information for
local authorities

about alpha plus

Alpha Plus Fostering was originally established in May 2000. We offer local authorities a quality childcare service through the provision of family placements, which reflect the wide range of needs of looked-after children. As an agency, we are strongly committed to child-centred policies and practice and employ a holistic approach to childcare. All our services comply with statutory requirements.

Two directors, both of whom have extensive children’s services management in the statutory sector, manage the agency. See Directors Profiles for further details.

In order to ensure the needs of children can be met, we have recruited and carefully selected a professional team of foster carers and dedicated staff, including qualified social work and teaching personnel. Additionally we have access to specialist therapeutic services if these are required.

Our carers are provided with 24-hour professional support, on-going training and supervision, as well as a level of financial remuneration reflecting the full cost of bringing up a foster child within a family. In return, they provide excellent physical and emotional care to children in a safe and supportive environment. This includes being able to offer the child or young person a bedroom of his or her own unless sharing with siblings. Carers are recruited from all parts of the community and bring a wide variety of life experiences to the fostering task. All carers are assessed, approved and trained in accordance with BAAF Guidelines and the National Code of Practice on Foster Carers.

The agency is registered with Ofsted, Service Number SC069335, in accordance with the Care Standards Act 2000. We are members of BAAF and the Fostering Network (formerly the National Foster Care Association), as well as being accredited by the North West Regional Consortium of local authorities.

our aims, objectives & principles

The primary aims and objectives of the agency are:

• To provide a high quality service for looked after children and young people of all ages whose needs have been assessed by the responsible local authority as being best met by placement with foster carers.
• To ensure children and young people are only placed with carers who have been recruited, assessed, approved and reviewed in accordance with statutory regulation and national standards and guidance.
• To support, supervise and provide on-going training to carers so that they are able to provide a comprehensive service that addresses the physical, emotional, educational and health needs of the children and young people placed with them.
• To promote positively the concept of fostering.
• To bring together carers who will support, educate and inform each other and who will work in partnership with all relevant professionals and families involved in the child’s life.

In seeking to achieve these objectives, the agency’s work is underpinned by:

• The belief that fostering is a positive service to children and families;
• A commitment to child-centred policies and practices;
• The need to employ a holistic approach to childcare;
• Respect for the role of carers as partners in a professional team;
• The need to support partnership and co-operative working between all those involved in working with the child and the child’s family.

All our standards of care comply with UK National Standards for Foster Care. These are detailed in the Appendix below. More details about the agency are given in the Statement of Purpose. If you would like to see a copy, please contact us so we can arrange this.

Alpha Plus recruits both new and experienced carers but does not solicit applications from foster carers already registered with another service provider and will not be party to the disruption of existing placements. Therefore, if we are approached by a carer already working with another agency or local authority, we will always seek to reach agreement with all concerned about the continuing management of the placement and transfer of the carer. Alpha Plus will not assess a carer until they have given written notice of their resignation and we are sure that any child in placement is moving in a planned and positive way.

the panel

All assessments, approvals and subsequent reviews of carers undertaken by the agency are submitted to an independent Panel for consideration. The Panel makes recommendations as to whether or not approval should be awarded, rejected, continued or terminated, as appropriate. Its primary responsibility is always to act in the best interest of the child. The Panel also has a role in monitoring the agency’s work and implementing good practice.

Panel members include professionally qualified and experienced people from social work and education as well as the agency’s medical and legal advisors and individuals with direct experience of foster care. Further details on the composition and workings of the Panel are available on request.

services to carers

Before beginning the formal assessment, all prospective carers receive a brochure explaining what is involved in the fostering task, what will be expected of them and information about the assessment, approval and review process. We then arrange a home visit to discuss the process in the more detail. A copy of the written information provided to carers is available on request.

Our carers are assessed and approved, in line with statutory regulations. The agency makes every effort to ensure the appraisal process is consistently and fairly applied. Carers are kept fully informed and treated with consideration throughout the process.

Once approved, our carers are visited on at least a monthly basis and given formal supervision every six weeks. Reviews of approval are undertaken and checks updated according to statutory requirements.

