Kingscare Fostering Agency

This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to check on the progress that the service has made since it was judged inadequate in February 2016.

p.2

This monitoring visit

At that inspection, the registered persons did not demonstrate that they operated a fostering service that was consistently safe. The leadership and management, the quality of the service and the agency’s arrangements to promote safeguarding of children were inadequate. The agency did not demonstrate having an open reporting culture. Poor quality practice, inadequate record-keeping and insufficient quality assurance processes have resulted in the agency’s widespread and serious failures to meet the fostering regulations, national minimum standards and good practice. The full inspection report lists twenty requirements and seven recommendations to improve the practice.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered persons were given until 1 June 2016 to improve the service. On the same day, they provided an action plan that indicated that actions were taken to secure compliance with all 20 requirements.

p.2

This monitoring visit

At this visit, the registered persons demonstrated that they complied with only two out of 20 requirements. They carried out a review of the approval of their only foster carer. They created a foster carers’ register that shows all their previous carers and the only current carer.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There is another requirement that is not restated in this report: the registered persons have contacted the bank asking for a financial reference. The bank’s response was that their procedure required Ofsted to ask for this information directly.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The remaining 17 requirements and seven good practice recommendations have been restated in this report. The registered persons provided insufficient evidence to demonstrate compliance. They have taken some actions to address a few of the requirements, but the progress to reaching full compliance has been unacceptably slow.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Despite the inadequate inspection judgement, the registered persons have not carried out an overall review of the service. Their oversight is poor. Their policy on quality assurance does not cover the matters required to be monitored, as listed in regulation 35. The agency’s development plan lacks evaluation and detail. It is ineffective at driving improvement.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered persons have failed to resolve some shortfalls in the agency’s most basic documentation and written policies and procedures. The following have still not been updated to reflect legislative requirements and good practice: young people’s guide to the service, statement of purpose, complaints procedure, disciplinary procedure and a policy on safeguarding and child protection. Therefore the agency fails to provide clear guidance and information.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The agency still does not have a fostering panel. The impact of this is that the agency continues to be unable to function as an effective fostering service. The registered persons have identified some prospective fostering panel members, and are currently carrying out suitability checks.

p.3

This monitoring visit

Without a panel, the registered persons were unable to evidence improved practice in relation to its function. Without carrying out any assessments of prospective foster carers, they were unable to evidence improved practice in relation to the quality of assessment and approval processes, or in the records associated with these processes. Without having the capacity to accept any new placements, again, they could not evidence improved records and practice in relation to the new placements.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The previous inspection report raises concerns about the registered persons’ overall ability to carry on and manage the agency with sufficient care, competence and skill. The lack of effective actions to improve the service in the period of over five months compounds the concerns about the registered persons’ fitness.

p.3

This monitoring visit

In addition, it was particularly concerning to discover at this visit that the registered persons have failed to share the information regarding the foster children having expressed concerning views regarding terrorism. The foster carer shared this information with the responsible individual on 13 July 2016. The responsible individual failed to take any protective action and failed to share the information with the children’s social worker or any other professional involved in their care. She said that this concern came to light as she was delivering safeguarding training to the foster carer. The responsible individual was unable to provide information about the last time that she had received training in safeguarding children. Nobody in the agency has had training in safeguarding children from radicalisation and terrorism. The children’s social worker confirmed that even more than 24 hours after the inspectors gave a clear instruction to the

p.3

This monitoring visit

registered persons that they must share this concern with the placing authority, they had failed to do so. The concerns regarding the agency’s culture of working in isolation remains high. An additional requirement was made at this visit, highlighting the registered persons’ duty to promote, safeguard and secure children’s welfare.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The children’s social worker was concerned that the foster carer did not have anywhere to turn to for guidance and support. She said that the registered manager was misinforming the carer about the roles of the agency and of the placing authority. The registered persons have also provided misleading information in their statement of purpose about the role of Ofsted in dealing with the prospective carers whose approval was refused.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The registered persons also provided inconsistent information on a number of occasions at the inspection. For example, when asked to provide the attendance list for a particular training session, they changed their initial statement from prospective panel members having attended the training, to ‘the training was on offer, but nobody attended’. Although they initially said that they wrote a report for the permanency panel, they were unable to produce any evidence in relation to this. Their statement was then changed to ‘several years ago’. The permanence plans for the children have not yet been advanced. The social worker said that what the agency was saying differed from what the carer was saying. The registered persons have continued to run a service characterised by a lack of clarity, inconsistency and inadequate record-keeping.

