Care Inspectorate Inspection of Renfrewshire's Supported Carers Service ECSPB
Renfrewshire Council · 18 May 2023
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 18 May 2023 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 18 May 2023 __________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Care Inspectorate Inspection of Renfrewshire’s Supported Carers Services ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Renfrewshire’s Supported Carers Service is registered with and regulated by the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate conducts inspections of all regulated services and produces reports on their findings. The Supported Carers Service was inspected by the Care Inspectorate between January and March 2023. The previous inspection of the Service was conducted and reported on in 2019. 1.2 The Care Inspectorate publishes the inspection reports on its website. The reports contain a grade in each of the themes inspected. Inspections are focused on improvement and within the inspection report the Care Inspectorate can identify an area for improvement, make a recommendation or put in place a requirement which is legally enforceable. 1.3 The inspection of the Supported Carers Service focused on two quality indicators: “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” and “How well is our care and support planned?”. The Care Inspectorate graded the Supported Carers Service as good for the first indicator and very good for the second indicator. 1.4 No recommendations or requirements were made by the Care Inspectorate in relation to the Renfrewshire Supported Carers Service. Two areas of improvement were identified for the service for supported carers. The first area for improvement is the service should further develop core training for carers and the second is that welfare assessments occur within timeframes, and that carers and young people
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are informed of this process in advance. A copy of the inspection report is attached at appendix 1. _________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board is asked to note [a] the positive outcome of the Care Inspectorate inspection of the Renfrewshire Supported Carer Service, and [b] the positive support provided by staff in the Supported Care Service. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. The Care Inspectorate is the national scrutiny body for social work and social care services in Scotland. All Individual Supported Carers Services in Scotland are required to register with the Care Inspectorate and are subject to a range of audit and scrutiny activities to ensure that they are undertaking all statutory duties and providing appropriate care and support to individuals and groups that they are required to support. All registered services are subject to regular inspection by the Care Inspectorate. 3.2. At the end of each inspection, the Care Inspectorate produces a report in relation to the inspection and assigns a grade to each of the areas considered during the inspection. The Care Inspectorate makes use of the following scale for grading a service: 1. Unsatisfactory 2. Weak 3. Adequate 4. Good 5. Very good 6. Excellent 3.3. The Renfrewshire Supported Carers Service was the subject of an announced inspection by the Care Inspectorate between January and March 2023. The Care Inspectorate focused on two quality indicators during the inspection; : “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” and “How well is our care and support planned?”. The Care Inspectorate graded the Supported Carers Service as good for the first indicator and very good for the second indicator. 3.4. The Supported Carers Service report published by the care inspectorate identified 5 key messages: Relationships between young people, care givers and staff were robust and positive. Young people were respected by carers and staff, with individual needs and interests supported.
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Tracking of the completion of core training needs to be further developed. There was a clear culture of ambition and of celebrating success which was led by staff and carers. Development of the “welfare assessment” process needs to be progressed to ensure consistency of experience and outcomes for all young people. 3.5. The inspectors noted that young people received care that met their needs and that carers spoke passionately about accessing the right services and support for young people. Staff were seen as knowledgeable in accessing educational support. 3.6. The Care Inspectorate also found that staff actively supported carers through regular visits and young people were supported to integrate into carer giver families. 3.7. Two areas of improvement were identified for the service. The first area for improvement is the service should ensure all carers have completed core training. The second is that welfare assessments occur within timeframes, and that carers and young people are informed of this process in advance. Action has already been taken by the service to improve on this area and has been incorporated in the Supported Carers Service development plan for 2023/24. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - None 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning – engaging with, and learning from external inspection, ensures that our Renfrewshire is thriving: high standards of care ensures that children and young people are given the best start in life so that they promote and contribute to a more prosperous, fairer society. The inspection process also supports delivery of the Council Plan crosscutting theme of improving outcomes for children and families as well as other Council Plan key strategic outcomes, for example: 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from
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the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk - None 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. Cosla Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Risk - None _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - None __________________________________________________________ Author: Clare Cunning, Acting Children’s Services Manager clare.cunning@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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SSupportupported Cared Carers Sers Scchemeheme Adult Placement Service Renfrewshire Council Social Work Services Abbey House, 8 Seedhill Road PAISLEY PA1 1JT Telephone: 01416 184 531 Type of inspection: Announced Completed on: 1 March 2023 Service provided by: Service provider number: Renfrewshire Council SP2003003388 Service no: CS2007155432
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About the service Renfrewshire Supported Carers Scheme has been registered since December 2005, and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. The agency provides a supported carer service for young people aged 18-21 years and their families who are assessed as in need of this resource and who live, or have connections in the Renfrewshire area. About the inspection This was an announced inspection which took place In January 2023. The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors from the Care Inspectorate. To prepare for the inspection we reviewed information about this service. This included previous inspection findings, registration information, information submitted by the service and intelligence gathered since the last inspection. In making our evaluations of the service we: • spoke with people using the service and their carers • spoke with staff and management • observed practice and daily life • reviewed documents • spoke with visiting professionals. Additionally we received and reviewed survey responses from young people, carers, staff and external professionals. Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 2 of 7
