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ADOPTION AND PERMANENCE

Statement of Purpose 2019-2020

INTRODUCTION

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and

Westminster City Council joined their Adoption services in April 2012 to provide a dedicated service for

adoption across the three west London local authorities.

The main function of the Adoption Service is to provide a high quality adoption and permanence service

for children. This involves enabling children who are looked after by the London Borough of Hammersmith

& Fulham (LBHF) The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council

(WCC) and who can no longer return to live with their birth families, to move to permanent substitute

families, including with friends and family carers and other connected people. The new families should be

able to care for them throughout childhood through to adulthood and independence, and be able to respond

to their individual needs.

This Statement of Purpose is divided into three parts:

Part one sets out:

the broad aims and objectives of the service

the management structure

the services provided

the outcomes expected for children and young people and the standards of care expected

How adoptive families are recruited, approved, trained and supported.

Part Two sets out:

Information about staff numbers, qualifications and experience

Staff roles and responsibilities

Service structure chart

This information is fluid and may change if there are changes in personnel or the organisation of the service.

Part Three sets out:

Schedule of relevant policies, procedures and guidance governing the Adoption and Permanence

Service delivery.

Complaints and representations

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PART ONE

1.1. Aims and Objectives

The Adoption service’s aims and objectives comply with legislation and government regulations and

standards. These include:

The Care Standards Act 2000

The Children Act 1989

The Adoption & Children Act 2002

The Adoption Agency Regulations 2005 (amended 2011)

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and accompanying statutory

guidance

Friends and Family Care, statutory guidance for local authorities 2011

The National Minimum Standards for adoption 2011 (updated 2014)

AIM 1

To identify the needs of individual children waiting for permanence and to find families to match

their needs within government timescales

Objectives

To take into account a child's individual assessed needs when considering a plan for permanence.

This includes a child's age, gender, ethnicity, linguistic and cultural heritage, religious background,

and any specific health or development needs.

To ensure that regular planning meetings are held for each child under 14 years’ old who is referred

to the Adoption and Permanence Service until the child is placed in their permanent home.

To ensure that adoption is considered as an option for every child referred to the service

To ensure that parallel planning is considered for each child.

To consider for all children referred if concurrent planning or foster for adoption would be

appropriate

Before stranger adoption is considered to ensure that there is no one in the child’s own friends and

family network able to offer a stable, permanent home.

If no suitable in house adoptive family is available alternative carers outside of the service to be

sought.

To participate actively in the West London Adoption and Permanence Consortium (WLAC)

exchange for children who are waiting for a permanent placement.

All children with a permanence plan for adoption for whom we are unlikely to find a suitable in

house adopter are referred to the National Adoption Register and Adoption Link

A DVD or some kind of video footage will accompany every child’s profile

Internal mechanisms are in place to monitor the progress of all children for whom a plan of

permanence has been made

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AIM 2

To offer a support service to birth families whose children achieve permanence through adoption or

Special Guardianship.

Objectives

To include birth parents in permanence planning for their children.

To provide counselling for birth parents whose children are in the adoption process, including using

the services of independent adoption support agencies.

To ensure that birth parents are informed promptly in writing about the implications of an adoption

or match recommendation when the Agency Decision Maker makes a decision.

To offer birth parents an independent worker to support them through the adoption process.

To engage birth parents and the wider family to contribute towards the child's life story book

AIM 3

To propose a suitable match for each child, and to present this to the Adoption and Permanence

Panel for recommendation and Agency decision.

Objectives

To consider the child’s assessed needs and unique characteristics including their cultural and

linguistic background, ethnic origin, health and development needs, religious persuasion, gender

and sexual orientation and how the selected permanent family can meet or promote these needs.

When potential families have been identified, to share information with the child’s social worker

and any other professionals involved with the child as necessary

To meet the prospective permanent family and obtain any further information needed.

To ensure that any family identified is fully informed about the child and the birth family, and that

the family is helped to meet with the foster carer, medical advisor and any other professionals

involved with the child. To assist the family to obtain independent advice if this is considered

necessary.

To provide adopters with clear, and accurate information in writing about the child and his or her

families background, including medical history and cultural and religious persuasion; the child’s

emotional and physical needs and any additional health or educational needs.

To convene a Child Appreciation Day for each child who is placed for adoption.