p.3

This monitoring visit

In conclusion, despite the time given to the registered persons to improve the service, they have failed to make the necessary changes to achieve improvement. They have continued to provide an unsafe service. This raises serious concerns about their fitness to remain registered providers.

p.4

Information about this independent fostering agency

Kingscare aims to provide short-, medium- and long-term foster care for children looked after and mother and baby placements. The agency has one approved foster carer with a capacity for one placement. Two brothers are currently in this placement. The agency has not approved any new foster carers in the last 12 months.

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

3: Statement of purpose and children's guide

p.5

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must produce a written guide to the fostering service (‘the children’s guide’) which includes the address, including email address, and telephone number of the Chief Inspector. (Regulation 3 (3)(c)) 30 September

p.5

Requirement Due date

4: Review of the statement of purpose and children’s guide

p.5

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must: keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and children’s guide, and notify the Chief Inspector of any such revision within 28 days. This in particular relates to making sure that the document accurately and clearly describes the service and it does not give misleading information about the role of Ofsted. (Regulation 4 (a)(b)) 30 September

p.5

Requirement Due date

8: Registered person: general requirements

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered provider and the registered manager must, having regard to the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency, carry on or 30 September manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must ensure that: (a) the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. This in particular relates to sharing information and implementing appropriate strategies to safeguard children from the risks of being radicalised and drawn into terrorist activity. (Regulation 11 (a)) 30 September

p.6

Requirement Due date

12: Arrangements for the protection of children

p.6

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy which: is intended to safeguard children placed with foster parents from abuse or neglect, and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect. The procedure must provide in particular for arrangements to be made for persons working for the purposes of the fostering service and foster parents and children placed by the fostering service to have the address (including email address), and telephone number of the area authority, and the Chief Inspector, for the purposes of referring any concern about child welfare or safety to them. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b)(3)(f)(i)(ii)) 30 September

p.6

Requirement Due date

17: Support, training and information for foster parents

p.6

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with them. (Regulation 17 (1)) 30 September

p.6

Requirement Due date

18: Independent fostering agencies: complaints and representations

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must establish a written procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children placed by the agency, and by foster parents approved by the agency. The procedure must, in particular, provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes part in its consideration other than, if 30 September the registered person considers it appropriate, at the informal resolution stage only, for dealing with complaints about the registered person, for complaints to be made by a person acting on behalf of a child, for the procedure to be made known to children placed by the agency (subject to their age and understanding), the parents of those children, persons working for the purposes of the independent fostering agency, and for a copy of the procedure to be supplied to any of those persons on request. The copy of the procedure must include the name,

p.6

Requirement Due date

address (including email address), and telephone number of the Chief Inspector. The registered person must ensure that a written record is made of any complaint or representation, the action taken in response to it, and the outcome of the investigation. (Regulation 18 (1)(2)(b)(c)(d)(e)(i)(ii)(iii)(3)(a)(b)(4))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse or neglect, or suspected abuse or neglect, of a child placed with foster parents to an appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted. (Regulation 21 (2)(b)) 30 September

p.7

Requirement Due date

23: Constitution and membership of fostering panel

p.7

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must constitute one or more fostering panels, as necessary, to perform the functions of a fostering panel under these Regulations, and must appoint panel members, including a person to chair the panel who, in the case of any appointment made after 1st October 2011, must be independent of the fostering service provider, and one or two persons who may act as chair if the person appointed to chair the panel is absent or that office is vacant (‘the vice-chairs’) from the persons on the central list. The fostering service provider must ensure that the fostering panel has sufficient members, and that individual members have between them the experience and expertise necessary, to effectively discharge the functions of the panel. (Regulation 23 (4)(i)(ii)(7)) 30 September

