Polaris Community Annual Quality Report 2022

Polaris Quality Report 2022

Jo August - CEO

I am delighted that we have our first Polaris community annual quality report for 2022. I am incredibly proud of our achievements throughout the year, as we all should be. In particular that the Community achieved 100% Good or Outstanding in all of our inspected services.

We have always been clear that we have high ambition for our children and young people, as well as ourselves, so it’s great this has been recognised by our regulators. It certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the continued commitment and dedication of all of our staff, foster & adoptive parents and that everybody remains passionate about delivering the very best care and education to every child and young person we are privileged to be able to offer one of our services to.

Obviously, we will continue to strive to be even better and remain completely committed to providing the very best outcomes for our children and young people as possible. We pride ourselves on being a learning community and we will continue to work at being the very best we can be.

The report is a summary of some of the fantastic work that happened in 2022, it’s not an exhaustive overview as it would be impossible to recognise all the inspirational things that happened in 2022 within our community. You will also find some information regarding our 2023 community development and innovation strategy.

Enjoy the report.

Jonathan Clark - CFO

I am very proud that the quality of service we provide is always at the forefront of our strategy, decisionmaking and that children and young people remain at the centre of our purpose. I am delighted that through the hard work and dedication of our foster parents and staff our vision is realised through providing exceptional care and celebrating the many achievements of our young people.

The focus on quality of services and young person achievement runs through every agency and person who is part of our Community. I particularly enjoy attending the many activities we run such as The Big Sing Off, and experiencing the incredible work of our foster parents and staff, and how they support our young people to achieve positive outcomes.

Us About

We are Polaris, one of the UK’s largest leading communities of children’s service providers. At Polaris, we have a key ambition across our Community – to transform the future of children and children’s services.

Our experiences through childhood shape our whole lives and the people we become. It is every child’s right to be supported by a sense of safety and security, a nurturing environment, and compassionate care – whether this is in the home, the Community or in their education. Our services, led by an established and diverse team of professionals, provide children with exceptional care throughout the fostering, adoption, therapy and education sectors. We are dedicated to creating new beginnings and inspiring brighter futures for the children and young people we support. We want to inspire and support our children and young people so they can shape a future for themselves, full of choice and opportunity.

To achieve our ambition, we want to revolutionise the sector and ensure all children have an equal chance in life. Collectively, we offer children and young people a vital sense of belonging, safety and self-worth; allowing them to enjoy today, whilst preparing them for success in later life.

Our Vision

Best place to work for our foster parents and staff

Develop through innovation

Best outcomes for children and young people in our care

Continue to lead the sector in terms of quality

1350 staff were part of the Polaris Community We had 101 Individual Services

The total number of children and young people and adults in placements across all services was

19 agencies were part of the Polaris Community

3640 We welcomed

2 new agencies

97.68% of children and young people receiving a service are in Education, Employment or Training (in comparison with the national average of 91.83%)

307 New foster parents were assessed and approved

The last few years have been very different and no-one anticipated the challenges Covid-19 would bring. It made us change the way we lived and worked but our dedicated workforce remained committed throughout lockdowns to ensure we continued to provide our children and young people with high quality care. In 2022, one of our young people from Clifford House won a writing competition with this poem which captures well how people were feeling at the time.

Life after Covid

“First started off exciting, Getting to stay of school, Covid conquered everything, Not knowing much of it at all, Staying inside getting up late, That I know now it was many peoples fate.

Maybe I thought of it easy, Maybe I took it as fine, That was my mistake for thinking that way, To wish I could go back in time.

Days are passing quickly, Boris changing the law, Please covid go away, I don’t want to live like this anymore.

Days are passing quickly, Almost two years to be exact, Life is getting better if that, This time it will be different, I swear, These cold trapped days are too much to bear!”

For many people in the community, 2022 was the year where we returned to some sort of ‘normality’ – this meant meeting up again, taking part in fun activities and celebrating!

Some members of the central quality team met up in Bromsgrove to reflect on the previous year and celebrate their achievements

The return of face to face PRICE training

Staff volunteers from the Big Sing Off

32 young people and 9 adults went along to FCA Cymru’s Bounce

Below session

Orange Grove Staffordshire enjoying a well-deserved wellbeing workshop

ISP Annual Fun Day 2022

Our Social Values

The Polaris Community has a combined commitment to measure and maximise our social values. We have adopted a working definition for social values as ‘the impact that we make and the financial and non-financial value assigned to that impact’. We achieve social values every day through the delivery of our core services by improving children’s lives.

Our current social values pledges set our commitment to be a “values driven” organisation and to provide a focus for us year on year to increase our social values. This may include opportunities we offer staff, foster parents, adopters and our young people but also how we work with suppliers, and create job and training opportunities or our impact on the environment.

1. Leadership

We pledge to make values and ethics central to our decision making processes both within our community and how we influence our wider sector.

How we will do it

To achieve and sustain independent accreditations to drive improvements.

To imbed social values across the Polaris Community.

3. Diversity

We pledge to challenge perceptions and stereotypes, building stronger, diverse and inclusive communities.

How we will do it

Implement a diversity calendar to mark and celebrate different events.

To raise awareness and promote inclusion of all protected characteristics across the community through a dedicated team of Diversity Champions.

To continually seek ways to improve our business and service delivery processes to remove barriers to inclusion.

2. Wellbeing

We pledge to support individuals to understand and improve their emotional and physical wellbeing.

How we will do it

Provide the relevant support and training to ensure the best emotional and physical outcomes for staff, foster parents, adopters and young people in our care. Ensure that we provide a safe and healthy working environment.

4. Personal Development

We pledge to support people across the Polaris community to achieve more through education, employment and training opportunities.

How we will do it

Offer apprenticeships and work experience opportunities to young people. Support staff, foster parents and adopters within their personal and professional development. Ensure that the young people within our care have the opportunity to remain in education, employment or training beyond the age of 16.

5. Environment

We pledge to encourage everybody across the Polaris Community to think about how they can make positive changes to protect the environment.

How we will do it

Encourage environmental events and initiatives throughout the Polaris community. To continually seek ways to improve our business and service delivery processes to protect the environment.

6. Economy

We pledge to contribute the communities that we work in and are committed to making social values and integral part of our procurement processes across our community.

How we will do it

To continually seek ways to improve our procurement processes to include social values at every part of our procurement cycle.

To encourage charitable events and activities throughout the Polaris community.

Everything we do is underpinned by our community ethos. We want to inspire and support our children and young people so they can shape a future for themselves full of choice and opportunity

Voice of the child

Children are at the heart of Polaris. Therefore, every effort is made to ensure that the voices of all the children and young people who we provide a service to are listened to.

In 2020, our new name Polaris was launched. The children and young people within our community were pivotal in choosing our name evidencing that children really are at the centre of Polaris.

We have a huge team of dedicated workers across all our services who work tirelessly to make sure that children have a voice and are listened to. Through their innovative work, children are able to have fun, be heard and shape the services that care for them.

Across Polaris, there is diversity across our services about how we capture the voice of our children. Some examples include; ensuring access to advocates, making sure that children are able to, and do, contribute to their reviews and risk assessments and that they are able to provide feedback on the service and support they receive. Children can often be found on our recruitment panels too!

Many of our services, use a ‘You said, We did’ format to clearly evidence to children and young people how their opinions have shaped the service they are receiving care from.

For example:

You Said We Did

You Said We Did

A young person said they would like there to be help with creating CVs and finding jobs

50% of young people said they do not read the young person’s newsletter. Some of your reasons for this was because it is only electronic.

We have created a CV workshop where young people can be supported in making a great CV

We started printing the newsletter. It is posted out to all young people’s address every month so everyone has access to it.