To present to the Adoption & Permanence Panel all the information about the child and prospective

adopters.

To present to the Adoption & Permanence Panel the arrangements for placement, including the

support plan.

To present to the Internal Permanence Forum any recommendations for financial support for

adoptive placements.

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To present to the Internal Permanence Forum arrangements for Special Guardianship, including

the support plan and any recommendations for financial support.

AIM 4

To ensure that each child and family experiences a suitable period of introductions based on the

individual needs of the child and family and to ensure that the transition period is fully supported.

Objectives

To arrange an introductions planning meeting for the family with professionals in order to share all

the necessary information and support arrangements, and to arrange a detailed timetable for

introductions and the move. This meeting should include the adoptive family, their social worker,

the child’s social worker, foster carer and supervising social worker and any a CAMHS professional

if they are involved with the child and/or their input would be considered helpful. The meeting is

chaired by the Team Manager or Principle Social Worker in the Adoption and Permanence Team

To convene a midway review meeting of the introductions and ensure there is regular

communication between the new permanent family, the child and other professionals during the

introductions period to monitor progress and identify any additional support that may be needed.

To ensure that the family is provided with a means tested settling in grant of up to £500 before the

child moves to their new home if they are eligible

To ensure continued support for the child and the adoptive family, including regular visits by the

child's social worker and the adopter’s social worker after the child has been placed.

To ensure that adoptive families are aware of how to respond in the event of any concerns, current

or historic, about the adopted child’s safety or protection.

To ensure that the child is safe and their health, education and emotional needs are met, including

making any necessary referrals to health and education services and informing the appropriate

Local Authority, Health and Education Authorities when the child moves.

AIM 5

To recruit and assess adoptive families to meet the needs of looked after children waiting for a

permanent family.

To welcome enquiries from prospective adopters without prejudice, and to treat them fairly and

with respect having regard to their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds, their

sexual orientation, marital status and any disability.

To run advertising campaigns to recruit families from a wide range of backgrounds who can meet

the diverse needs of the children who are waiting for adoption and permanent placement.

To prioritise applications from prospective adopters who can meet the needs of ‘harder to place’

groups of children, including sibling groups, children over the age of 4 years old, ethnic minority

children and children with disabilities and adopters who can be considered for concurrent and

fostering for adoption placements.

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To respond quickly to families who make enquiries about adoption.

To hold regular information sessions for prospective adopters.

To arrange preparation training for prospective adopters to help them gain a better understanding

of the needs of adopted children.

To provide additional training as necessary throughout the assessment process, post approval and

after a child has been placed until the Adoption Order is granted.

AIM 6

To promote a positive attitude to diversity and reduce discrimination.

Objectives

To ensure staff are aware of the diverse needs of the children in LBHF, RBKC and WCC

To offer training to all staff on equality issues, including anti-discriminatory practice.

Preparation training for prospective adopters to promote diversity awareness

To arrange for information to be translated and for interpreters to be used where necessary.

To ensure that all staff members are offered a rolling programme of training on equality issues in

line with The Equalities Act 2010.

To deal with all complaints and queries in a manner that meets departmental and national

requirements.

AIM 7

To ensure all staff and Adoption & Permanence Panel members are offered appropriate training on

adoption legislation, regulations and standards as well as child development and safeguarding

Objectives

To ensure that staff training and development needs are addressed in regular staff supervision and

in their personal development plans as part of their annual performance review.

To organise a joint annual training day for Panel members and the service

To ensure that Panel members and staff are kept up to date with any changes in practice, legislation

and standards

To ensure staff and panel members are kept up to date with safeguarding procedures

To ensure that new staff and Panel members have an adequate induction and opportunities to

observe panel.

To ensure Panel members have an annual appraisal

AIM 8

To offer a culturally sensitive service to adopted adults over the age of eighteen and adult birth

relatives of adopted adults for access to information and an intermediary service for making contact

or establishing a reunion.

Objectives

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Where LBHF, RBKC or WCC is the appropriate adoption agency, to offer access to adoption files

for adopted adults either directly or through another registered adoption agency or Intermediary

Agency

Where an adopted adult lives in the borough but RBKC, LBHF or WCC is not the appropriate

adoption agency, to offer advice, counselling and information on how to access birth and adoption

records and to liaise with other agencies, the General Registrar Office and courts.

