Law, standards and the regulation of Northern Ireland fostering and adoption agencies - plus how to find agencies in Northern Ireland
A number of agencies and authorities work together to provide services for children, including local authority adoption, fostering and residential services, voluntary adoption agencies and independent fostering providers. This page provides information about the regulation and management of these services.
Some of the documents linked to on this page are in the pdf format.
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(download free from Adobe).
On this page:
> Finding providers of adoption and fostering services
> Regulatory bodies
> Regulations
> Standards
> Inspections and ratings
> Managing services for children and families
> Involving children and young people in decision making
> Interagency and registration fees
> Services for BAAF member agencies
Finding providers of adoption and fostering services
Our agencies database lists details of registered adoption and fostering services in the UK who are BAAF members.
Links to four Health Boards in Northern Ireland, responsible for assessing the health and social needs of people living in their area and commissioning services.
A list of trusts providing social health services in Northern Ireland http://www.n-i.nhs.uk
Regulatory bodies
The Social Services Inspectorate of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is responsible for the inspection of social services provision in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) is responsible for raising standards in social care and for the registration of the social care workforce. Information about the registration process and codes of conduct are provided on the NISCC website.
Regulations
Standards
Inspections and ratings
The Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is responsible for the inspection of social services provision in Northern Ireland. Details of the inspection programme and published reports can be found on the SSI website http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk
Managing services for children and families
Listed below are a number of resources on good practice and service development.
Good Practice
Improving Services
- 'Tomorrow's Children' is a discussion paper highlighting the needs of vulnerable and excluded children and examining how UK childcare services need to develop in the next decade in order to meet these needs.
- 'From vision to reality: transforming outcomes for children and families' is a guidance document produced by a coalition of children's sector organisations detailing proposals for the development of children's services.
- Information about the six strands of the Co-ordinating Children's Services Programme (includes Children's Trusts and Information Sharing and Assessment) can be found on the Children and Young People's Unit website at http://www.cypu.gov.uk
- The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has published the first in a three-part briefing series designed to help people working in children's services to consider the most effective means of delivering improved outcomes for children and their families
Involving children and young people in decision making
Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have the right to express views on all issues that affect them, and that their views should be taken into consideration. The UK has ratified this Convention and the requirement to seek and take into account the views of children and young people is becoming part of UK law and policy. Listed here are a number of resources and tools that are designed to help policy makers involve children and young people.
Research
- A summary of a study carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which explored the challenges that local authorities may face when involving young people in local authority decision-making
- The 3rd Quality Protects Research Briefing looks at young people's participation. It sums up the issues, reviews local authority action plans, and makes recommendations for improving practice
- 'Building a culture of participation' describes the ways that children and young people can be involved in decision making and identifies factors that promote good outcomes
- 'Listen then commission' is published by the Who Cares? Trust and the Fostering Network and reports on a study examining how young people looked after in public care could be involved in the commissioning process for foster care provision
Resources
Interagency and registration fees
See our financial information section.
Services for BAAF member agencies
BAAF provides a host of Services for BAAF member agencies, from training and advice to consultancy. For more information see the BAAF members' area, or join BAAF.
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