As a community we have pledged to consider the impact that language has on children and young people and pledge to challenge each other and ourselves when we may use words that describe children and young people in negative or stereotypical ways. In 2022, we launched Language That Cares. This ensures that in our conversations and the way we write documents, we are mindful of SPEAKING and understanding the lived experience of individuality of the child/ young person.

Headway Hear by Rights

To further improve the way young people at Headway are listened to Headway ‘Hear by Rights’ was created. This is a regular meeting where young people from across the homes come together with staff members and work as a team to share their thoughts and opinions as well as influencing decisions that are made.

At ISP School Battle, thrice-daily community meetings take place to make sure key information is shared with all children. Pupils often enjoy the responsibility of chairing these communal gatherings themselves. Older pupils see this as a part of their own contribution to building a community where expectations are high and successes are celebrated.

ISP Battle have recently been awarded the Investing in Children Award which gives the school national recognition for actively including children and young people in dialogue that results in change. This

process involved external practitioners talking with the children, hearing directly from them about how they have a voice and how they contribute to changes in the school.

As a community, it is important for us to also recognise and listen to the voices of birth children.

That’s why, in October 2022, we celebrated Children

Who Foster Appreciation month. This is an annual campaign to celebrate the vital contribution the children of foster parents make to foster care.

We recognise and reward children and young people for the important role they play in their home, making children in care feel happier, welcome, safer and more loved. During this month, we took the opportunity to share some of the stories of birth children across Polaris to ensure that their voices are also heard.

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Our Fostering & Adoption Services

John Platt Managing Director – ACS, FCA & FP

“I feel really privileged to be managing director of Active Care Solutions, Foster Care Associates and Fostering People. These agencies have their own unique approach but each one has a focus on quality and support for our foster parents who in turn provide loving stable homes for children. I’m delighted to say that all externally inspected agencies are judged by their regulator to be good or outstanding (or equivalent in Scotland and Wales). In Northern Ireland there is no formal external regulator but we ensure quality with inspection by our own Polaris Quality Assurance Team. In contrast to the Fostering Network report that record numbers of foster carers are considering leaving the profession our agencies have really good stability levels for both staff and foster parents which in turn provides the environment for our children to be able to develop and thrive.

But it’s not all about inspections, we have fun too – from summer events to our very own “The Big Sing Off”- the first one since the pandemic. Choirs from all over the country converged on Peterborough – each one made up of young and old singing together with this year’s theme of peace and love. It was one of my highlights of the year. You’ll see it featured here. Enjoy!”

Active Care Solutions

(ACS) is a cultural and faith based foster care agency run by a team of dedicated people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Their goal is simple – to give every child they care for the best start in life by placing them with foster parents who can provide a caring home, as well as meeting their individual cultural and religious needs. Every child deserves to grow up in a loving, nurturing family home –somewhere they can feel valued and have their own identity. That’s why ACS is the only independent fostering agency providing bespoke cultural and faith-based foster placements.

100%

of Foster Parents would recommend ACS

100%

of Foster Parents feel that they can always contact the Social Worker or regional team

100%

of Foster Parents feel supported by ACS

“The management and staff makes the agency the best in the field”

“ACS is more than a fostering agency it’s a ready-made family”

Consisting of 12 registrations covering all 4 nations, FCA is one of the largest and most experienced independent fostering agencies in the country.

Foster Care Associates (FCA) has been helping people become extraordinary foster parents throughout the UK since 1994. In the year of 2022, the following Ofsted inspections took place highlighting the high quality work FCA undertake:

At the end of 2022, FCA were caring for

1698 children

FCA Thames Valley – Outstanding. “Parent and child placements are an exceptional strength of the agency. The support is creative and practical. Foster carers are fully committed, going above and beyond to support parents to care for their young children. Parents told the inspector that they are now motivated and ambitious about their life. The faultless quality of care from foster carers has taught parents the meaning of family life and parenthood”

FCA North East – Good. “Children receive good-quality care and they are well matched with their foster families. The agency works well with a number of professionals and agencies to support foster families to provide consistent care and support to children. Feedback from professionals about the agency is complimentary”

FCA Eastern – Good. “Some children are placed with their brothers and sisters. If this is not possible, the agency sensitively supports foster families to provide children’s time with their families and significant people. This helps to ensure children retain birth family connections”

FCA North West – Good. “Children feel safe with their foster carers. Carers have been strong advocates for challenging bullying when this has occurred. Foster carers allow children to take age appropriate risks in the community and at home, including accessing the internet. One child shared how they feel able to ‘make mistakes and be given more chances”

In 2022, FCA Scotland celebrated their 20th Anniversary. On Saturday 15th October, staff and foster families came together to celebrate 20 outstanding years of dedication and commitment to making a lasting difference to their children and young people. Pictured here at the celebrations is the Registered Manager, Amanda Lindsay.

Fostering People is a highly accredited community based fostering agency with Fostering People England receiving a rating of ‘Outstanding’ in their last 3 consecutive Ofsted inspections.

In 2022, Fostering People Scotland were inspected by the Care Inspectorate and received the rating ‘very good’. The inspection report notes “Children and young people experienced warm, compassionate care from caregivers who were dedicated to ensuring that they were safe, valued, and respected within their family and community.”

At the end of 2022, Fostering People were caring for 511 children

Fostering People first opened its doors in 2000 and has been proving therapeutic and outstanding support ever since. Local networks are created that build confidence and resilience of foster parents and the young people they look after.

Caz, a foster carer from Yorkshire has been fostering with Fostering People for 10 years. One of the first children she fostered was 12-year-old Britney, who lived with Caz until she was 17. Now an adult with a young family of her own, Britney accompanied Caz on a recent visit to London to share their heart-warming experience of fostering from the perspective of a foster parent, but also from the viewpoint of a young person who grew up in care.

They talk with Kate, (Towie star and wife of footballer Rio Ferdinand) about their early days of living together and the challenges, to their incredibly close relationship today.

You can hear the interview in full ‘The Rewarding Reality of Fostering with Caz and Britney’, on Kate’s podcast Blended, which is a celebration of blended families everywhere.

“We as a family feel so lucky that we have the constant support of our Social Worker”

“Always someone there to support and listen”

“Support is ALWAYS available”

The Big Sing Off is the biggest and most prestigious event in the calendar for FCA, FCAS, ACS and Fostering People. It aims to be an unforgettable experience as we bring together choirs made up of our children, young people, foster parents and staff for a day of entertainment through music and song. After two years of not being able to hold The Big Sing Off, it returned on Saturday 8th October with the theme of ‘Love and Peace’ (chosen by FCA Eastern). Congratulations to the winners Rainbow Rockers from Fostering People who won singing Top of the World with a Candle for Peace (Carpenters/Shelley Murley).

“I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation And the only explanation I can find Is the love that I’ve found, ever since you’ve been around Your love’s put me at the top of the world”

Tracy Livesey Managing Director

I am proud to be able to say I am the Managing Director of the following Fostering Agencies within the Polaris Community: Clifford House Fostering, Fosterplus England, Fosterplus Scotland, ISP and Orange Grove plus the Adoption Agency - Adopters for Adoption.

The majority of the Registrations within the Agencies have experienced inspection during 2022 -2023 and we have achieved some incredible results which I know were well deserved and testament to the dedication of our foster parents, adopters and staff team – placing children at the centre of all we do.

In addition, all of the Registrations have held celebratory events for children and foster parents and one such event is the ISP Fun Day. This occurs annually and the clue is in the title - families and staff gather together from across ISP to celebrate and have fun.

