BELONGING and security were the buzzwords during a hugely positive inspection of Clacks Council’s adoption service.

The practice, a brand of the council’s Family Connections Team, was visited by the Care Inspectorate between September 23 and October 11.

Inspectors spoke with six people using the service alongside six staff and management workers while also reviewing daily life at the practice.

The adoption service was graded across four key areas – wellbeing, leadership, staff team and care and support planning.

Using a six-point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent, the council’s adoption service received 4 – good across the board with the exception of leadership which picked up a 5 – very good.

Inspectors noted: “Children experienced warm, affectionate and enduring relationships with caregiver families and extended family members that provided them with a sense of belonging and security.

“Care was seen to be individualised, and we saw positive examples of children and young people succeeding in education and leading fulfilling healthy lives.

“Caregivers were aware of the impact of trauma on children’s development and cared for them in a way that was sensitive to their needs.”

The report highlighted “significant improvements” since the last inspection, showcasing a capacity to improve.

Positive feedback was directed towards the service leaders, noting a “clear focus on improvement and developing the vision for service and staff and had been involved in shaping and driving some of this change.”

The service had several outstanding requirements placed on it since the last main inspection, which took place on October 13, 2023.

Among these included improving the quality of support offered to caregiver families, ensure early identification of vulnerabilities, developing a clear strategic vision for the adoption service that adheres to guidance and legislation, promoting positive outcomes for children and adopting a strategic approach to post adoption support services.

These had all been met by the service, with the report noting: “We have seen evidence of work being undertaken to improve and strengthen working relationships with families.

“The service provided evidence of improved identification of the families who may require support within the authority.

“The service now has in place guidance and procedures which reflect the core tasks of the service.

“It now has clear guidance and procedures in place to support families with birth family time and letterbox contact.”

In addition, five area for improvement were also placed on the adoption service at the time of the last inspection.

These looked at ensuring adopters have up-to-date knowledge to support them in their role, improving quality of life story work for children and young people, improving permanence outcomes, ensure transitions for children are well-managed and ensuring that children and caregivers receive appropriate support.

The area looking at knowledge and permanence outcomes had not been met, with the inspectors adding: “The service has improved their training offered to adoptive families, however, there is not yet a dedicated suite of post-approval, pre-placement and post adoption training.

“The service development plan indicates that this will be fully considered as part of the work being undertaken in collaboration with Adoption UK.

“During this inspection, we have not been provided with any evidence which has allowed us to evaluate any progress made in relation to permanence practice.

“Trackers are still in development and therefore we have concluded that the identification of patterns and trends and future learning has not yet been undertaken.”

Councillor Wendy Hamilton, spokesperson for health and social care, said: “As part of the council’s Transformation Programme, we have led a comprehensive programme of change and improvement in the Family Connections Team over recent years.

“The most recent inspection also showed a significant improvement in the adoption service available to adoptive families in Clackmannanshire, evaluated as good and very good across key areas and I am proud that this recognition reflects the hard work of council staff and our strong commitment to Keeping the Promise.

“The Family Connections Team have achieved this positive inspection as a result of continued focus in building a strong and supportive care community, investing in training for staff and carers, and ensuring robust mechanisms in place to manage risk.”

Residents who are interested in fostering and supporting care leavers, or prospective adoptive families can contact the team for further information at fosteradopt@clacks.gov.uk