To act as an intermediary agency for both adopted adults and adult birth relatives of adopted adults

where RBKC, LBHF or WCC is the appropriate adoption agency or where any of these people live

in the borough.

Where an adult birth relative does not live in the borough, but RBKC, LBHF or WCC is the

appropriate adoption agency, to advise people how to obtain the services of an intermediary agency.

AIM 9

To offer an assessment service to prospective Special Guardians for an LBHF, RBKC or WCC looked

after child or a child resident within any of the 3 boroughs. To provide a support service to special

guardians, children and their birth families after a special guardianship order has been made.

Objectives

To take into account a child's needs, including their background, when considering special

guardianship; their age, gender, ethnic, linguistic and cultural heritage, religious background, and

any specific health and behavioural needs

To work with the prospective special guardians to assess their ability to meet the child’s needs until

adulthood and beyond

To provide information to prospective special guardians about special guardianship and special

guardianship support.

To prepare reports for the courts in special guardianship proceedings.

To meet with prospective special guardians early in the assessment to discuss their needs for post

order support

To provide support for special guardians, including financial support, and to review their support

needs at least annually.

If a child is living with prospective special guardians before an order is made the agency will

supervise and monitor the arrangement as required by any regulations and pay particular attention

to the child’s need for protection from harm

To ensure that special guardians are aware of whom to contact locally in the event of any child

protection concerns.

The local authority will provide a letterbox service if needed after an order has been made to

facilitate correspondence between birth parents, their children and the special guardian family.

AIM 10

To offer an adoption support service to LBHF, RBKC or WCC adopted children, their birth families

and their adoptive parents

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Objectives

To include birth parents in permanence planning for their children

To provide counselling and an independent worker for birth parents to support them through the

adoption process (this may be provided by the independent adoption support agency After Adoption

or the Post Adoption Centre).

To arrange for translations of material and for interpreters where necessary.

To provide a letter box service, receiving, checking and forwarding letters, photographs and

information between an adopted child, their birth family and their adoptive family

To arrange, supervise and monitor face to face contact between adopted children and their birth

family where agreed by the court.

To provide advice, support and information to adopted children and young adults, their adoptive

families and their birth families for at least three years after an adoption order is made.

1.2 Securing and Promoting Children’s Welfare:

Helping Children Achieve More (Every Child Matters)

The Adoption Service works to improve the lives of looked after children through:

Helping children to be healthy

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them to stay safe

Helping children to achieve and enjoy what they do

Helping children to make a positive contribution

Helping children to be healthy

Each child with a place for adoption decision has a full adoption medical, and child health report

written by one of the agency’s medical advisors.

Adopters are given information about a child’s health, including information about administrating

medication, and are clear what responsibility has been delegated to them in making health related

decisions when they are matched.

Prospective adopters meet the agency medical advisor during preparation training and learn about

looked after children’s physical and emotional health needs.

Prospective adopters are able to meet or speak to the agency’s medical advisor before a child is

placed to further their understanding of his/her health needs.

Before permanent placement foster carers promote an active and healthy lifestyle by providing

healthy food and snack options and encouraging children to engage in physical activities.

Social workers, foster carers and prospective adopters speak to children about their health needs

and support and encourage them to live a healthy life style.

Children with specific health needs receive support to take medication, attend health

appointments and use the services of CAMHS both before and after placement, where

appropriate.

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them to stay safe

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Every adopter of a LBHF, RBKC or WCC looked after child is asked to sign an agreement and

parental responsibility checklist before the child comes to live with them. This includes what to do

in the event of an emergency or child protection concern.

All prospective adopters’ homes have a health and safety check.

Prospective adopter training includes a module on the safe use of social networking and using the

internet.

Prospective adopter training also includes a module on the implications of neglect and abuse.

During their assessment adopters learn how to help children protect themselves from abuse and

how to provide a safe and secure home.

Prospective adopters make appropriate risk assessments in the areas where they have been

delegated authority and encourage children to take appropriate risks.

The Adoption Team seeks to promote and safeguard the welfare of looked after children and other

children affected by adoption as its paramount concern and ensures that this is written into any

agreement with a partner agency.

Adoption social workers attend the child’s first and second looked after reviews following adoption

placement and together with the child’s social worker ensure appropriate links are made with the

Post Order Support Team.

