Information for Referring Agencies
After a decade of providing residential and community based services to Children and Young People integrated Care developed its own Fostering service in response to a request from a local Authority with which we had been working closely. Now Integrated Care Fostering offers Children with a variety of needs an equal variety of placements in London and on the South Coast . We see foster homes as the heart of services for Children, whether enabling all manner of change in the short term, or making a warm, safe place to grow at length. Our Carers are all selected for their dedication and commitment to Children and Young People.

Integrated Care is committed to caring for our Carers to ensure that their skills are both developed and rewarded. Equally we support social workers by maintaining a fostering service that can genuinely help with sound local knowledge and imaginative solutions.

Because our fostering services are locally focused and based, this means that our carers and Staff Teams are part of the existing network of services for Children and have an inside out knowledge of what’s available. For Children and Young People this results in a Fostering service that isn’t just child-centred, but centred upon each individual child. Referrers gain the reassurance of our local knowledge and contacts, and our Carers truly feel part of a team.


Our Status:

Integrated Care Fostering Ltd is a private, limited company managed by a Board of Directors, all of whom are experienced in the provision of social care services and fostering in particular. The agency is governed by the three main pieces of relevant legislation: the Children Act 1989, the Care Standards Act 2000, and the Fostering Service Regulations 2002.

The agency is registered, inspected and regulated by Ofsted. All of our activities meet the National Minimum Care Standards and our aim is to exceed them

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Our Team:

At the core of our service are our Carers. Each works professionally with the Children and Young People placed with them in accordance with the care plan prepared by the Local Authority. All Integrated Care Carers are committed, dedicated, have sound parenting skills and provide care and affection in homely surroundings. In particular, they will ensure that the Child’s needs are paramount and they will work in partnership with the Child, their Family or other Carers, the Local Authority and Integrated Care. Each Carer has been approved by Integrated Care’s independent Panel. They will attend meetings and reviews on Children placed with them and participate in the regular supervision offered, and in the training opportunities provided by Integrated Care. They will support the Equal Opportunities policies of Integrated Care in all respects.

Backing up our Carers Integrated Care has teams of Supervising Social Workers who are qualified social workers with particular experience in family placements. They are our front line Social Workers who will liaise directly with the Local Authority and will ensure quality of placement service and delivery. They provide a 24 hour on-call service for all Carers.

Supporting the Carers we have Social Work Resource Officers who are on hand to assist with escorting and engaging in varied activities depending upon the levels of support which particular placements demand.


Our Services:

Integrated Care currently offers Foster placements in two broad areas, each serviced from a regional office. This provides the care Authority with not only choices about the type of environment, but also the convenience of geographical proximity.

From our many years of working with Children and Young People we know that no two are identical! So, because of the vast range of needs and problems confronting the Social Worker, we have striven to provide as diverse a service as possible, giving the Local Authority choices.. We also offer placements for a wide range of age groups, from Babies right through to Young Adults. You can use the links below to find out more about our wide range of services or contact us directly to receive more information.


Time-Limited Placements

Our Carers are supported and trained for a range of agreed projects; enabling Children to return home or to move on to a permanent substitute family; helping Young People towards independence; holding a Child in safety whilst court proceedings, assessments or therapeutic work is carried out.
Whatever the goal, our Carers are clear that these Young People, whose lives have been so disrupted, must be helped as far as they can to continue their education, pursue their usual interests, hold on to friends and, above all, maintain contact with family. In some cases our Carers are able to supervise contact.

Long-term Placements

Some of our Carers are glad to become long-term substitute family for some Children and will commit themselves to caring for such Children until they reach independence. They are able to manage the often difficult and complicated relationships with birth families in a positive way.

Respite Placements

We have specially recruited Carers who can offer regular, intermittent, or one-off respite placements to Children whose families or carers are stressed or simply need a break. Some are especially competent to look after Children with disabilities.


Sibling Groups

A number of our Carers have the experience and the emotional abilities, as well as the physical space, to look after several Children, especially groups of brothers or sisters. This can be helpful in preventing the break-up of sibling groups.