This year also saw a revitalisation of the therapeutic pathway for staff and foster parents in ISP, where we have built upon our existing therapeutic model. Orange Grove have been instrumental in the creation of a trauma informed practice workshop which will be used across the community to help social workers to continue to provide high quality support to families. Clifford House Fostering are introducing the Solihull Model of Trauma Informed Practice and Fosterplus have held trauma informed practice sessions. Furthermore, Registrations have embraced students, apprenticeships, management training and involvement in research. This reflects a thirst for knowledge and further development.

Established over 35 years ago, ISP were the UKs first independent fostering agency and pioneers of therapeutic foster care. ISP have 12 fostering centres across England, all rated as “Outstanding” or “Good”

Working with children and young people with complex needs, ISP surround families with a highly trained professional team as well as in-house therapeutic fostering services, to ensure they’re fully supported at every step.

In 2022, ISP Teynham received an Outstanding Ofsted judgement with it being said that “Children benefit from living with foster carers who are empowered by the agency to provide traumainformed, attuned and loving care to children. As a result, the children experience care that helps them to heal and build on their resilience for future success.”

At the end of 2022, ISP were caring for

401 children

In 2022, ISP celebrated their 35th birthday. Teams got together to mark this milestone for ISP

Orange Grove are focused on building relationships that encourage foster parents and young people to grow and develop – individually and together.

At Orange Grove Foster Care, the aim is to tailor foster care services to every foster parent, ensuring that whenever they need support it’s always on hand, helping them do the right thing for the children and young people they look after. Orange Grove has been providing quality foster care to thousands of children for over 20 years.

In 2022, the following inspections took place:

Orange Grove North West – Outstanding. “Children experience an excellent quality of warm and nurturing care that enables them to settle quickly and establish healthy routines. Some children have spent a major part of their lives with the same foster carers. This enables children to enjoy stable relationships that significantly enhance their life chances”

Orange Grove StaffordshireGood. “The agency has excellent support available to carers, through dedicated supervising social workers and family support workers. Carers and children are offered wraparound support when needed”

Orange Grove North West celebrating their Ofsted

Clifford House are dedicated to changing the lives of children separated from their birth families in the West Midlands. As a fostering agency with 25 years’ experience, Clifford House are well placed to make positive differences to the foster children in their care. One of the most important things is creating a strong sense of family in everything they do.

Clifford House are small enough to known their families and children well and have a friendly and professional team who provide foster parents with the training and support needed to make a real difference.

At the end of 2022, Clifford House were caring for

48 children

In 2022, Clifford House were rated Good by Ofsted. “Children’s behaviour is managed well, with guidance and support from supervising social workers. Carers respond to children’s complex behaviours well. This is because supervising social workers encourage them to reflect on their responses to children. Supervising social workers and foster carers can work with advice and guidance from the in-house therapist. This joined-up approach ensures that children are actively safeguarded”

Fosterplus was founded in 1996, giving them over 25 years’ continuous experience as an independent fostering agency. Fosterplus train and support foster parents across England and Scotland, in order to provide safe and loving homes for vulnerable children. Every one of their offices is rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted, which reflects their dedication in providing positive outcomes to children and families.

In 2022, Fosterplus Long Eaton were rated Good by Ofsted. “Children’s cultural needs are identified and considered at the beginning, when deciding which family a child may wish to live with. One child was able to live with an Eritrean family that could speak the child’s language and share cultural practices.

At the end of 2022, Fosterplus were caring for

88 children

At the end of 2022, Fosterplus Scotland were caring for 129 children

Adopters for Adoption works hard to try to retain its place within the adoption sector as an agency that is known for its open-minded recruitment of a diverse range of adopters and the placement of older children and sibling groups. They try to ‘rule in’ rather than ‘rule out’ prospective adopters at an early stage and to avoid making assumptions about prospective adopters without getting to know more about them first.

As the name suggests, people who had experience of the process and are successful adopters were involved in defining their values and developing the service. Additionally as part of a wider, longstanding children’s services’ community Polaris, Adopters for Adoption continues to draw upon the wider and collective years of experience in fostering and family support to ensure that children can enjoy a stable loving family. To this end, Adopters For Adoption are committed to making the experience as positive and timely as it can for prospective adopters, without compromising on the quality of assessments in order to provide secure and loving families for children who require adoption.

At

“Claire really has been the best support through our adoption process, she has put us at such ease whilst giving us all of the information we need, never making us feel overwhelmed or bombarded with information. We are so thankful we have her as a social worker. She has been an incremental part of our learning about adoptive children but also birth families, and we are just really thankful for all of her support and help.”

At the end of 2022, 41 children placed in 2022

“I have really appreciated you checking in today, and acknowledging my responses. I have felt like I’ve had someone in my corner. Thank you so much.”

the end of 2022, 55 approved families are actively family finding

Equality and Diversity

Polaris is fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion across our entire community. We pledge to challenge perceptions and stereotypes and recognise that together we can build stronger, diverse and inclusive communities.

In June 2022, ‘Polaris People’ was launched. The aim of Polaris People is to be a voice for minority groups and their allies within the Polaris Community, and advocate for social justice. Creating a safe space where everyone feels accepted, enabling people to be their true, authentic selves. There are currently 21 Diversity Champions across the Community who champion diversity within their business area.

“Children know how to make a complaint. One child has been supported by the agency to make a formal complaint in relation to discrimination. The child received a response detailing how their views had challenged the way professionals thought and how they reacted to individual children. This shows how diversity and culture are respected throughout the whole organisation”

At Polaris, every employee has to complete mandatory Equality and Diversity training within the first few months of their employment. In addition, we have several other courses on offer that come under the Equality and Diversity category, including:

2022 was an exciting year for Polaris, with the launch of Polaris People and the celebration of Polaris Pride Month in June, and Black History Month in October.

FCA Thames Valley. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted 2022 Gender

Differences or Hate?

Think about British history, discrimination And hatred of crimes, Why, Why, Why do it?

Differences and imagery is ok, No matter what you’re told to be and do, Disabilities, colours and more, Miles of human identity and imagery, We are who we are and what we want to be.

Never ever, I’m telling you, never give in or up to opportunities, If you pretend to be someone you’re not around your friends, Then they aren’t your friends. Never give up.

2022

In 2022, one of our young people Ktleigh won the iAchieve Inspirational Student Award after completing a two-year vocational course in Equality and Diversity, equivalent to two Grade B GCSE’s, alongside her other GCSE subjects. Well done Ktleigh! You are an inspiration to so many young people and you deserve to have a light shone on your commitment, enthusiasm and kindness!

SL’s entry to the National Photography Competition

J & JB from FCA Cymru’s entry to the National Photography Competition

- A poem written by a young person in ISP. This poem was selected to be included in a book showcasing young adult’s work

Our Residential Services

We are looking forward to welcoming Max Turner as our new Managing Director for our residential services in 2023

Area Camden are a leading inner London provider of care and accommodation for children and young people with a range of complex needs and emotional and behavioural difficulties. They enable young people to develop their life skills whilst living in a safe, nurturing environment as close to a family home as possible. From tackling self-esteem to formulating a suitable care plan, Area Camden work with all their young people closely to help them achieve their goals, putting them at the centre of every decision that we make.

At the end of 2022, Area Camden were caring for 16 children across their homes

There have been 5 inspections for the Area Camden group in 2022:

Area Camden. Good - “Children’s risk assessments are detailed. The staff team has a good overview of children’s decreasing or developing risks. This helps keep staff practice dynamic and specific to each child”

Area Haringey. Outstanding - “Children are happy, loved and flourishing. They know that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. Their progress is testimony to the perseverance and dedication of the staff team.” Children have left the home in a positive way, having turned their lives around. Their life chances are improved and they have better relationships with their family. One wrote to staff saying, ‘I would never have got to where I have without yous [sic].”