Helping children to achieve and enjoy what they do

The Adoption service helps prospective adopters and special guardians obtain an appropriate school

place for the child before placement (if the child is of school age)

Adopters are informed that adopted children are given priority for school placements and are

entitled to the pupil premium.

Adopters are informed that their adopted child is entitled to 15 hours’ free nursery care from the

age of 2 years old.

The Adoption support service helps adopters to support children and young people to achieve in

education by responding to requests for adoption support. This may include attending meetings and

advocating on behalf of the child.

Prospective adopters attend the child’s Personal Education Plan meeting, review and parents’

meetings at their child’s school or nursery and remain actively involved in their child’s education.

Where adoption and special guardianship allowances are paid they may continue until a young

person has concluded the academic year or course they are pursuing on their eighteenth birthday.

Prospective adopters research their local area to find out what facilities exist for children and

become familiar with them. They are able to support children to engage in a variety of leisure

activities that helps their child to develop confidence and interests.

Before placement the adoption team works closely with the Virtual School and the LAC

psychologists to ensure that children are able to use the education provided for them.

Helping children to achieve economic well-being

The Adoption Support Service helps adopters to support children and young people to save for their

future.

The Adoption Service encourages adopters to plan for their children financially.

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Any savings started by the foster carer are passed onto the adopters and they are encouraged to

continue to deposit money on a regular basis for their child.

Helping children to make a positive contribution

Children’s feelings and wishes are outlined in their child permanence report

Maintaining links for a child with their birth family is important. The adoption support service

ensures these links are maintained when that is in the child’s best interest by providing a letterbox

service and facilitating direct contact is this is part of the Adoption Support Plan.

Every adopted child has a life story book to help them understand their origins and why they were

adopted.

The child's social worker prepares a Later Life letter for the child. Foster carers and prospective

adopters can contribute to the child’s later life letter. Adopters are provided with guidance on when

and how to share this with their child.

Children and young people receive an appropriate guide to adoption, including how to make a

complaint and contact an advocate.

Children’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when a placement is being considered.

Children are able to express their views to their social worker or, where appropriate, an advocate

during the introductions.

Prospective adopters are encouraged to take into account children’s ethnicity, religion, language &

cultural heritage and consider how they will positively promote this as the child grows, so they can

develop a positive view of themselves, their origins and their adoptive identity.

Prospective adopters and adopters are supported to meet their child’s specific emotional and

behavioural needs. This includes access to CAMHS, specialist programmes for adopters such as

Safe Base provided by our partner agency, After Adoption, and any other identified training

Prospective adopters and approved adopters, including inter country adopters, can access, free of

charge, the West London Adoption Consortium’s training programme including quarterly evening

seminars for adoptive parents.

1.3 Recruiting Adopters.

The three Local Authorities have service level agreements with the Inter country adoption centre

to undertake assessments of prospective inter country adopters who live within the 3 boroughs.

The Inter Country Adoption Centre prepares the adopters, completes the assessment and presents

the adopters to their Adoption Panel. The adopters are supported by the Inter country adoption

centre until a child is identified and matched with the adopters. The Adoption and Permanence

Service provides welfare supervision to inter country adoption placements as appropriate according

to the individual country’s requirements.

The team has written plans for recruiting sufficient adopters to meet the needs of the range of

children waiting for adoption. The following is a summary of the recruitment strategy:

An annual targeted advertising campaign which is reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis

throughout the year to inform further campaigns.

Regular public information meetings with presentations about the adoption process, the children

who are waiting for adoption and direct and indirect contributions from adopters.

Utilising opportunities for promoting the service in the media.

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Use of the Internet and the 3 Local Authorities websites

All approved adopters for whom there is no suitable child from within the 3 Local Authorities are

referred to the National Adoption Register no later than 3 months after approval.

Feedback is sought from adopters throughout the process about why they chose our service, how

they heard about us and how satisfied they were with the service

Annual benchmarking statistics are completed for the West London Consortium (WLAC) to record

all matches achieved within the Consortium.

1.4 Procedures for preparing and assessing prospective adopters

A detailed set of procedures is listed in Part III. The following is a summary of the process:

Step 1: Expressing an interest. An information pack is sent within 5 working days of the initial enquiry,

and there is an opportunity to speak to a Duty Social worker on the telephone.

Step 2: Attending an information meeting. Enquirers are invited to attend an information meeting.

Information meetings are held every six weeks locally or within the WLAC.