Comprehensive training programmes are available for all the agency’s carers, based on their identified needs. Stage 1 is the Fostering Network preparatory course “The Skills to Foster”. Stage 2 is for new carers and covers basic fostering issues, including for example, managing difficult behaviour, education issues and working together. Stage 3 is for experienced carers and covers a wider range and more complex issues such as drug awareness, race, culture and religion. Training is organised either internally or through external training providers. Stage 4 is for carers who have been working with the agency for two years and have completed the first three stages of training. This stage comprises NVQ Level 3 “Caring for Children and Young People” and is provided in partnership with City College, Manchester. Our carers are encouraged to support each other both through formal training and an informal peer structure. In addition the Agency runs groups for long and short term carers which both meet twice a year. These groups provide carers with the opportunity to consider issues specific to their fostering role as well as sharing experiences and peer support.

The agency provides a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week telephone support line which is staffed by experienced Social Workers. In our experience this is one of the most valuable components of the service. Carers particularly appreciate having access at all times to a member of staff who knows them and their personal circumstances as well as the child in placement.

During the year, we also organise social events/outings for carers, their children and children in placement.

services to children

The Agency Social Worker meets every three months with the child on their own to ensure the placement is meeting the child’s needs and they are aware of how to get their own views heard. In addition we seek children’s views on a regular basis both through consultation and the completion of leaflets for their foster carer’s review.

the foster care agreement

Each carer signs a Foster Carer Agreement with the agency. This sets out the terms of their relationship with Alpha Plus, including any conditions attached to approval; mechanisms for reviewing and, if necessary, terminating approval; appeal mechanisms and complaints; clarification on the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in placing a child; circumstances about which the agency must be notified; the agency’s expectations and the services foster carers can in turn expect to receive from the agency. A copy is available on request.

making a placement

At Alpha Plus we believe that children, their families, carers, the agency and local authorities are vital components in the placement process, with each partner having an important role to perform.

We will discuss any request for a placement with the local authority having statutory responsibility for the child or young person. Referrals will be processed in accordance with the authority’s procedure for agreeing placements.

We accept referrals for both planned and emergency placements and can offer choices to authorities requiring placements for sibling groups or children with complex backgrounds. Accordingly the agency has recruited carers who are able to offer a flexible service and will only offer carers who have been properly assessed and approved, in accordance with statutory requirements.

The agency requires the responsible authority, in all cases, to provide sufficient and relevant information to enable the matching process to begin and allow an informed choice to be made. In return, we can provide relevant information (including Form F’s) to the responsible authority, and will liase with them in order to identify a carer able to meet the needs of the child or children concerned, having regard to the terms of approval and the current circumstances of the carer(s). It is this matching process, together with the support offered by the agency, which we believe gives the best chance of a successful outcome for all concerned.

At the point of placement or the first planning meeting, we expect the local authority to have provided us with full information about the child, including copies of appropriate LAC documents and, where available, the child’s Personal and/or Individual Education Plan. We also expect to be kept informed of any subsequent changes in the child’s status or circumstances. This information will be shared as appropriate with the carer so they are able to look after the child(ren) and meet their needs in the most effective way.

Essential information should also be confirmed in the individual Foster Placement Agreement, which the agency would expect to contribute towards when it is drawn up prior to the placement being made. The agency would also expect to attend all subsequent meetings concerning any child placed through the agency and will provide reports for such meetings.

services to local authorities

The agency aims to assist Local Authorities as far as possible and be flexible in response to requests made to meet the needs of a child. Access to a range of other services are included in the standard fee, which enable responsible authorities to extend their options and meet the needs of a child requiring placement. These include:

• Access to the agency’s education support service. This can be used to support individual children requiring additional help in school or who have been or are in danger of being excluded from mainstream education. Our Education staff liase and work with the carer, the responsible authority, LEA and school, to achieve educational entitlement and social inclusion for the child, in accordance with their Education Plans.
• Assistance with transport to facilitate contact or to maintain a child in a school placement.
• The use of the agency’s documents, including a pre placement agreement setting out the basic contractual terms and conditions ahead of any placement being made; a Foster Placement Agreement for when a placement is agreed; a Personal Education Plan, including children’s feedback.

