Behind the Inspection Rating: Motor trade inspires fostering boost

On the face of it, the motor industry and fostering services have little to learn from each other. One is built around ultra-modern automated production lines. The other is all about people, the needs of children and the complexities of human relationships. But insights into how to streamline the car manufacturing process have helped Edinburgh Council’s fostering service gain a “very good” rating from the Care Inspectorate.

The lessons Edinburgh learned from the car business are based on the “Lean methodology”, a process originally developed by Toyota as a way of pruning waste from its factories. “It’s a way of looking at a process and seeing if there are areas for improvement,” explains Scott Dunbar, service manager for looked-after and accommodated children at Edinburgh Council. “It helps you identify what you can do quickly and, also, what may take more time to do but is worth doing. Its origins lie in manufacturing but it’s something that can help you wherever you have a complicated process. By using it, we’ve been able to put together good, solid action plans about things that will improve the service.”

Streamlined service
Edinburgh’s use of the Lean methodology has not turned its fostering service into a robotic production line. Rather, it has enabled the service to streamline aspects of its operations to deliver better results for both the children and foster carers it works with. One example is the appointment of a dedicated fostering panel co-ordinator, whose job is to keep the wheels turning on the city’s 18 fostering panels.

This role, inspectors said, had “proved to be effective in ensuring all fostering panels were well organised, with the relevant paperwork being available in good time for panel members”. “It certainly reduced the amount of waste that we had with the use of panels’ time,” says Dunbar.

The service’s improvements since its last inspection do not just relate to efficiency. One development praised by inspectors was the creation of foster carer support groups that help carers stay in touch once the work preparing them for fostering ends. “People make relationships during their preparation phase and they want to continue those,” says Dunbar. “The support groups give them an opportunity to sound out ideas and be with like-minded individuals who understand their circumstances.”

Edinburgh’s preparation groups for foster carers have also undergone an overhaul. “When we surveyed our applicants we found out that people don’t find it helpful if there’s a big wait for a preparation group,” he says.

The council’s solution was to start organising regular preparation sessions in advance, so that those wishing to foster did not find themselves sitting around waiting for more people to be recruited. “Now we can tell someone when they first apply what group they will go into and they are not left wondering what’s happening,” says Dunbar. “It took quite a bit of effort on behalf of the team but there was a recognition that this was an area we had to improve on so staff were keen to contribute.”


FACT FILE

Name
City of Edinburgh Council Fostering Service

Description
Edinburgh Council’s Fostering Service is part of the city’s Family Based Care Service and oversees foster care services for 0- to 18-year-olds. Staff are located at three separate locations across the city but the council intends to move the team into a single location in the near future.

Number of children At the time of ?the inspection, 601 children aged from birth to 18 were being looked after ?by the service’s 317 foster carers and 82 children were awaiting a foster placement.

Care Inspectorate CS Number
CS2004083255


HELPFUL HINTS

Build a culture of calculated risk taking. “Staff need to be allowed to have their ideas heard and be encouraged to think off-script,” says Scott Dunbar, service manager for looked-after and accommodated children at Edinburgh Council. “Just because something’s always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the best way.”

Be self-aware. “One of the key contributors to our inspection result was that we were not only able to highlight areas where things had improved and where we thought things were going well but we were also very aware of areas that we needed to improve,” says Dunbar. “One area we identified was better participation and engagement. So when it came to the inspection we were already developing a participation and engagement strategy.”

See how other council services can help. “We used to run the preparation groups for foster carers in meeting rooms that we could easily access but weren’t the best training facilities,” says Dunbar. Now, thanks to the council’s education service, sessions take place in a well-equipped training room in a local high school at no cost to the fostering service.