Archived: Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Adult Placement/Shared Lives Scheme

We found that there were good informal links and communication systems between the adult placement scheme and the carers. We also found that assessments and care planning took place prior to any placement and that the person using the service retained their own social worker.

Information and support was provided to people, their families and carers in a way that was clear and respectful to people.

We found that the scheme manager was unclear regarding the real and actual opportunities someone would have to talk about their care or to raise any concerns. This was because the main focus of the adult placement scheme was on the carer, and the responsibility for the welfare and safety of the person being cared for lay primarily with the social work team which carried out annual reviews.

The current quality assurance systems did not enable senior managers to be fully informed about the experience of people using the service or whether the service was meeting internal quality standards.