DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
As the Society is this year celebrating its Diamond Jubilee - sixty years of caring for children and families – we are holding a series of celebratory fund-raising events.
The Diamond Anniversary Concert, the Society’s first, is to be held at 7.30 pm on Friday, 13 June 2008 at The Becket School Main Hall, Ruddington Lane, West Bridgford, NG11 7DL. We would be delighted if you could join us at what promises to be a very enjoyable evening.
‘The West Bridgford Singers’ and Dolce Musica’ will provide the entertainment and there will be a slide-show presentation on the work of the Society, highlighting the need for more adoptive families for children in need. Home-made cakes will be on sale and there will also be tombola.
Ticket prices are £6.00 each, including refreshments. Concessions (seniors and children under twelve years of age) £4, and families of four (two adults, two children) are priced at £18. Please contact 0115 955 8811 – payment by cash, cheque or credit card. All proceeds will be used to help the Society to support children and families.
DIAMOND JUBILEE MASS CELEBRATIONS
“IMAGINE – ALL THE CHILDREN”
To celebrate the Society’s enormous ‘milestone’ of sixty years of adoption services to children and families, we are planning events to be held throughout the Diocese.
The Diamond Jubilee Mass will be held at St Barnabas’ Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Malcolm McMahon, OP, at 3.00 pm on Sunday, 18 May 2008, and will be followed by refreshments in the Cathedral Hall. Please do join us on this special occasion – as always, the staff and Trustees very much look forward to seeing you.
Steve Hargrave, Chief Executive of ‘Families Are Best’ said
“During the last sixty years, with your support, the Society has found loving families for over 2,000 children – imagine all the children and families we will be privileged to help during the next sixty years”.
Enquiries from people interested in adoption are always welcome – please call for a confidential discussion on 0115 955 8811, or via email to enquiries@ccsnotts.co.uk.
Nutmeg Retires!
Adoption social worker Judith Foxon retired at the end of September.
Judith has worked for the Society since 1992 preparing and assessing adoptive families, placing children and providing support to the families and the children - often extending over many years. Judith is held in high esteem by her colleagues and the families with whom she has worked.
She is also known nationally as the author of the Nutmeg series of books and Spark Learns to Fly, (aimed at children who have experienced domestic violence), published by BAAF, which are written for use with children by social workers and adoptive parents.
Judith has also designed and delivered training on adoption related topics to Local Authorities and is recognised as being an expert in her field.
As an adoptive parent herself, she is able to use her personal experience to highlight some of the joys and challenges of parenting through adoption.
We will greatly miss her at the Society and wish Judith every good wish for the future. In her retirement Judith plans to spend time studying and writing and plans to keep in touch with adoption and fostering. She will enjoy having more time to spend with friends, gardening and having fun with her grandchildren.
If you wish to send a retirement message to Judith please do email your message to d.triffitt@ccsnotts.co.uk These will be collected together in a book and presented to Judith.
Ratcliffe College
Nursery School and Junior Department Prize Day
Saturday 7th July 2007
It was ‘open house’ for parents in the Nursery School and Junior Department before everyone gathered in the Church for the Prize Day ceremony.
Every pupil took part in the customary review of the school year led by Mrs Rankine and Mrs Rigby.
Mr Graham Pellew, Deputy Chief Executive of the Catholic Children’s Society, Nottingham awarded the prizes and was delighted to receive a donation of £1,500 from the children as a result of fund-raising activities during the term.
Guest of Honour: Mr Graham Pellew with Prize Winners
Headmaster: Mr Peter Farrar, Guest of Honour: Mr Graham Pellew,
Head Girl: Harriet Wheeler, Head Boy: Robert Bourne.
Retiring Director of Catholic Children's Society, Nottingham, Margaret Dight, MBE, Awarded Order of St Sylvester
Saturday, 2nd June 2007
Over 250 people attended a Thanksgiving Mass at St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham, to mark the occasion of Margaret Dight's retirement as Director of the Catholic Children's Society, Nottingham, on Saturday, 2nd June 2007.
Bishop Malcolm McMahon, OP, was the Principal Celebrant of the Mass, which included music provided by the Choir of All Saints' School, Mansfield, and readings from Margaret's colleagues and pupils from the Becket School, Wilford, and from Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire.