Step 3 Initial home visit A social worker will visit those prospective adopters who wish to proceed to

provide further information and to discuss their personal circumstances, motivation and what they feel they

can offer a child. Following this visit the prospective adopters may in discussion with the team decide to

formally register their interest.

Step 4: Registration of Interest Prospective adopters complete a Registration of Interest form and consent

for references and statutory checks to be undertaken.

Step 5: Stage one Prospective adopters are allocated a social worker and are asked to complete a workbook.

The agency undertakes the statutory checks. Stage one should be completed within 8 weeks, but may take

longer if all of the statutory checks are not completed within this period. Adopters may take a break of up

to 6 months between stage one and two.

Step 6: Preparation Training. The prospective adopters are invited to attend a one-day stage one

preparation training

Step 7: Stage 2 Assessment. The allocated social worker meets with the prospective adopter(s) to complete

the Home Study and attends a three-day preparation training course.

Step 7: The prospective adopter’s report. The information gathered during the assessment, along with

the results of the statutory checks and references, etc. is written into a prospective adopters’ report by the

social worker. Applicants have an opportunity to see and make comments on the report before it is

presented to the Adoption and Permanence Panel.

Step 8: Adoption and Permanence Panel. The assessing social worker will present the prospective

adopters’ report to the Panel within 6 months of the Registration of Interest unless unforeseen circumstances

result in delay. The prospective adopters are invited to attend the Panel meeting, together with the adoption

social worker. The function of the Panel is to make an independent recommendation to the Agency (The

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Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea). The agency will make a decision on receipt of the approved

minutes of the adoption panel – this is generally within ten working days. If the agency decides that the

applicants are unsuitable to adopt, the applicants may request that this decision is reviewed by the Agency

Decision Maker or the Independent Review Mechanism.

Step 9: Matching Once approved, the social worker and approved adopters will try to identify a suitable

child, starting with local children, and then extending the search through the West London Consortium and

the National Adoption Register. Links are often made during the assessment process. If a possible match

is identified, the child’s social worker will visit the prospective adopter (and any other adopters being

considered). The prospective adopters will be given full information to enable them to consider whether

the child would be right for them. One family will be selected who are considered suitable for the child,

and details of this match will be presented to the Panel in the child’s agency. The ‘selected family’ will be

given the opportunity to see or meet with the child prior to the match being presented to the Adoption &

Permanence panel. The Panel will make a recommendation and the Agency will decide whether to approve

the match.

A detailed Adoption Support plan will be drawn up by the child’s agency, discussed with all parties and

presented to the Panel for the match. The support plan will cover the identified needs of the child, the

prospective carers and the birth family and how these are to be met.

Step 10: Placement If the match is approved there is a planning meeting and a period of introductions.

The child will then come to live with the prospective adopters as part of their family. The child is placed

according to the Adoption Regulations under a Placement Order.

The adopter’s social worker will continue to offer support and advice. Adopters sign a local agreement that

includes delegated responsibility and safeguarding procedures.

Step 11: Adoption Application Adopters can submit their adoption application once the child has been

placed with them for 10 weeks. The child's social worker and adopter’s social worker complete a report

for the Court. The Local Authority will cover the costs of legal representation up to legal aid rates for the

adopters if birth parents contest the adoption order.

Step 12: The Adoption Hearing The child's social worker and adopter’s social worker attend the adoption

hearing. Once the Court grants the Adoption Order, the adopters become the child’s legal parents.

Step 13: The Pronouncement Hearing This is a celebration hearing which the adopters attend with their

child to meet the judge and conclude the proceedings.

1.5 Procedures for Supporting Adopters

For LBHF, RBKC and WCC children after the adoption has been finalised the Adoption Support

Team will provide adoption support to the adoptive families. Adopters are entitled to an assessment

of their needs and an Adoption Support Plan will be agreed with the adopters.

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The birth family and adoptive family may exchange letters and photographs by mutual agreement,

via a service called ‘Letterbox’. The Adoption Support Team acts as the post box and vets and

forwards correspondence to the families. For some children it is important that direct contact with

birth relatives is maintained. Decisions about contact will always be based on the best interests of

the child, in consultation with and with the agreement of the adoptive family. This is normally a

voluntary agreement.

The service may provide a financial allowance to facilitate the adoption and placement of children.