Area Islington. Good - “Children are now settled. They are thriving, and have built positive relationships with the staff team”

Area Camden 33. Good – “Children receive good-quality care that makes them feel valued and secure. They develop meaningful relationships with staff, who they feel they can talk to about important things in their lives. As a result, children are settled and enjoy positive experiences with those caring for them.”

Area Camden CPR. Good - “Children receive encouragement and empathy from staff to help them make progress in all aspects of their lives. Staff help children to set their own goals and achieve them”

Since 2007, North Lakes has helped boys to live safely, happily and facilitate opportunities to thrive.

North Lakes provides clear and proven routes onwards to foster care, at home or with the wider family and opportunities for long term stability for those facing the most complex challenges.

North Lakes seeks to improve, learn and look forwards – the same values we have for all the children.

In 2022 there was 1 inspection that took place at North Lakes Settings: Warwick House. Good – “The physical environment is maintained to a high standard and meets the needs of the children; it feels and looks like a family home for children. Children have the opportunity to share their views, wishes and feelings and have an input into decisions about their lives.”

Bay View Childcare believe all young people who are deemed to be challenging will be able to work towards achieving better outcomes if they are provided with a comfortable and caring environment. Their purpose is to provide a therapeutic & nurturing environment that enables the young people in their care to experience happier times and work towards a brighter more prosperous future. Bay View have 5 children’s homes in total.

In 2022 there were 2 inspections that took place in Bay View settings: East Gate Lodge. Good - “Children and their families speak highly of the home and staff. One child said, ‘This home is definitely a YAY!’ and a grandparent described how their grandchild had grown in confidence and appeared happier since he moved to the home”

Glenfied. Good - “Consultation and communication with children are excellent. Children are routinely asked for their views and opinions, which are used to improve the quality of care provided. Children’s meetings are well planned and provide children with relevant and valuable information, using visual aids and media. Consequently, children feel involved in their care and want to contribute”

At the end of 2022, Bay View Childcare were caring for

17 children across their homes

At the end of 2022, North Lakes were caring for 14 children across their homes

Apple Orchard specialise in working with adolescent males who have complex needs associated with sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Apple Orchard aims to help young people develop insight into their experiences in order for them to move on from their often damaged traumatic past. Children are supported as they take steps to make sense of their lives by providing clear and safe boundaries and achievable goals.

In 2022, 3 inspections took place in Apple Orchard settings:

Bramley. Good - “The process which is followed when children move into the home is thorough and thoughtful. Children usually come to the home for an assessment week before their placement is confirmed. During this time, the impact of the child moving into the home on the children already living there is assessed by observations of children individually and as part of the group. As a result, children are well matched and staff have a good understanding of their individual needs in the context of living in the home.”

Orchard House. Good -“The registered manager speaks with pride when he describes the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. He works closely with other professionals, which promotes children’s safety and well-being, and supports them to make positive changes in all aspects of their lives.”

Orchard House School. Good - “Leaders believe in every young person who attends Apple Orchard. They seek to transform pupils through setting them on a pathway of opportunity. It is about providing pupils with a high-quality education, especially because most pupils have missed a significant amount of schooling.”

At the end of 2022, Apple Orchard were caring for

23 children across their homes

Headway Adolescent Resources

Limited was formed in 1999 and has established a good reputation in the residential adolescent childcare sector. Building on this reputation, Headway has grown significantly over the past two years and plans to continue this expansion for the foreseeable future.

Headway prides themselves on having the insight and ability to care for young people as individuals in a holistic manner, regardless of their background, culture, religion or ability.

At the end of 2022, Headway were caring for 21 children across their homes

There have been 5 inspections in Headway services in 2022: Burwell. Good – Awaiting inspection report. Cardiff Road. Care Inspectorate Wales – no rating. “Care staff communicate with young people in a warm,relaxed manner and take time to listen and seek their views.”

Hudds Vale. Good - “The home is staffed by a stable and consistent team. Some of the staff have worked in the home for eight or more years. Staff told the inspector that they enjoy working here. They feel proud of the children’s achievements and enjoy watching them progress. Staff said that they feel confident that everyone in the team would ‘go the extra mile’ for the children.”

Lake Farm. Good - “The staff work well with children’s families. One parent spoke of the progress their child had made in the short time they have lived in the home. This has meant that the time they are able to spend with their child has been of greater quality, and the staff have been available for support where necessary.”

West End Cottages. Good - “Children are thoughtfully welcomed into this home. Leaders and managers ensure that children have the opportunity to visit before they move in. They prepare children’s rooms for their arrival, including providing a gift box with personalised essentials.”

Dove Adolescent Services was established in 1993 with a clear focus on providing young people with high quality residential care. They are committed to improving the lives of the young people they care for by providing bespoke packages of care to suit individual needs.

There have been 6 inspections in Dove Adolescent Services in 2022:

High View. Outstanding – “The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.”

Denby House. Good – “Children have friends who are encouraged to spend time at the home. Children spend time with their family and maintain relationships. Staff support children to have family time even when face-to-face time is not possible. This has helped one child to re-establish relationships with people who they have not seen for a long time.”

Dove House. Good – “The children receive a high standard of nurturing care from staff who understand their individual risks and vulnerabilities. The staff’s proactive response has helped to reduce the risk of harm to the children. One social worker said, ‘The staff have done amazing work to bring the child to a place of safety.’”

Ivory Villas. Good – “Children are encouraged to aim high. Staff are ambitious for the children and treat them with unconditional positive regard. Consequently, children feel valued, are settled and happy living at the home.”

Jasmine House. Good. – “The child has made progress in their education from their starting point. This is because staff and education professionals understand the child’s needs and the barriers to their education. This collaborative approach has helped to reduce the likelihood of the child becoming excluded from education. This positive approach has helped the child to set goals for their future education and/or potential career choices”

Southgate. Good – “Children moving on from the home are well prepared in advance of any move. Staff understand the plans for children and advocate for child-focused transitions. Children are provided with a record of the memories and achievements from their time living at the home.”

At

19 children across their homes

the end of 2022, Dove Adolescent Services were caring for

Preparation for Adulthood and Our Leaving Care Service (LCS)

As a community, we recognise that turning 18 can be a challenging time for anyone especially for care experienced children. As a result, we make sure that all children cared for across Polaris are well prepared for independence and that support doesn’t stop at the age of 18.

Leaving Care Solutions (LCS) has been part of the Polaris community since 2018. It provides semi-independent accommodation and support for young people leaving care, with a range of shared houses and flats with support workers.

LCS offers flexible, bespoke packages of support for young people from well trained, and professionally supervised, support workers.

Ofsted are currently preparing to commence regulating supported accommodation. We support this movement and are proud to say that LCS is currently part of this pilot further evidencing our commitment to offering safe, high quality care for those that leave care.

Some of the ways we prepare and support children for independence and adulthood across Polaris include:

Work Experience

Advocacy support

CV Workshops

Cooking lessons

In 2022, there were 79 children on Staying Put arrangements

‘Leaving Care Ready’ scheme

Workshops on finance/ money

Support with job applications

Due to the commitment and nurture of our dedicated foster parents, many children in our fostering homes remain past 18 on staying put arrangements.

Within FCA, there is a Preparing for Independence Booklet that is given to young people 15+ for them to work through on their own or with the help of their foster parent, to increase their independence skills and prepare them for independent living. The booklet includes information and tasks on topics such as:

• Managing Money

• Household Tasks

• Food Hygiene

• Looking after yourself

• Personal Hygiene

• Internet Safety

• Moving Home

• Useful Contacts

FCA care leaver William was fostered from the age of 11, through to his late teens. Named 2019 Rock Star Entrepreneur of the Year, William is incredibly inspirational and speaks very openly and positively about his time in care with FCA. In recent months he has become interested in competing in F100 motorsport and FCA have agreed to sponsor his upcoming racing season.

