Foster Carer Respite

The request was partially successful.

Alastair Scott-McKinley

Dear Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland),

This request focuses on respite (short break/ support care) provision for foster carers and looked after children in the financial year 2020-21. It also asks for information on various leave entitlements for foster carers. I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

1. Please can you provide a copy of the Trust’s respite policy and procedures
2. If not stated in your respite policy, please can you tell me the process used by the foster carer for requesting respite.
3. If not stated in your respite policy, please can you provide a copy of the assessment tool used by social work staff to determine if respite is to be approved.
4. If not stated in your respite policy, please can you outline all professionals who are involved in decision making concerning approval and provision of a single instance of respite.
5. Please can you tell me the number of Trust foster carers who have requested respite care in the last year.
a. Please break this down by emergency/ planned/ any other designation used by the trust
b. Please also provide the number foster carers who received respite when requested
c. Please also provide the number of foster carers who were refused respite when this was requested.
For example
Emergency Respite, Number Requested, Number Provided, Number Refused
Planned Respite, Number Requested, Number Provided, Number Refused
Any other respite designation(s), Number Requested, Number Provided, Number Refused

6. If not stated in your respite policy, please can you tell me the annual total number of days respite entitlement that an approved foster carer has within the trust (please also outline any difference between non fee paid/ fee paid foster carers).
7. Please can you tell me the number of foster carers who have received/ not received their annual respite entitlement within in the trust in the last year.
8. If not stated in the respite policy what alternative arrangements are possible for respite other than placement with an approved trust foster carer.
9. Please can you provide a copy of the equality screening for your respite policy.
10. Please outline the total number of days holiday entitlement (annual leave) which foster carers receive.
11. Please confirm if the annual respite entitlement is additional to any annual leave entitlement.
12. Please outline the trusts arrangements for providing sickness leave, compassionate leave to foster carers.
13. Please outline any arrangement where holiday entitlement is paid for in lieu or other comparable arrangement.
14. Please provide a copy of the policy which governs foster carer leave entitlement.
15. Please can you provide a copy of the equality screening for your foster carer leave policy.

If the request is too broad or unclear, please contact me for clarification and advise me how I can make the request clearer.

If any of the information is already in the public domain, please send it to me directly with page references or URLs when necessary.

If the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance under the section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine the request.

I understand that you are required to respond to my request within 20 working days after receiving this request. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing you have received this request.

Please provide the information as an electronic copy.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Yours faithfully,

Alastair Scott-McKinley

Team, Foi, Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

Thank you for your email.

 

We acknowledge receipt of your request.

 

You will be aware of the significant pressures on our health and social
care services during the current surge of the Covid-19 pandemic. During
this time we have been asking our staff to prioritise their professional
caring duties and to support front line health and social care services in
responding to the emergency. This has understandably had an impact on
other duties within their role such as responding to legislative
requirements under FOI and the processing of Subject Access Requests. 

 

We assure you that your request will be logged and processed, and we will
do our utmost to respond as quickly as possible.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Information Governance Team

 

Team, Foi, Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

8th November 2021 Our Ref: FOI 812

Dear Mr Scott-McKinley

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – INFORMATION REQUEST

I acknowledge your request which was received on 6th November 2021 requesting information held by the Trust.

Your request is currently being addressed and if approved you will receive the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of the information you have requested. If any of the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the case, including your right of appeal.

If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release the information to you. You will also be informed if this is the case.

There may be a fee payable for the information you have requested. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and the 20 working day time limit for responses will be suspended until receipt of the payment. If a fee is required I will write to you again to advise of this.

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact:

Head of Information Governance
Southern Health & Social Care Trust
Ferndale
Bannvale Site
10 Moyallen Road
Gilford
BT63 5JX

Email: [email address]
Tel: 028 37561458

Yours sincerely
Karen Harrison
Information Governance Officer

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Team, Foi, Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Scott-McKinley

 

Please see response attached in respect of your recent Freedom of
Information request to the Southern Health & Social Care Trust.

 

Kind Regards

Karen Harrison

Information Governance Dept

Southern Health & Social Care Trust

 

 

Alastair Scott-McKinley

Dear Karen Harrison & FOI Team
Thank you to you and the staff involved in providing for data and the documents in response to my freedom of information request, this is much appreciated.

Please could I seek clarification on the following:

In response to item 3 your responded "The Social Worker completes a placement request form and outlines the reason why respite is required taking into consideration the needs of the child but also the carers overall health and well-being needs considered also."

As the placement request form is part of the respite procedures please can you provide a copy of this form?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,

Alastair Scott-McKinley

Team, Foi, Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

Dear Mr Scott-McKinley

Thank you for your email.

I have forwarded your request to the relevant Director to ask if the form you have requested can be provided. I will be in contact with you again when they come back to me with an update.

Regards
Karen

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Team, Foi, Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Scott-McKinley

Please see placement request form as requested. Apologies for the oversight.

Kind regards
Karen

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Alastair Scott-McKinley

Dear Karen
Thank you for the prompt response and copy of the form.
Yours sincerely,

Alastair Scott-McKinley