The criteria for an allowance is based on the child’s needs and paid following a means test of the

adoptive family’s income. All financial support is reviewed annually.

PART TWO

Organisation and Management of the Operation of the Adoption and Permanence Service

From the 1st April 2012 The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, The Royal Borough of

Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster City Council’s Adoption and Permanence Services have been

working together to find permanent families across the 3 local Authorities for looked after children who

are unable to return to their birth families.

The Service Manager’s name and address is:

Sally Pillay

1st Floor

Hammersmith Town Hall

King Street

W6 9JU

Telephone 07812098049

Sally.Pillay@RBKC.gov.uk

The Adoption service comprises:

The Service Manager

Adoption (& Fostering) Duty & Recruitment Team

1 Principal Social Worker (also covers fostering recruitment)

1 Full Time Social Worker

1 Part Time Social Worker

2 Social Care Assistants

1 Full time Marketing Officer

Team Manager Adoption & Permanence Team

2 Principal Social Workers in the Adoption & Permanence Team (1 0.5)

3 full time social workers; 1 0.3 and 2 0.4 social workers

1 Business Support Officer (shared with the Post Order Support Team)

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Team Manager Panel’s Team (shared with the Adoption & Permanence Team)

1 Panel Advisor

2 panel Co-ordinators

1 Business Support Officer (shared with the Adoption & Permanence Team)

Team Manager Post Order Support Team (shared with The Connected Persons Team)

1 Principal Social Worker

2 full time Social Workers and 1-part time (0.5) Social Worker

2 full time Social Work Assistants

1 Business Support Officer (shared with the Adoption & Permanence Team)

Team Manager Connected Person’s Team (shared with The Post Order Team)

2 Principal Social Workers

4 full time Social Workers

1 full time Social Work Assistant

1 Business Support Officer

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The following is a schedule of all staff employed permanently in the Adoption Service, with their dates of

service and qualifications:

PERMANENT STAFF

Position in

Team

Hours per

week

Name Year of

appointment

Qualifications

Service

Manager

36 Sally Pillay 2012 BA Hons Social Work &

psychology 1991; Post

Qualifying Award in

Child Care; Management

qualification

Team Manager,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team and

Panel’s Team

21.6 Caroline Keane 2012 BA Hons Social Sciences

(Sociology &

psychology) 1996; MA

and Diploma in Social

Work 2001; Post

Qualifying Award in

Child Care 03; Diploma

in Management 05

Acting Team

Manager,

Connected

Persons Team

and Post Order

Team

36 Clare Gleeson 2015 BA(hons) social Science

MSW

Practice Assessor Award

Principal Social

Worker,

Adoption

Recruitment

36 Ann Cavanagh 2000 1) BA (hons) in

Family & Child

Care Studies 1999

2) Diploma in Social

Work 1999

3) Practice Teachers

Award PQ5 & 6

2007

Principal Social

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

36 Peter Kempster 2014 MSc Social Policy and

Social Work

CQSW1991

Principal Social

Worker

21.6 Jane Dalling 2009 Master in Social Work

15

Principal Social

Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team (Agency

Panel Adviser)

36 Hilary Eastham 2001 BSC Hons Social

Psychology 2:1; DiPSW;

PQ childcare:

Social Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

28.8 Carol Beckett 2003 CQSW in 1989. Post

Graduate Diploma in

Psychoanalytic

Observational Studies at

Tavistock Centre in 2010.

Social Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

36 Serena Agyei-

Asare

(Maternity

leave)

2015 BA (hons) Social Work

degree

Social Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

28.8 Louise

Frankiss

2016 Masters in Social Work

Social Worker

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

21.6 Judith Allen 1988 MA Applied Social

Studies;