p.7

Requirement Due date

23: Constitution and membership of fostering panel

p.7

Requirement Due date

Where the fostering service provider is of the opinion that a person included in the central list is unsuitable or unable to remain on the list, the fostering service provider may remove that 30 September person’s name from the list by giving them one month’s notice in writing. (Regulation 23 (3))

p.7

Requirement Due date

26: Assessment of prospective foster parents

p.8

Requirement Due date

Where a person (―X ‖ ) applies to become a foster parent and the fostering service provider decides to assess X’s suitability to become a foster parent, any such assessment must be carried out in accordance with this regulation. The fostering service provider must, as soon as reasonably practicable, obtain the information specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3 relating to X and other members of X’s household and family. This in particular relates to assessing the impact of any disability within the family on their ability to foster. (Regulation 26 (1)(1A)(a)) 30 September

p.8

Requirement Due date

No member of the fostering panel may take part in any decision made by a fostering service provider under paragraph (3). Paragraph (3) relates to deciding whether to approve X as a foster parent and as to any terms of approval. (Regulation 27 (4)) 30 September

p.8

Requirement Due date

28: Reviews and terminations of approval

p.8

Requirement Due date

If the fostering service provider decides, taking into account any recommendation made by the fostering panel, that the foster parent and the foster parent’s household continue to be suitable and that the terms of the foster parent’s approval continue to be appropriate, they must give written notice to the foster parent of their decision. This in particular relates to the clarity of the notice and consistency of the information included. (Regulation 28 (6)) 30 September

p.8

Requirement Due date

28: Reviews and terminations of approval

p.8

Requirement Due date

If, taking into account any recommendation made by the fostering panel, the fostering service provider is no longer satisfied that the foster parent or the foster parent’s household continue to be suitable, or that the terms of the approval are appropriate, they must give written notice to the foster parent that they propose to terminate, or (as the case may be) revise the terms of, the foster parent’s approval (a ‘qualifying determination’), together with their reasons and a copy of any recommendation made by the fostering panel. This in particular 30 September relates to the qualifying determination being congruent with the other information on the foster carer’s file. (Regulation 28 (7))

p.8

Requirement Due date

30: Case records relating to foster parents and others

p.9

Requirement Due date

A fostering service provider must maintain a case record for each foster parent approved by them, which must include copies of the documents specified in paragraph (2) and the information specified in paragraph (3). In particular, they must keep a record of each placement with the foster parent, including the name, age and sex of each child placed, the dates on which each placement began and terminated, and the circumstances of the termination. (Regulation 30 (1)(3)(a)) 30 September

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals, and improving the quality of foster care provided by the fostering agency. The system must provide for consultation with foster parents, children placed with foster parents, and their placing authority. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(3) Schedule 6) *30 September

p.9

Requirement Due date

If any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 7 takes place in relation to a fostering agency, the registered person must without delay notify the persons or bodies indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. This in particular relates to any serious complaints about any foster parent approved by the fostering agency and instigation and outcome of any child protection enquiry involving a child placed with foster parents. Any notification made in accordance with this regulation which is given orally must be confirmed in writing. (Regulation 36 (1)(2) Schedule 7) 30 September

p.9

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

p.9

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Make sure that the foster home can comfortably accommodate all who live there. (NMS 10.1)  Make sure that the agency can demonstrate that children are carefully matched to a foster placement. (NMS 11.2)  Make sure that the registered provider has a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the service. In particular, make sure that the plan is based on a realistic evaluation and identifies specific targets for development. (NMS 18.2)  Make sure that all foster carers who were approved as such before April 2008, attain the training, support and development standards (TSD) by April 2011 and that any other foster carers attain TSD within 12 months of approval. (NMS 20.3)  Improve staff appraisals in terms of identifying and reviewing specific individual learning and development needs, every year. (NMS 23.5)

p.10

Recommendations

 Make sure that there is a business continuity plan which includes both provision of premises and safeguarding/back-up of records. (NMS 27.3)  Review each panel member’s performance, including that of the chair, against agreed performance objectives, on an annual basis. (The Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations, Volume 4: Fostering Services, Chapter 5.15)

p.10

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the independent fostering agency since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. in the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’ which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.11

Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.12

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.12