“I have found that the key is to talk about whatever is bothering you no matter how upsetting or angry it will make you feel because no matter what, talking will always make things a little more bearable.”

One of our young people from Fosterplus Scotland, Tyler was recently given the opportunity to take part in an intense cadet programme with Scottish Fire and Rescue in Darvel, North Ayrshire.

This is something Tyler is considering as a vocation and he jumped at the opportunity. The course delivers training in first aid, team work, building confidence, using the equipment and following command.

Tyler’s leaders were very impressed with his achievements and have assured him they will provide him with a glowing reference as he makes his way in the world.

It is definitely is a big part of his CV now!

Artwork placed in the kitchen of a Bay View Childcare home.

Our Education Services

Within the Polaris Community we have six SEN schools across the UK who work together to provide each pupil with a tailored, diverse and appropriate education in a safe, supportive environment that promotes engagement, inspires learning and encourages achievement.

ISP Schools

ISP schools strive to help each and every single one of their pupils and young people to reach their potential in a safe and supportive learning environment.

The schools offer a safe, calm and nurturing learning environment. Their holistic, therapeutic approach promotes positive relationships, self-discipline, self-esteem and resilience, enabling pupils to make excellent progress in line with their learning needs and individual starting points. ISP schools are attachment and trauma-informed and work sensitively to enable pupils to feel safe, included within the school community, and attend regularly.

ISP Battle opened in 2021 and provides specialist education for 7-16 year olds with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH), communication and interaction, cognition and learning needs.

“This is a new school with high aspirations and a fast-developing ethos of nurture and respect. Pupils are playing their own important part as routines become established and traditions are built. Thrice-daily community meetings ensure that important key information is shared between staff and pupils alike. Pupils often enjoy the responsibility of chairing these communal gatherings themselves. Older pupils see this as part of their own contribution to building a community where expectations are high and successes are celebrated”

ISP Battle

ISP Battle provided an education to

17 children in 2022

ISP Teynham

ISP Teynham is situated on a tranquil farm and provides specialist education for 7-16 year olds with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH), communication and interaction, cognition and learning needs.

ISP Teynham’s last inspection in 2021 rated the school Good in all areas.

ISP Whitstable

ISP Whitstable (also known as Polar re-start centre) is a multiple resource centre designed to support a range of young people whose primary need is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Opening in September 2022, this is the most recent of our ISP schools to open.

The school offers a safe and nurturing environment which enables pupils to achieve their potential. During the time the young person attends the centre, they complete a learning to learn programme which fully equips them in their transition, where appropriate, to their next educational provision. The centre only accommodates 12 young people at a time and in 2022 has provide a specialised and individualised education to 4 young people. The school was rated Good by Ofsted in 2022.

ISP Teynham provided an education to

63 children in 2022

“Leaders have rapidly adapted the school’s curriculum offer to ensure that alongside the ‘Learning to Learn’ course, pupils also receive an education in English, mathematics, personal, social and health education and physical education. There are clear and well-sequenced curriculums in place for these subjects. All pupils are currently taught by the school’s lead teacher, who carefully adapts the learning for each individual pupil”

North Lakes- Kirby Moor

Kirby Moor School has two sites where children aged 7-18 are educated. Pupils are supported by individual programmes and planning. There is comprehensive assessment and tracking system so pupils are taught at a level which leads them to thrive. North Lakes believes education is about developing the whole person. Planning engaging activities helps pupils develop knowledge and skills, resulting in self-confident pupils ready for more independent futures. We are strongly focussed on Careers related learning to help develop skills and aspirations for future life goals.

North Lakes- Herdley Bank

Herdley Bank site is a specialist annex to Kirby Moor School. The focus is educating pupils whose social, emotional and learning needs require a high level of nurturing approach. This dedicated learning environment aims to stimulate each pupil’s readiness to learn and make social, emotional and academic progress through incremental steps. The pupils enjoy a highly nurturing and rural environment.

The focus of teaching is on encouraging pupils to be ready to learn. Creative approaches are taken to engage pupils by utilising diverse resources and learning spaces (inside and out); this enables teaching staff to match learning objectives with individual abilities and meet each pupil’s emotional and educational needs. Building up personal resilience levels in pupils underpins our teaching methods. The children at Herdley Bank benefit hugely from positive encouragement.

64

children in 2022

Kirby Moor provided an education to

Easthorpe School is based in Nottingham and is the newest school addition forPolaris, opening in October2022. Easthorpe School provides specialist education for7-18yearoldswith social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH). Easthorpe Schoolwelcomed its first pupils in 2022 and in 2022 provided an education to 3young people.We all believe this school is a valuable addition to the Polaris community.

Apple Orchard School is a very important part of Apple Orchard and complements the work done by the care and therapy staff in the residential homes. The Head teacher leads the experienced team of teachers and part-time educationalists. Between them they offer a wide range of subjects which covers all of a modified National Curriculum. Small classes, high staff to student ratios and supervision levels allow the students to feel

£706.22 for various charities including, Help for Ukraine, Cancer Research and Brain Tumor Research

• GCSE Maths 100% achieved at grades 1 to 5 (22% grade 4 and above)

GCSE Results – 2022

• GCSE English Language 89% achieved at grades 2 to 3

• GCSE English Literature 80% achieved at grades 2 to 4

• GCSE Combined Science 100% achieved at grades 2:1 to 5:5 (57% grade 4 and above)

• All Year 11’s achieved at least 5 GCSE’s, with most achieving 6

• PE, Art, History and Geography all had a pass rate of 100%

• 100% ofYear 11 have gone onto FE colleges (supported) or an apprenticeship

In 2022 students at Apple Orchard raised

Nick McPartlan Executive Head of Polaris Children’s Services

For Polaris Children’s Services (PCS) the year started in recovery from Covid, as all local authorities recovering from the pandemic, commissioners were unable to create or tender for new work. However, PCS was still able to see growth and development and was successful in re-winning emotional, health and well-being contracts in Essex, Cheshire West and Chester as well as the extension to contracts in Knowsley and Wirral. We also saw growth in British Forces Social Work Services Overseas with contract amendments in Gibraltar, British Islands Overseas Territory and Nepal. As the year came to a close, commissioning behaviour appeared to change, new contracts and tenders became available and PCS was successful in winning another Sendiass service in Richmond & Kingston which we are due to mobilise in 2023.

I am proud to be part of Polaris, where quality is paramount. Despite PCS not being a regulated service and having that external validation of quality, I know PCS strives to hold themselves by these standards. I’m proud to continue to report indicators of quality through the use of distance measured tools, meeting and exceeding key performance indicators and feedback from our commissioners, parents and carers and most importantly children and young people in receipt of our services.

2022 has been very rewarding with a number of indicators of quality and success, two of my particular highlights being the continued preferred provider of choice for the Ministry of Defence and therefore the ongoing success of the British Forces Social Worker Services and secondly, Turning the Tide North Somerset Social Impact Bond which continues to demonstrate very successful outcomes for children, young people and families. The social impact bond which is independently evaluated has been able to demonstrate cash avoidance/savings of over £9m to date to North Somerset Council.

I feel privileged to be part of Polaris and look forward to this report showing the impact and outcomes for children and young people right across the community.

our services...

In 2014, Polaris Children’s Services began working in partnership with the Family Fund to carry out eligibility assessments. We have recruited and trained staff to carry out assessments of families who have applied for a grant and provide signposting to services that can support the family, as well as ensuring a rigorous quality assurance process for all reports prior to submission.

99.8%

Hampshire SENDIASS is an impartial Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) that aims to make a positive and lasting difference for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) and their parents and carers. We do this by providing timely confidential, impartial information, advice and support through our online resources, at events and workshops, via our helpline service and through individual casework.