CQSW

Social Worker ,

Recruitment

Team

21.6 Hing Ng Adoption team

2006

BA (Hons) Social

Sciences and Social

Administrations

CQSW and Dip in

Applied Social Studies

PQ1

Practice Teaching Award

Part 1

Social Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

36 Jennifer

Richards

1990 Dipsw 2006 and PQ

Consolidation Award

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Social Worker,

Adoption &

Permanence

Team

36 Violet Duncan 1995 BA Hons Sociology :

CQSW

Social Worker,

Post Order

Team

36 Rosanna

Afford

2018 Bachelor of Social Work

2009

TESL Certificate

Social Worker,

Post Order

Team

18 Ivan Cassim 2015 MA Social Work

BA Social Policy

Social Worker,

Post Order

Team

36 Thomas

Mathai

2019 MSW, PG Diploma

Psychology, Qualified

Systemic Practitioner

Principal Social

Worker, Post

Order Team

36 Alice

Tomlinson

2019 MA Social Work

Social Care

Assistant, Post

Order

36 Sam Whatley 2012 NVQ 2 & 3 Business &

Administration

Social Care

Assistant, Post

Order

36 Tracie Maher 2012 NVQ 3 & 4 in Childcare

& Education

Senior Business

Support

supervisor

21

Steve Jones

RBKC 2004;

Fostering &

Adoption 2012

17

Senior Business

Support

supervisor

36 Angy Londono 2012

Business

Support

Officer,

Permanence &

Support

36 Esete Desta 2002 Secretarial studies

diploma (Shorthand,

Typing and Office

Practice)

Pitman diploma in Word

and Excel Receptionist

diploma

Recruitment

Officer

36 Alix

Fromageau

2017 BA International

Relations; Masters in

Middle Eastern Studies

Panel Co-

Ordinator

36 Giuseppe

Cloralio

(maternity

cover for

Muzhgan

Sharif)

2017 Diploma in School

Business Management;

Certified Diploma in

Accounting & finance

Panel Co-

Ordinator

28.8 Ellie Brace 2007

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Sally Pillay Head of Fostering &

Adoption Service

Caroline Keane

(Team Manager)

Adoption & Permanence

Darla Steward

(Team Manager)

Fostering Duty, Supervision &

Support

Clare Gleeson

(Acting Team Manager)

Connected Persons & Post

Order

Permanence Principal Social

Worker

Jane Dalling

Principal Social Worker

Janet Lewandowski

Social Workers

Anoop Jacob

Bernice Brown

Sarah Cassidy

Placements Officer

Victoria Mensah

Antonia Williams

Principal Social Worker

Connected Person’s

Emily Blake

Social Workers Connected

Persons

Lara Tejada Vuzquez

Jessica Caley

Social Care Assistant

Karen Lloyd Jones

Principal Social Worker

Peter Kempster

Social Workers

Carol Beckett

Jennifer Richards

Judith Allen

Violet Duncan

Louise Frankiss

Serena Agyei-Asare (Maternity

leave)

Principal Social Worker

Maxine Collins

Social Workers

Afrah Yusuf

Liana Bodea

Barbara Smikle

Dean Backer

Vivette Alenxander

Principal Social Worker

Connected Person’s

Sarah Clake

Social Workers

Owen Lawton

Nafisat Attah

Principal Social Worker

Vacant post

Principal Social Worker

Sharon Barret

Social Workers

Michelle Dawson (maternity

leave)

Olivia Barrett

Zubeida Adams

Mariam Hamoudi

Paulette Thomas

Tianna Armstrong

Principal Social Worker

Clare Gleeson

Social Workers

Rosanna Afford

Ivan Cassim

Emily Blake

Ann Cavanagh (seconded to

recruitment team)

Post Order Support Worker

Tracie Maher

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Principal Social Worker

Joanna Harris-Tench

Teresa McGovern

Fiona Stevens

Kuldip Panesar

Katerina Truncova

Sam Whatley

Panel Advisor

Hilary Eastham

Panel Coordinator

Ellie Brace

Muzhgan Sharif (Maternity

leave)

Giuseppe Cloralio (covering

maternity leave)

Principal Social Worker

Adoption (& fostering) Duty

& Recruitment Team

Ann Cavanagh

Social Workers

Hing Ng

Social Care Assistant

Maninder Purewal

Temi Makanjoula

Recruitment Officer

Alix Fromageau

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PART THREE

3.1 Procedures for Monitoring the Activities of the Service to ensure a high standard of

performance

The following systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and quality of the

service:

The Independent Reviewing Officer and individual borough’s Permanence Monitoring

Meetings monitors the children waiting for permanent homes and enquires about efforts to

find a family for them.

Children in permanent foster placements are reviewed until they leave care.

The Adoption Panel reviews any breakdowns in placements, and an independent agency

(After Adoption) chairs a disruption meeting and writes a report for the agency and the

panel.