The agency has access to a qualified psychologist who will, with the agreement of the placing authority, offer individual support to children in placement or advice to their carers. The additional cost of this is subject to negotiation if the service is required.

fees

Agency fees. The agency’s policy is to charge a standard fee wherever possible. However, if the child’s needs or circumstances are such that a standard fee would be neither appropriate nor reasonable, an amended fee reflecting the additional level of service required will be negotiated. This may be on a one-off, on-going or time-limited basis, as appropriate. Full details of our standard charges, including fee variations and services that may incur additional costs are available in our current fee schedule - a copy is available on request.

Carers’ fees. The financial remuneration we offer our carers reflects the demands of the fostering task and quality of service carers are expected to offer. Out of their fee, carers are expected to meet the following routine cost of looking after a child:

• food, school meals, meals out;
• clothing replacement;
• pocket money, entertainment and reasonable day-to-day travel;
• routine school/leisure activities or trips;
• birthday and Christmas arrangements;
• reasonable expenses associated with maintaining contact with the child’s family.
• routine and non-residential school or leisure trips

The fee also includes the pro rata cost of up to 2 weeks annual respite care. The agency will provide a respite carer for the child based on their needs and the carer’s skills and will plan the respite to ensure the child’s security and stability is maintained.

It does not include the cost of:

• initial clothing and school uniform;
• residential school trips taken during school time;
• major holidays;
• exceptional expenses associated with contact;
• other exceptional or major expenses.

These remain the responsibility of the responsible local authority.

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• Please note that for any other particularly costly residential trips i.e. leisure activities or non-educational school trips taken out of school time (e.g. Skiing or other trips abroad) there will need to be individual discussions about financial responsibility. The expectation remains that children should have every opportunity to enjoy these activities and trips of this kind are not seen as an alternative to an annual holiday with foster carers. It is hoped that, wherever possible, foster carers will provide a holiday each year for children placed with them.

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insurance

The Alpha Plus insurance package is fully comprehensive and covers all the agency’s activities and legal obligations. It is based on Fostering Network standards and covers both carers and the agency, as follows:

• Personal and Public Liabilities (indemnity limit £5 million);
• Employer’s Liability Insurance (indemnity limit of £10 million).
• Professional Indemnity (indemnity limit £5 million);
• Foster Carer’s Public Liability, All Risks and Malicious Damage insurance whilst a child is in placement, excluding damage to motor vehicles and property already insured (limit £100,000 for one occurrence).

The Foster Carer’s insurance is provided by AXA Insurance UK plc. Premiums are paid by the agency although carers are required to have their own household contents insurance and are advised about the information they need pass on to their insurers about their carer role. However, the agency will meet any excess on the individual carer’s household contents policy in the event of a claim arising from the child’s circumstances, needs or actions except where it is agreed otherwise.

policies

The agency’s policies and documentation on the following are available on request.

• Equal opportunities
• Safe caring
• Representation and complaints
• Confidentiality
• Record keeping
• Health and safety
• Recruitment and selection (carers and staff)
• Supervision
• Disclosure of abuse to foster carers
• Allegations of abuse by foster carers
• Restraint and discipline
• Unauthorised absences
• Finance
• Training
• Retention of files
• Whistle Blowing
• Child Protection
• Anti Bullying
• Other policies relating to both the Agency and care of children are also available

directors' profiles

Mary Groarke was a Child Care Manager in a large, urban local authority from 1985 to 1998. During this time she had responsibility for fieldwork services, residential, and family placement services, as well as associated budgetary responsibilities. In addition to her degree and professional qualification, Mary has a Diploma in Management.

Mary was instrumental in developing a comprehensive After Care Service following the implementation of the Children Act 1989 and was also involved both nationally and locally in developing standards for the contracting of residential care.

Mary left the local authority in 1998 to help set up an independent fostering agency as she felt that the needs of some looked after children could be better provided for in the independent sector. In 2000, she left the independent agency she had helped establish to set up Alpha Plus.