North Somerset – Turning the tide’s aim is to reduce the need for children and young people to be looked after, by either working with families to keep children safely at home, or by keeping care placements short and reuniting children and young people with their families as soon as possible. The service uses a strength based intensive multi modal intervention over a 12 or 18 week period which involves delivering practical support to the heart of the family in their own home.

1777

117 children supported via STARS

“We have had some great results in terms of step downs, placement stability and children returning home from being in care. Some foster carers would not agree to take certain children if they didn’t have the support of STARS.”

- Professional

STARS is an innovative evidence-informed service that supports children and young people in local authority care and on the edge of care to achieve better outcomes, covering the local authority areas of Nottinghamshire, Derby City and Nottingham City. The service aims to achieve stable placements for children and young people whether stepping down from residential care to fostering, or remaining at home with their primary carers where it is safe to do so. .

South Gloucs Harmful Sexual Behaviour Service assesses children and young people in South Gloucestershire from 12 up to the age of 18, and if appropriate, offer a therapeutic intervention programme which will consist of a tailor made plan to address the concerning behaviour, offer advice and support to family members, carers and support networks.

“The service bridged and repaired my relationship with my son. I am now equipped with the coaching to deal with any behaviour problems, should they arise”

- Parent

Family Fund assessments complete

of disabled children felt their visiting workers had listened

Cafcass SPIP and WTFC (SPIP in Wales) plays a vital part in supporting separated parents and families with the planning for their child when there is a disagreement relating to contact issues.

SPIP was a 4 hour programme run during the day, evening or at the weekend to fit around family life. Those attending could either be referred by the court or self-refer if they choose to take a proactive approach to explore ways that may support them through the difficulties associated with being part of a separated family.

“Karen delivered the presentation very well. She made me feel safe and comfortable to communicate and engage in difficult discussions”

- Parent

2644

Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) THOR began on 1st June 2022. This replaced other CWAC contracts as well as some add on’s and became a “Super” contract. This service provides therapy and therapeutic outreach work, as well as therapeutic parenting to children and young people across the continuum of care, their parents and carers. This is a consultation based service that supports those within CWAC and within a 40-50 mile radius of the border. The 2023 aim is to hire associate therapists to cover the rest of the country.

“It was so lovely to see a team working together FOR the YP, instead of writing him off, because we all have such lovely things to say about a child who is otherwise described as problematic.”

- Social Worker

On average

63% of children improved in the area of “feelings and behaviour” on their My Star assessment

A total of

616 sessions were delivered to CYP and their families

Progressions (the name chosen by young people) is a service which delivers support to 16-25 year olds who are closing to CAMHS and who do not meet the criteria for CAMHS. The service is to support the transition from CAMHS, enabling the YP to access additional services that are available as well as support the YP with building their resilience, supporting with anxiety and low mood.

Parent engaged in SPIP online programme

“Thank

Wirral Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Knowsley Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Both our Emotional Health and Wellbeing contracts provide therapy and therapeutic outreach work to children and young people in Care and Care Leavers. We also support the professional network around the child or young person, including their foster parent/s. This can be one to one interventions, training sessions, consultations, attending meetings and providing therapeutic oversight. The staff deliver this work transiently and meet the individual where they are at, including locations that feel safest for them!

777 sessions were delivered to CYP and their families

58 new referrals received in 2022

100% of families received therapy within 6 weeks

you so much for your support in today’s care planning meeting, I could never have spoken up without you, you have given me confidence to say what needs to be said.”

- Foster Carer

““I can talk openly about things and you don’t judge, which I love”

- Young Person

British Forces Social Work Service is for the whole service community including serving military personnel, their families, and civilian staff that work with them. Our Social Work footprint will be wherever there are British military and associated civilian personnel and their families in Germany, Europe, Canada, Kenya, Belize, United States of America, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Gibraltar, Singapore, Falkland’s and British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). In 2022, this grew to include a provision in Nepal.

“‘Thank you for your support throughout this case there has been a noticeable change in the family circumstances and has had a great impact.”

- Teacher

In BFSWS Overseas, there were

referrals

STARS children and young people being very brave at a recent participation day at Mill Adventures, Mansfield. As well as being lots of fun, children can share feedback on the service and develop relationships with peers and their families.

Around 3 years ago, Hampshire SENDIASS met with students at Andover College to talk about how SENDIASS could best support them. We also used the session to invite students to apply to volunteer with us, to act as a voice for their peers and co-deliver the college sessions going forward, that’s how we met Phoebe Curtis. Fast forward 3 years and Phoebe has successfully:

• Helped to design and conduct research into what the SENDIASS offer should include for young people,

• Co-delivered a suite of SENDIASS sessions in Andover College and been involved in designing the SENDIASS Young Person’s offer for other colleges in Hampshire,

• Co-chaired the SENDIASS steering group for almost 3yrs. In addition she’s completed her college education and her supported internship and has secured a permanent job in a nursing home.

We know that her experiences working with Hampshire SENDIASS have helped Phoebe to develop skills and experience for the workplace but really we’re the lucky ones! Phoebe is fabulous at holding us to account and reminding us that young people want different things to parents. She brings energy and resilience to our meetings and projects that we couldn’t do without!

Below is a letter written by one of our children aged 12 who received intensive support from the STARS programme, ‘fostering stability’. They wrote this letter to express how much they have grown in their new foster placement with the support of STARS.

The Story of Mr Tree

Once upon a time, there was this tree called ‘Tree’, otherwise known as ‘Mr Tree’. So then, he became a walking human tree. How did ‘Mr Tree’ become a human tree? Someone splashed him with a magic potion. It made him feel happy because it gave him a chance to have a life, explore the world and find out where he came from.

So one day, he met all the people who weren’t trees. Then they started having a chat but the people were a little bit frightened. So then the people got used to him and they lived happily ever after.

THE END

Things Mr Tree did to make people get used to him:-

1. Talked nicely to each other – about how they met, what they thought about each other.

2. Eat together – sticks for the tree, wooden bacon, wooden sausages, wooden chocolate, wooden crisps, sitting outside together.

3. Play together – football, basketball, badminton.

He was pleased to get on with the people, so that they could eat together, play together, talk together and help each other. They would need each other and help each other.

He doesn’t know much about the world yet. He’s only just found out about the world and he doesn’t know very much yet.

He doesn’t know how to be afraid. But he’s learning. They can teach him about football, badminton and basketball.

The people can teach him about his feelings, like:

• Sad

• Happiness

• Funniness

• Loveliness

• Emotions

• Anger

• Frightful

• Hurtful

• Hurtless

• Lonely

• Excited

• Safe

• Suprised

The difference between being a tree and being a human = happy, suprised

Investing in People

Nicola Thomas Director of Quality and Learning

In 2022 the Polaris Community invested in the growth and enhancement of the learning and development team. We introduced a new refreshed Learning & Development strategy and offer for our leadership team, staff and foster parents.

We wanted to provide a more consistent approach across the whole community and a broader range of relevant training and development opportunities for all of our staff and foster parents. The new offer includes:

• The launch of a revised and consistent mandatory training pathway for foster parents

• A new mandatory training pathway for residential care staff

• A revitalised and more diverse complementary training offer for all

• An accredited Leadership Development programme and a wider complementary offer tailored to leaders

• A new learning and development offer for social work/care and non-social work/care staff

• A refreshed ASYE offer with more opportunities for practice educators to complete the training

• A more consistent trauma-informed behaviour support approach (PRICE) across the community

• A trauma-informed practice workshop for our supervising social workers to enhance the quality of support provided to families

• A renewed focus on our commitment to provide accredited learning opportunities such as degrees and apprenticeships for existing staff.