Speakers included John Bale, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Society, and Michael Linnett, his predecessor in the role. Both John and Michael paid warm and fulsome tribute to Margaret's commitment to the Society and to adoption services nationwide during her twenty-six years service. Terry Connor, Director of Catholic Children's Society, Arundel & Brighton, Portsmouth & Southwark, spoke about Margaret's contribution on the national and international stage.
The highlight of the day was the presentation to Margaret, by Bishop Malcolm, of the prestigious honour of the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, an award with the special object of rewarding "the laity who are active in the apostolate, in particular in the exercise of their professional duties and masters of the different arts"
At a social gathering afterwards at the Cathedral Hall, Margaret was presented with a music centre and other gifts from Trustees, staff and volunteers of the organisation, past and present, as well as friends and family.
Preparation Is Key
Following consultation with Families Are Best, Adoption Today, published by Adoption UK, ran an article on Preparation Groups in their April 2007 issue.
You can read the full article by clicking here but an extract is set out below:
'Families Are Best first introduced their integrated approach of assessment and preparation in 1993. This was because of the ongoing complexities of children requiring adoption placements, and the need to provide a much more comprehensive and integrated package to ensure that both applicants and the agency could recognise strengths and weaknesses in relation to potential parenting of neglected or abused children.
It also gives social workers a chance to learn about prospective adopters in a variety of settings and to support them through this emotional journey.'
Celebrations for 'Families are Best'
 Nottingham Cathedral was full to capacity when the Catholic Children's Society held its Celebration Mass on Sunday 11th June 2006. The event is the Society's expression of thanks to all the volunteers, staff, schools and others who contribute to its work. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, the Society's President and was attended by supporters from across the diocese and representatives of different Churches and faiths throughout the region. Children from several Catholic schools took an active part, which included providing the musical accompaniment and choir.
During the Mass a presentation was made to Jane Wilford, a longstanding resident of West Bridgford and supporter of the Society who has served as a Trustee, Adoption Panel member and coordinates the work of a dedicated team of volunteers. Jane received the Bene Merenti Papal medal in recognition of her significant contribution to the work of the Society.
'Families are Best' is the Adoption service of the Catholic Children's Society, and actively recruits adoptive parents throughout the East Midlands, preparing them to parent children from Local Authority Care. Margaret Dight, MBE, the Society's Director said, "There are still many children waiting nationally for the chance of a secure and loving family life and the Catholic Children's Society continues to strive to find adoptive families who can bring hope for a better future."
A comprehensive website highlights the work of the Society with children and families and provides detailed information on becoming an adoptive parent. One of the most popular features is the monthly diary prepared by a couple, Claire and Jeremy, outlining their progress within the adoption assessment and preparation process through to 2 children being placed with them. This section of the website received 1700 'hits' during May 2006, demonstrating the huge interest in adoption and in following the progress of Claire and Jeremy's story.
Families are Best works with married couples and single people of any or no religious faith across the whole of the East Midlands. For further information about adoption or the work of the Society please contact us on any of the following:
Telephone: 0115 955 8811
Fax: 0115 955 8822
E mail: enquiries@ccsnotts.co.uk
Post: Families Are Best, 7 Colwick Rd, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 5FR
Families are Best - an excellent Inspection
The report of the Agency's latest 3 yearly Inspection has recently been received from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). It provides a very positive picture of the work of the Agency highlighting the quality of information provided for enquirers, the thoroughness of the preparation and assessment programme for applicants and indicating that assessments are analytical and address safe caring throughout. The staff group are described as "very committed, skilful, knowledgeable and caring" and the Agency is commended for its management, its monitoring processes and its range of specialist advisers.
A summary of the report is detailed below and the full report can also be downloaded in PDF format.
Summary
This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.
This inspection was undertaken by 2 inspectors over a 3-day period. Prior to the inspection fieldwork taking place, a number of supporting documents were submitted to and read by the lead inspector. This included a comprehensive self assessment and policy and procedural information. The adoption panel was observed.
Questionnaires were received from 8 adopters and prospective adopters, 8 placing social workers, 4 placing councils and the legal, medical and education advisers.
During the fieldwork, interviews were conducted with 4 adoptive families, the chair of the adoption panel, the Director, the Deputy Director, the education advisor, the administrative team, the finance and administrative manager, the social work team, the Chair of the Trustees, the recruitment co-ordinator and the adoption support manager. Case files, personnel files and other documents were read.
The inspectors would like to thank the managers and staff for their cooperation and openness during the inspection and the hard work which they put in when organising both the pre-inspection material and the inspection programme.