Chris Jackson joined Alpha Plus after almost 25 years service with the same local authority and a year helping to establish another independent agency. His academic qualifications include a Science Degree from Newcastle University and Certificate of Qualification in Social Work from Manchester University.

From 1989, and after 14 years of direct social work practice - largely with children and families, Chris managed a team offering frontline social work services to children over 11 years of age. He has considerable experience of child protection and youth justice work as well as an understanding of the needs of looked after children. He also had management responsibility for residential units for a number of years and a voluntary role in the management of an independent organisation providing emergency accommodation to older adolescents.

As co-founders of Alpha Plus, Mary and Chris believe strongly that the additional support and training and enhanced financial remuneration available to Alpha Plus carers contribute to the achievement of more stable and successful foster placements for looked after children and young people.

enquiries & contacting us

Enquiries about any of the services offered by Alpha Plus can be made by:

• Telephone: 0161 684 2323 (Mobile: 07968 865011)
• Fax: 0161 684 2324
• E-mail: info@alphaplusfostering.co.uk

Or by writing to:

Alpha Plus Fostering
Hollinwood Business Centre
Albert Mill,
Albert Street
Oldham, OL8 3QL

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appendix

standards of care

The agency is committed to the delivery of a service meeting the standards of care detailed below, which are compatible with statutory and regulatory requirements and the UK National Standards for Foster Care and Foster Services Regulations.

In pursuit of its stated aims and objectives the agency will employ policies, practices, procedures and ways of working, which seek at all times:

• To ensure the provision of high quality care to children and young people in a safe, healthy and nurturing family setting.
• To meet the individual child’s particular needs and promote their best interests, in accordance with the care plan.
• To protect the child from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and deprivation.
• To meet the individual child’s particular needs and promote their best interests, in accordance with the care plan.
• To value diversity and promote equality, by recognising the importance of a child’s ethnic origin, religion, cultural and linguistic background.
• To develop the child’s sense of identity and self-worth.
• To consider fully a child’s gender, sexuality and any disability they may have.
• To promote the child’s health and well being, including their physical, mental and emotional welfare.
• To promote educational achievement and attainment.
• To promote and support agreed contact with the child’s family and friends, in accordance with the care plan.
• To prepare the child for adult life through the development of relevant life skills and acquisition of the knowledge necessary to achieve this.
• To seek the opinions of children, their families and carers so that they can inform the planning and delivery of the agency’s services.
• To recruit individuals and families from all parts of the community and with different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, who can bring a variety of life experiences to the fostering task, thereby enabling the agency to offer local authorities a range of placements, reflecting the wide range of children’s needs.
• To achieve consistently high standards when recruiting and assessing carers.
• To have a properly constituted and independent Panel to consider assessments and make recommendations to the agency regarding the award, review, rejection or termination of approvals.
• To ensure consistency and continuity in the supervision, support and information carers receive.
• To provide properly resourced training that enables carers to develop their skills and knowledge so as to better meet the needs of children placed with them.
• To offer placements that carefully match the particular needs of the child to the carer’s skills, experiences and circumstances so as to minimise the occurrence of inappropriate placements and the attendant risk of placement breakdown and poor outcomes for children.
• To provide compensatory support to placements where necessary.
• To be a responsible and competent employer.
• To ensure the agency is organisationally sound and properly structured.
• To have procedures in place to control and supervise the agency’s activities
• To have arrangements in place to control and supervise the agency’s finances, which are based on sound financial principles and recognised good practice.
• To organise and manage the agency’s resources effectively to ensure the best possible service delivery and the safety of children.
• To recruit and employ an adequate number of appropriately experienced and qualified staff, who are able meet the needs of carers and children placed with them.
• To organise, manage and supervise agency staff so as to ensure their accountability and provide them with effective support.
• To maintain the skill and knowledge base of agency staff, managers and panel members by providing effective training and staff development programmes.
• To be a responsible and competent employer.
• To monitor and review agency policies, procedures and practice on a regular basis.
• To implement administrative procedures and practices so that management and staff are able to carry out their duties in an efficient and effective manner.
• To maintain secure, separate and accurate records for children, carers and staff and ensure access to such records, in line with legislation.