• A refresh and further development of our Learnative platform

We are committed to investing in people and providing a broad range of development opportunities. I am very proud of the progress we made in 2022 which included devising a wide range of new courses. Delivery and Implementation has already begun and we will be really excited to evaluate the output more fully in 2023 and build on this further to achieve our aim of offering a market-leading learning pathway for all.

4,946 virtual/face to face courses completed in 2022

14 new training courses developed

In order to deliver world class services and support our vision of making a positive and lasting difference for children and young people’s lives Polaris Community is committed to the continuous improvement, of its flexible, highly skilled and competent workforce.

We offer continuous training and development opportunities to the people in our team. We can only achieve what we do because of the passion, talent and knowledge of our people.

Apprenticeships

As part of our social values pledge, we made a commitment to be a ‘values driven’ organisation and an employer who values apprenticeships and facilitates learning and employment opportunities for our young people and care leavers across the UK.

“Apprentices bring a vibrancy to our community, and through hard work, many have progressed to senior positions. IT is fantastic to witness their personal and professional progression and celebrate their successes. Creating opportunities and enabling individuals to thrive and further their careers Is something we should all be proud to be part of”

- Jonathon Clark, CFO

As a proud Apprenticeship employer, we offer a supportive and nurturing environment where everyone’s ideas and contributions are valued and respected.

We are also proud to offer a wide range of apprenticeships to support existing colleagues with the next steps of their careers enabling them to progress within the business.

Real life example: After starting his apprenticeship in 2015, 8 years later Oliver Martin ACIPP is now our Payroll manager.

Payroll Apprentice 2015 - 2016

Payroll Assistant 2016 - 2018

Payroll Officer 2018 - 2020

69 apprentices enrolled

In 2022, we had 12 people completed on apprenticeships compared to 2 in 2021. That’s a

Between JanuaryDecember 2022, 500% increase

Senior Payroll Officer 2020 - 2021

Team Leader 2021 - 2022

Payroll Manager 2022 - present day

Social Work Degree Apprenticeships

Polaris offers employees the chance to complete a Social Work Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with the Open University. The Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship is a practice-

based learning programme that combines theory and practice-based learning and development, delivered flexibly around the demands of your existing job.

Real life example: Alison Taylor is one of our Social Work Degree Apprentices. Alison is a Recruitment and Enquiry Officer at Fostering People in Nottingham and began her Social Work Degree Apprenticeship course in January 2021 with Polaris. Alison attends Nottingham Trent University one day per week and enjoys studying alongside her fellow students where she has built good friendships and they share study tips and reflect on current practice.

“Fostering People have supported me from the beginning with regular supervision and mentoring as well as identifying learning opportunities within the SW team to help meet my Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours and PCF’s”

Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)

The Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) is a 12-month, employer led and employment-based programme of support and assessment for newly qualified social workers.

At Polaris, we pledge that everyone who completes their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) with us receives a quality offer that includes peer support

groups, protected time, limited caseloads and well-being support. Many of our successful ASYEs go on to permanent employment within the Polaris Community.

“It was very positive having the support off the agency as an ASYE student and knowing that you could always talk to someone if needed.”

Real life example: After completing her final placement with FCA, Katie Edgar was offered a Supervising Social Worker role. Within 3 years, Katie had worked her way up to Fostering Service Manager.

Changing Direction

ASYE with FCA 2018 - 2019

Supervising Social Worker

June 2019 - April 2021

Senior Supervising Social Worker

April 2021 - November 2021

Fostering Services Manager

November 2021 - Current

Real life example: Nicola Bradley has recently celebrated 22 years working for Polaris. She started her career at Polaris as a panel administrator / minute taker for one of our fostering agencies.

Nicola took up her current role, Quality Assurance Lead for Residential in December 2021, after being a member of the Quality Assurance team for 9 years and holding various operational roles in fostering for 12 years prior to that.

“Over the years I’ve been afforded many opportunities to gain new skills and develop my professional practice. This has always been coupled with highly effective support and mentoring from my managers and leaders. I am so proud to be part of our community.”

- ASYE Graduate 2022

At Polaris, we recognise that some staff members may want to change career direction but stay within our community. It is vital for us to keep our incredibly talented individuals within our community and many of our staff members have taken up various roles over the years as a result.

In 2022,

Leadership Programme

2022 saw the launch of our ILM and City and Guilds accredited Polaris Leadership Programme as part of the Polaris Leadership Academy.

Following a successful pilot programme which ran from April – June a further two programmes were ran in September – November to meet the demand of this new and exciting programme for managers.

45 managers and aspiring managers completed the programme

Experienced, new and aspiring leaders were taken through a motivating programme and covered topics such as:

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The content was interesting and relevant. It was great to meet people from other parts of the community.”

The sessions have been great and easily applicable to work, with useful tools.

“The training was very, very good. I learnt a great deal to share with my team. All was relevant to me as a manager. Everybody in the team was amazing. I really enjoyed the course”

Leading through change (project management) HR Policies & Practice

As part of the programme we have invested in providing every attendee with a personalised report using the DISC Personality system. This provides a universal language of behaviour. The acronym DISC stands for the four personality styles represented by the letters: D (Dominant, Driver), I (Influencing, Inspiring), S (Steady, Stable), and C (Correct, Conscientious). Knowledge of the DISC System empowers you to understand yourself, family members, co-workers, and friends, in a profound way. Understanding behavioural styles helps you become a better communicator, minimize or prevent conflicts, appreciate the differences in others and positively influence those around you. A mixture of experienced, new and aspiring managers participating in the Leadership programme in our Bromsgrove office.

“It think it was a great way to understand your own personality type and how you many need to adapt this when dealing with different members of your team. It’s definitely something I am more aware of and differ my style with each member of my team”

“I have had such a great experience on this training course and it is probably the best course I have been on to date. I think one of the best things for me was that the course not only taught me new knowledge but made me self-reflect on things I do well and things I can do better. For example, one of the first activities we did on listening skills really got me thinking and allowed me to recognise it was an area that I could improve on.

I think having the different speakers and sessions worked really well and there is nothing I can think off that I would add. It was a really good opportunity to meet other people that I wouldn’t necessarily come across otherwise. In terms of the cohort, I know the majority of participants were already managers however I think the sessions are invaluable for aspiring leaders and managers. I think moving forwards, it should be considered to include more participants who are not already managers. I really liked the opening messages from senior managers across the company - it is really good to hear their stories and how they started out with the company”

- Aspiring Manager – Cohort 1

Staff Recognition

Working at Polaris is more than a career – it’s achieving extraordinary things every day. We like to show our thanks to our staff members and foster parents every day and therefore we have a dedicated rewards, recognition and communications platform the Exchange.

We know that appreciated staff are happy staff and that is why we strive to recognise the brilliant work undertaken by our teams across the Community. We aim to make this recognition visible and meaningful. On the Exchange, there is the facility to send and receive eCards to recognise staff members.

Total number of recognition moments in 2022:

1441

People sent and received recognition moments via an eCard

Staff Appreciation Day

On Tuesday 29th November 2022, the Polaris community celebrated Staff Appreciation Day. This is an annual celebration and is a chance to remind every single staff member how valued and appreciated they are and what a difference they make to children and young people’s lives every day.

Pictured below are some of the celebrations that took place in Bay View Residential homes.

Foster Parent Appreciation Day

On Friday 14th October 2022 we celebrated Foster Parent Appreciation Day. This is an annual celebration to say thank you to all our valuable and dedicated foster parents who help build a successful future for our children and young people.

As shown in the photos, FCA Cymru celebrated Foster Parent Appreciation Day by holding an event where certificates, flowers and vouchers were given out.