What the service does well:
The agency impresses as very child focussed at every level, from the Trustees downwards. This has resulted into some very good practices being developed.
From the very start of the process, enquirers are given good information and have an in depth initial interview. The preparation groups are very detailed and thorough and run alongside the home study which is extremely beneficial for the applicants and useful for staff to pick up any issues whilst they are still fresh. Adopters commented that: "the preparation groups were very beneficial" and "really helpful" and "excellent". Placing social workers commented on "very good assessments", "detailed form F" and a placing council said: "adopters from the CCS always seem well prepared". Assessments are analytical and address safe caring throughout.
The assessment review conducted by the manager is very good practice, and serves a variety of purposes. It can help the manager address any issues raised during the assessment and can also enable the applicants raise any issues with the manager.
The post adoption order visit is also very useful and very good practice as a means of clarifying what else needs to be done and picking up any issues.
The adoption panel is very thorough, well organised, the minutes are excellent and applicants are well prepared to attend. The agency decision maker makes the decision very quickly, taking account of all the information, and this is communicated quickly to the applicants.
The agency places a high priority on obtaining information about the birth family and the child and has prepared a useful booklet for local authorities outlining their expectations and the sort of information required. They will pursue this vigorously if the information is not forth coming and may undertake the work themselves to ensure a good outcome for the child. The process of life appreciation days for children is also well established and an excellent way of obtaining first hand information for adopters about the child to be placed with them.
The accessibility of specialist advisers is good and the employment of an experienced, skilled and knowledgeable education adviser has particular benefits in supporting placements. Support from individual social workers is also good and the disruption rate for placements is low.
The case records and personnel files are very well constructed and well maintained. They are in good order, information is easy to find and there is clear evidence of regular monitoring.
The agency excels in its monitoring processes at all levels. The Board of Trustees has developed good systems to ensure the agency is run well. The Director and Manager have also developed good evaluation systems to ensure users of the service are asked their opinions at every stage. They are also keen to act on what they hear and one adopter said: "we do feel that the Catholic Children's Society are open and prepared to listen".
The staff group as a whole are very committed, skilful, knowledgeable and caring and a number of comments were received from adopters and placing social workers which confirms this. One adopter said they had an "experienced and sensitive social worker", another said "we cannot fault them in the slightest". A social worker from a local authority said " they were positive, child centred and a pleasure to work with". A placing council said "we always feel confident that adopters are well prepared, matched and supported when children are in placement".
The management of the agency is good - there is evidence that workers are well supported, have thorough inductions tailored to individual needs, regular supervision and access to relevant training. The administrative support is also excellent and the whole staff group operate as a team to ensure the agency runs well.
What has improved since the last inspection?
This is the first inspection by the CSCI.
What they could do better:
There was very little that this inspection has highlighted that was in need of improvement. The assessments, although analytical, would benefit from addressing competencies. The inspectors had concerns about the practice of exploring links prior to adopters being approved and the Director has said this will now cease. In relation to the child protection allegation, although it is the responsibility of the local authority to investigate, the inspectors felt that this agency should have been more challenging of the local authority in their decision making process.
CHILDREN’S MINISTER VISITS NOTTINGHAM ADOPTION AGENCY
 Margaret
Hodge MBE, Minister for Children, visited ‘Families
Are Best’ Adoption Agency at West Bridgford recently.
Ms Hodge, who was in Nottingham to deliver a keynote speech
to a National Conference, was interested in visiting an Adoption
Agency which has earned a national reputation for providing
adoption services.
Margaret Hodge said “We are overhauling
the outdated Adoption Act 1976 to put the needs of the child
at the centre of the adoption process. ‘Families Are
Best’ are helping us ensure that children who cannot
live with their birth family have the opportunity, through
adoption, to live in and be part of a permanent, loving family.”
Margaret Dight MBE, Director, said, “The
Minister’s visit provided a welcome opportunity to share
this Agency’s considerable experience of placing children
for adoption from Local Authority care and establishing adoption
services of excellence.”
During the visit Ms Hodge met members of
the Agency’s staff, which includes an adoptive parent
who was able to explain how the agency had prepared and supported
her family for the adoption of a group of three children.
‘Families Are Best’ is the adoption
service of Catholic Childrens Society, Nottingham, which has
over fifty years experience in providing adoption services
to children and families. Enquiries from people interested
in adoption are always welcome on 0115 955 8811 or via email
to enquiries@ccsnotts.co.uk |
