complaint response. A Stage 2 officer will be appointed who will undertake a further investigation and response in writing within 20 working days.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) reviews the way that the Council has responded to complaints. The LGSCO will only investigate your complaint once you have completed the Council's complaints procedure, if you have been referred the LGSCO early or if your complaint takes more than 12 weeks to receive a response. You can make a complaint to the LGSCO for free and complaints are investigated independently.

Visit the LGCSO website for more information about how to make a complaint or to find out about its remit.

Monitoring and evaluating the service

Service leads and the Children's Service's Fostering Panel consider matters relating to the placement of children. It is the responsibility of service leads to agree a decision in respect of a child needing to come into our care, whilst Fostering Panel considers the appropriateness of matches for long term placements as well as suitability to foster. The Fostering Panel is chaired independently and consists of internal and external members; the quality and timeliness of work is monitored by the Fostering Panel and reported to the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director) on a 6 monthly basis. The Fostering Panel considers themes from suitability to foster assessments as well as the foster carers' annual reviews and long-term fostering matches. The Fostering Panel and service report is shared annually at Corporate Parenting Board.

The Fostering Service is inspected by Ofsted as part of the Local Authority Inspection of Local Authority Children's Services and the reports of these inspections are available to the general public on the Ofsted website.

Monitoring and evaluating the Statement of Purpose and Children's Guide

The Statement of Purpose and Children's Guide are reviewed at least annually by the Family Placement Registered Manager and the Service Managers - Fieldwork and Assessment Lead, Looked After Children and Resources.

It is recognised that the Fostering Service is ever developing and changes to the Statement of Purpose may need to be made more frequently. Therefore, the Statement of Purpose will also need to be reviewed as and when changes take place.

Distribution of Statement of Purpose and Children's Guide

Staff

The documents will be made available to staff.

All staff will be made aware of the documents via staff and management meetings, the intranet and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website. The responsibility for dissemination of the Statement of Purpose lies with the Family Placement Registered Manager.

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted will receive a copy of the Statement of Purpose and Children's Guide each time they inspect the service or when major changes have taken place. The responsibility for distribution will be with the Family Placement Registered Manager.

Children

The Children's Guide will make children aware of the Statement of Purpose and will include a summary of the information within it. All children at the point of being looked after will receive a copy of the Children's Guide. It is the responsibility of child's social worker to ensure that they are given the Children's Guide.

Foster carers

Foster carers will be informed of the Statement of Purpose and Children's Guide throughout the preparation and approval procedure. The Foster Carers' Handbook will refer to the documents and the way in which foster carers may access the Statement of Purpose. 

Parents

The Parents' Information Pack will refer to the Statement of Purpose and the way in which they may access it. It is the child's social worker's responsibility to ensure the parent is given a Parent Information Pack. The Statement of Purpose can also be accessed via the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website.

Stockton Family Placement Team

2^nd Floor
Queensway House
Billingham
TS23 2NL

Telephone: 01642 526218
Email: child.placement@stockton.gov.uk

Adele Moore

Assistant Director, Children's Social Care
Municipal Buildings
Church Road
Stockton-on-Tees
TS18 1LD

Telephone: 01642 526297

Ofsted

Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

You can contact Ofsted on 0300 1231231 or visit the Ofsted website.

The Office of the Children's Commissioner

Sanctuary Buildings
20 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT

You can contact The Office of the Children's commissioner on 020 7783 8330 or visit The Office of the Children's Commissioner website.

Childline provided by the NSPCC

Weston House
42 Curtain Road
London
EC2A 3NH

Telephone free on 0800 1111 or visit the Childline website.

Further information about fostering can be found at the following websites:

The Fostering Network

CoramBAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy

GOV.UK: Becoming a foster carer

Fosterline

BECOME (Previously The Who Cares? Trust)