Parent and Child Assessment

Where there are concerns about a parent’s abilities, we have Carers who can teach, monitor and assess at home – a setting that is often more comfortable and natural for the parent than a residential unit. In some cases such a fostering placement can be more revealing. This service is provided in collaboration with the Beacon Lodge Charitable Trust who have over one hundred years of specialised experience of working with Mothers and Babies. Where there are serious child protection concerns, monitoring is closely supervised by a qualified and experienced Integrated Care social worker. Specialist support and respite care are available from the Beacon Lodge Charitable Trust and assessments are based firmly upon the National Framework for Assessment. This service includes complete Assessment and Court Reports and help with ongoing placements, including provision of independent living with outreach support.


Children with Disabilities

We are able to care, usually long term, for Children with a range of medical conditions, learning or mental health difficulties, with experienced Carers supported by good local \resources.


Young People on Remand

Integrated Care has Carers experienced in accompanying Young People through the Court process and who equally understand the Court’s requirements when Young People are remanded to the Local Authority.


Emergencies

Ideally, we would far, far prefer all placements to be planned, with everyone informed, closely matched and nicely introduced. However we are very used to working with the un-ideal and have experienced Carers who are instantly reassuring to distressed Children and parents (and Social Workers!) and who are able to pick up the pieces until more permanent plans are made.


Referral Process:

From the start we can offer you the help of an experienced, qualified social worker who understands the pressures and constraints that local Authorities work with, and who can contribute local knowledge and imagination to make individual plans for highly individual children.

You will continue to have support and feedback throughout the placement and we are always happy to to work with you to reassess plans if need be. Some degree of assessment will routinely be part of your discussions and written reports can be negotiated. Full assessment, however, (using the National Framework for Assessment by a qualified social worker) would not normally be covered by the cost of the placement.


To make a Referral:

1. The social worker or referral co-ordinator rings, faxes or e-mails one of our offices. We will ask for the fullest possible details available and will usually fill in our referral form at our end.

2. Integrated Care will make a preliminary judgement based upon whether we have a Carer who might be an appropriate match , discuss them with the referrer, and, if required fax or e-mail their Form F assessment.

3. At this stage we are likely to ask you for more information about the young person, such as reviews or other reports. This will be kept confidential and not passed in written form to a Carer unless the referrer has agreed or the placement is definite. Integrated Care is extremely careful to match with as much chance of success as possible. If we no not feel that we can offer a good match we will say so and will not accept your referral.

4. Once the referrer has indicated a definite interest in a particular Carer we will talk to them about the Young Person if we have not already done so. If all parties (Referrer, carer and Integrated Care) are all agreed we would then proceed to arrange planned introductions and to set up a Placement Meeting prior to commencement of any actual placement.

5. Integrated Care will forward a copy of their Placement Contract once the placement has commenced. Obviously this contract will be specific to this particular placement only and Integrated Care will not automatically undertake to provide another placement should the first subsequently break down. Of course we will do our best to help, especially in any emergency.


Our Fees:

Naturally our fees will vary considerably depending upon the type of placement required and the level of service needed to meet the requirements of the care plan. However we are confident that our fees are extremely competitive and invariably lower than other comparable providers. Please talk to us and we will be happy to quote for you.

Fees for all placements cover the following:
  • Visits to the placement at least monthly when settled (more frequently if new or unsettled), plus telephone contact.
  • Out of hours support for the Carer at all times.
  • Up to twenty day respite care for Children per year.
  • Holiday, Birthday, and Christmas allowances for Children.
  • Pocket money and replacement of clothing (except for school uniforms and expenses).
  • Travel costs except for courts, contact and reviews.
  • Support for Carers and Children from experienced Support Workers in emergencies or as a regular commitment as agreed.
  • Regular feedback to the local Authority and attendance at all placement meetings and reviews.

Fees for all Sole Placements also cover the following:

Intensive support

  • Regular written reports and risk assessments
Fees for all Mother and Baby Placements also cover the following:
  • Monitoring
  • Access to consultation from the Beacon Lodge Trust
  • Parenting skills training and preparation for independence
  • Liaison with local Authority social worker and contributions to any parenting assessment
Fees for Placements do not include the following:
  • Parent and Child full risk assessment
  • Court Reports
  • Specific therapeutic inputs for the Young Person
  • Any special equipment or procedures to assist Children with disabilities.
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