“Since I’ve settled in at [redacted] I have felt happier, calmer and more at home. She always comforts and supports me and makes it known how much she cares about me”

- Young Person- Orange Grove Staffordshire

External awards

It’s not just the Polaris community that recognises the amazing and talented workforce we have.

In 2022, several of our staff members and teams received nominations and awards from external agencies. Below are some examples:

Learning & Development team celebrated becoming finalists in the ‘Large Apprenticeship Employer’ at the Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards 2022

Our ISP Fostering Advisor, Sarah Blythe won Fostering Supporter of the year from Foster Talk Awards 2022.

2022 for her services to the Scouts Association as a leader for the Calverton Beavers group.

The Queens Award 2022 is equivalent to an MBE and are the highest award given to the local voluntary groups in the UK so this is an exemplary award to recognise Jen’s commitment to children attending her group.

In 2022, FCA were nominated for the following awards in the National Young People & Children’s Awards: Jessica Palmer, Participation Officer, was nominated for the ‘Support Worker of the Year Award – North’.

FCA Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, was nominated for ‘Biggest Impact Award Joanne Edwards, Senior Support Worker, of FCA Midlands was nominated for ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’

At the Northern Ireland Foster Care Awards, FCA Foster Parents Ryan & Joanne Magee received a nomination certificate and David & Sharon Osborne received an Award for Excellence in Fostering.

Jennifer Neave one of our Family Support Workers from Polaris Children’s Services was awarded The Queens Award in

Best Practice

We know that children need care and support outside of 9-5. That’s why we have a dedicated team of out of hour’s workers who make sure we are able to provide a service to children 24 hours 7 days a week.

“Through the out of hours referrals service, I’ve cared for children where it’s been their first experience in care. They’ve got no expectations and you’re kind of just learning together, and that’s been nice.”

When a young person leaves FCA they are provided with a ‘Whilst you were with us’ booklet to celebrate and remember the child and young person’s experiences and memories whilst they were being cared for by FCA. The memories and photographs are made into a booklet that they can keep in their memory boxes and look back on as it is important to recognise the positive aspects of a child and young person’s time with FCA and their foster families.

I would like to say that the safeguarding hub has transformed our practice and also made our social workers focus on Safeguarding and that they are as skilled in safeguarding as front line MASH workers for example. The confidence that it has brought to social workers and their ability to challenge LA’s is really great to see, as well as the practice of carers.

We are committed to ensuring that our staff receive information from the external landscape on key policy changes, updates, research, case reviews and any learning that might influence our practice. In 2022, the following initiatives were launched/took place:

Policy Watch – An information leaflet circulated to all staff members on a quarterly basis that contains a roundup of all the latest policy changes, updates and research from the external landscape.

Reflection and Improvement towards Safeguarding Excellence. R.I.S.E- A one hour session open to all staff members that takes place on a quarterly basis and covers the findings of 3-4 recently published external case reviews giving attendees the opportunity to discuss, debate and ask questions.

Safeguarding Hub – A dedicated area on the Exchange (our internal communications platform) that contains a wealth of safeguarding resources available to all staff, foster parents and adoptive parents.

Webinars – This included sessions delivered by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness and on Knife Crime provided by the Ben Kinsella Trust.

There is lots of good practice that goes on in our services every day. These page showcase just a few examples!

In 2022, Orange Grove Staffordshire held a series of focus groups and workshops for young people on topics such as Internet Safety, ‘Growing Together’ and Healthy relationships. These sessions include a short presentation followed by activities, and gives young people the chance to come together and learn more about the topics. Children have really enjoyed these sessions and given positive feedback.

FCA Thames Valley have teamed up with NCS (National Citizen Service) and covered the cost of the summer programme to ensure that every young people at FCA Thames Valley aged between 15-17 have the opportunity to take part in NCS and other projects. In 2022, this included a one week residential trip and one week social action project. The summer programmes are local to young people and help them to learn valuable skills, meet new people and gain confidence.

Meet Amber… Amber is one of our Keep the Promise Change Officers. In 2022, Scotland made The Promise to care experienced children: You will grow up loved, safe and respected. By 2030, that promise must be kept.

Amber is dedicated to making sure The Promise is kept and has put together a pack which includes a copy of The Pinky Promise (children’s version of the Promise), information about The Promise, children’s rights, advocacy services, inspections and The Care Inspectorate, language that cares and our commitment to brothers and sisters. Amber also meets all the children and young people after they have been placed to talk through these things and explain her role and how they can contact her. In the recent inspection for Fostering People Scotland the inspector picked up on the great work Amber does!

AS’ entry to the National Photography Competition

Best Practice: Ben’s Story

Hi my name is Ben Taylor and I’m going to take you through my FCA journey and how I went from being a 7 Year old boy to getting to my dream job as cabin crew!!!

It all started way back in May 2009 when I got the best chance of my life to live with two of the best foster carers I will ever know Kerri and Cliff they took me in with support from the FCA and nurtured me and bought me up for over 11 years till I was 18 they took me on amazing trips all over Europe and through the United states, we still have regular contact even now I’m 20 they see me as one of their own.

This brings me nicely on to show how well FCA has also been a massive part of my life from a young age I would attend most of the activities that were local and on offer for me and if my foster carers were unable to take me FCA wouldn’t leave me behind they managed to find a way for me to be apart of the fun!! I would also attend FCA young people form meetings to discuss what we felt they could do better and what was more important is we felt listened to and you can be sure they’ll do everything in their power to make this happen as on many occasions I have seen it myself the changes they make from our ideas. They offer so much support for us young people and they are always a phone call away if we need them. Everyone in the FCA office never hides away from the young people they make you feel welcome and apart of the FCA family that’s what most important to feel like a family. When I first started FCA I joined the young forum rep meetings, and it made me feel special and that I could help voice other young people in my area and get this across to the team so they could action our concerns. Now 11years later I am a care experience consultant working alongside I would say the most dedicated hard-working team I’ve known since being a part of this FCA family. They have helped me overcome my fears and always pushed me to go forward and not back and I have gone from being 7 years old hiding under tables because I feared adults to working alongside them in the office to now also working for EasyJet serving 200+ passengers in the sky at 35,000ft. Now if this doesn’t show what dedication and hard work FCA and my incredible foster family have done for me I don’t know what will.

2022 has been an exciting year for Polaris and we are looking forward to building on this success in 2023. All our services have their own ambitious plan for the upcoming year collectively working towards our vision of revolutionising the sector, to create better lives for children and young people in care and be the number 1 full children’s services provider in the UK. We have big plans for 2023 as a Community including:

Our 2023 Vision

• Building further on sector engagement including forming partnerships with other agencies and participating in pilot studies available to us.

• Introducing CEO awards and increasing nominations made to external award shows to continue to recognise the hard work and dedication of staff members across the community.

• Continuing building on, and delivering, our ‘Striving for Outstanding’ workshops to maintain the high standards of care delivered by all our agencies.

• Increasing focus on movement of children and young people through the community by identifying other services within Polaris that can support the child, further promoting stability for them and ensuring they receive high quality care even when their needs have changed.

• Introducing an all manager’s conference to bring together all our leaders and managers.

• Seeking accreditation for several of our internal training courses to ensure that all staff members have access to high quality and accredited learning opportunities.

• Review best practice that takes place across the community and support in rolling out initiatives wider to make a difference to more of our children and young people.

• Reviewing the ways we record the voice of our children and young people.

• Continue building on our preparation for independence work, making sure that all children who do leave our services are prepared for adulthood and supported during the transition and beyond.

Polaris

Malvern View, Saxon Business Park

Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior

Bromsgrove B60 4AD

t: 01527 556480

e: contactus@polariscommunity.co.uk

www.polariscommunity.co.uk