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Key messages Relationships between young people, caregivers and staff were robust and positive. Young people were respected by carers and staff, with individual needs, and interests supported. Tracking of the completion of core trainings needs to be further developed. There was a clear culture of ambition and of celebrating success which was led by staff and carers. Development of the 'welfare assessment' process needs to be progressed to ensure consistency of experience and outcomes for all young people. From this inspection we evaluated this service as: In evaluating quality, we use a six point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 - Good How well is our care and support planned? 5 - Very Good Further details on the particular areas inspected are provided at the end of this report. How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 - Good Young people had meaningful relationships with their caregivers, with examples of relational strengths around security, predictability, warmth of care and advocacy. There were good examples of young people's voices being valued by the provider, through participation and inclusion activities as part of the normal process, and through additional activities supported by external stakeholders. The strengths in relationships between young people and carers were mirrored in the connections between caregivers and staff, with enabling and responsive support described. This meant that young people and carers were able to express fully their needs, in relationships which were responsive and adaptive. The relationships between young people, caregivers and staff were robust and positive. Young people were respected by carers and staff, with individual needs, and interests supported. Carers and young people were made aware of their rights. However, further work could take place to ensure that this is incorporated into training and development plans for carers, and that advocacy supports are advertised within fostering to young people. This would formalise the good practice that we found and ensure consistency. The strong relationships between young people their carers and the staff group was seen as key in ensuring the stability of care provided. Staff were available to carers, easily contactable and offering high levels of support and signposting towards specialist input where required. Where there were delays in accessing additional supports, there was a clear picture that staff had worked to the best of their ability to ensure that young people and their carers Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 3 of 7
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received the required input. The provider role as a corporate parent could be developed to assist in advocacy with external services, this would ensure that young people gain access to specialist care where regular processes have faltered. Young people received care that met their individual needs and kept them emotionally and physically safe. There was clear analysis by staff around the skills of the carers in relation to young people's care requirements and evidence of this analysis being applied in practice. This meant that young people received care that was personalised to them. A wide range of high quality training were offered to carers, however tracking of the completion of core training needs to be further developed. This will ensure that all carers remain up to date in terms of knowledge and skills which directly benefits children and young people. Carers spoke passionately about accessing the right services and supports for young people to ensure that they had the best supports that they could. There was a clear culture of ambition and celebrating success which was led by staff and carers. Staff were seen as knowledgeable in accessing education and educational supports and their availability to support young people and carers around education was described. Staff actively supported carers through regular visits, frequent communication, and responsive approaches. Wellbeing was enhanced for young people by opportunities to have or be around animals, including pets within the home. Examples of family life were available across all the case tracking. Young people were supported to integrate into the carer families and to take on appropriate developmental tasks within the home. This was supportive of developing practical life skills and knowledge, whilst also nurturing the young person. The assessment and review process for transition to the role of adult carer was good, however the continuing care process could be improved through the further incorporation of the 'welfare assessment' into planning, training and reviews (see Area for Improvement 2). Areas for improvement 1. To support children and young people’s health and wellbeing, the provider should ensure that all carers have completed core training requirements. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: 'I have confidence in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, and are able to reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational codes' (HSCS 3.14). 2. To support young people’s care planning, ensuring that timely assessment on continuing care needs takes place, the provider should ensure that the 'welfare assessment' process is fully incorporated into service provision. In order to achieve this, the service should ensure that: a) Welfare assessments occur within timeframes. b) That carers and young people are fully informed of the process in advance of the assessment taking place. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 4 of 7
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'My future care and support needs are anticipated as part of my assessment' (HSCS 1:14). How well is our care and support planned? 5 - Very Good Young people were leading positive, healthy, and enjoyable lives and were supported by the active engagement of staff. Planning was clearly communicated to young people and carers and there was clear evidence of staff engaging in gaining views. Where planning was the responsibility of other services from the provider there was clear progression of plans. Further development of a wider more systemic approach in the integration of continuing care into young people's plans would assist in ensuring ongoing quality of assessment and support. The strength of relational connection between staff across the provision was evidenced, with examples where these connections ensured positive outcomes for young people through improved communication and effective decision making. This was particularly helpful in the relationship between the continuing care worker and the throughcare team, where young people and carers reported a sense of connection and joined up support. Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 5 of 7
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Detailed evaluations How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 - Good 1.1 Children, young people. adults and their caregiver families experience compassion, dignity and respect 5 - Very Good 1.2 Children, young people and adults get the most out of life 4 - Good 1.3 Children, young people and adults' health and wellbeing benefits from the care and support they experience 5 - Very Good 1.4 Children, young people, adults and their caregiver families get the service that is right for them 4 - Good How well is our care and support planned? 5 - Very Good 5.1 Assessment and care planning reflects the outcomes and wishes of children, young people and adults 5 - Very Good Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 6 of 7
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To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @careinspect Other languages and formats This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. Inspection rInspection reporteport Inspection report for Supported Carers Scheme page 7 of 7