All applicants approved for over a year and who have not been matched with a child are

reviewed annually by the adoption team manager or Principal Social Worker and the

recommendation is presented to the Adoption & Permanence Panel.

Monthly Service activity reports and outcomes for children are presented to the Director

of the Adoption and Fostering Service

The Adoption Service has a service plan outlining the service aims and objectives and how

these will be met.

Annual Performance Reviews for all staff, setting and reviewing targets that are in line

with departmental and service plan and objectives.

Each member of staff has a personal development plan that includes keeping up to date on

safeguarding issues. The plan is reviewed in supervision and updated at least annually.

Monthly supervision is offered to all members of the service with their line manager

The FPU database produces a range of management reports including e mail alerts when

statutory checks for adopters are due for renewal

The FPU database alerts the adoption support service when a contact for an adopted child

is due and when the relevant date has passed.

The Customer Care and Complaints Department maintain records of complaints, outcomes,

and learning for the service

3.2 In addition, the following financial procedures are in place:

The service manager receives regular reports on:

staff costs

the adoption service budget

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expenditure on adoption & residence order allowances

expenditure on special guardianship allowances and support

Adoption, residence order and special guardianship allowances are paid weekly by the

relevant Local Authorities payments system.

All adoption, residence order and special guardianship allowances are reviewed annually.

Families are informed by letter of any changes in payments.

Inter-agency financial agreement meetings are held, and charges and expectations of

timescales for payment are recorded on BAAF Form H1. The National Agreement is

ratified annually by BAAF.

3.4 Complaints

All local authorities are required to have a Complaints Procedures under the National Health

Service and Community Care Act 1990 and where children are involved, under the Children Act

1989. There is a central complaints service that manages and monitors complaints for the 3 Local

Authorities. The following is a brief summary.

At the First Stage the complainant should contact the Complaints Officer to explain the nature of

the complaint. If a Court is considering the matter, it cannot be dealt with under the Complaints

Procedure. The Complaints Officer will refer the matter to the appropriate Team Manager for

investigation (if this has not already been done). The Team or Service Manager will reply to the

complainant.

If the complainant is not satisfied with this response, s/he should be helped or advised as

appropriate to make a written representation to the Complaints Officer asking for a further

investigation. There are several ways of dealing with this, but the most usual is for the Head of

Service to appoint an Investigating Officer (IO) who may either be an officer with no direct line

management responsibility for the matter or an independent person. In the case of a complaint

under the Children Act 1989 the Complaints Officer will ask the Advocacy Officer to appoint an

Independent Person to take part in the investigation and to look after the interests of the child.

Both the Investigating Officer and the Independent Person will write separate reports of the

investigation. Normally the reports are sent to the complainant. The reports will be submitted to

the senior officer who is the Adjudicating Officer, usually the Director. This officer will reply to

the complaint giving his or her decision based on the reports. The procedures require that this

reply must be sent to the complainant within 28 days of the complaint having been received.

If the complainant is not satisfied with the response from the Adjudicating Officer s/he may

request, in writing, that a Review Panel be appointed. The Panel usually consists of an independent

chairperson, and two elected Members of the Council, one minority and one majority party

Member. Immediately following the hearing, the Panel will record their recommendation in

writing and send it to the complainant, the Executive Director of the Department, the initial

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Independent Person and the Investigating Officer. The Executive Director will decide what action

to take, and will advise the complainant of this.

This exhausts the Council’s own Complaints Procedure, but in cases of alleged maladministration

a complainant may raise the matter with the Local Government Ombudsman (who will not take it

up until after the Council’s procedures have ended). These procedures do not limit a complainant’s

normal legal remedies.

The Customer Care and Complaints Officer’s Contact details are:

Customer Relationship Team

Tri- Borough Children’s Services

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

1st floor-Pink Zone

The Town Hall

Horton Street

London W8 7NX

Tel: 0207 645 6501

Additionally, in appropriate circumstances, complainants may wish to draw matters to the

attention of OFSTED:

Ofsted National Business Unit

Piccadilly Gate

Store Street

Manchester

M1 2WD

0300 123 1231

enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

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3.5 Relevant Statutory legislation and Guidance underpinning the delivery of the Adoption

Service

1. The Adoption & Children Act 2002

2. Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005

3. National Minimum Standards for Adoption 2014

4. The Children & Families Act 2014

5. The Care Standards Act 2000

6. The Equality Act 2010