Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 1 Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency Bridging Gaps Limited Norwich Union House, 9 Mackenzie Street, Slough SL1 1XQ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Bridging Gaps is an independent fostering agency based in Slough. The fostering service offers foster placements to children on a planned or emergency basis for short- and long-term duration, for bridging and for respite care. The service also offers placements for sibling groups and for parents and their babies.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection the agency comprised 30 fostering households caring for 41 children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and children, taking into account

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good

How well children and children are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The independent fostering agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This independent fostering agency is good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Bridging Gaps is a family in its broadest and best sense. A large proportion of the children looked after by this agency are seeking asylum and they are welcomed and made to feel safe  Children experience a richness in their lives from living with carers who are often of a different heritage and culture.  The senior leaders have an unerring commitment to children’s rights and this permeates throughout the agency. This contributes to stable, long-term living arrangements for children, which include children staying with carers beyond their 18th birthdays.  Children are kept safe by carers who are well trained in all areas of safeguarding.  Children are involved in the running of the agency at all levels and their achievements are celebrated with gusto and with pride.  Following a period of relative instability in the staff team, the agency has worked very hard to remain compliant with fostering regulations and to

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Key findings from this inspection

The independent fostering agency’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The agency needs a coherent strategy for recruiting a more diverse group of carers.  The assessment of foster carers and their subsequent supervision would benefit from having a greater link between social work theory and practice.  On occasion, the assessment of carers takes longer than the minimum standard of eight months.  The registered manager must complete his management qualification by July 2020.  Preparing children for independence does not focus sufficiently on emotional resilience. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 3

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Recommendations

 Promoting independence – The fostering service ensures there are comprehensive arrangements for preparing and supporting children to make the transition to independence. (National Minimum Standard 12.3)  Recruiting and assessing foster carers – The fostering service implements an effective strategy to ensure sufficient foster carers to be responsive to current and predicted future demands on the service. (National Minimum Standard 13.1)  Fostering panels and decision-maker – The fostering panel makes its recommendation on the suitability of a prospective foster carer within eight months of receipt of the prospective foster carer’s application to be assessed. (National Minimum Standard 14.4)  Fitness to provide or manage – Appointees to the role of registered manager who do not have a management qualification must enrol on a management training course within six months and obtain a relevant management qualification within

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Recommendations

three years of their appointment. (National Minimum Standard 17.3) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

The ethos of being a humanitarian, rights-based service runs throughout the organisation and is a key factor in children succeeding in multi-cultural families. Children are treated with dignity and respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children build trusting and secure relationships with their carers, who know them well. They feel part of a family and described their experience in these words. Children from all over the world, including the UK, are given safe and secure places to live where they can grow and flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

All of the children spoken to are growing in confidence, have their needs met emotionally and physically, and have trusted adults in their lives. Children enjoy a wide range of events, activities and opportunities and their success is celebrated on a grand scale.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children’s progress is supported by all of the staff, who know the children and their carers in great depth, and by a training programme that is of high quality and is geared to the demands of modern fostering.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Support includes out-of-hours availability, therapeutic input, and training and supervision, and puts carers in a strong position to offer a good level of care to some of the most vulnerable children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children are fully involved in decisions about their own lives, and in the running of the organisation. For example, children have provided insightful questions for panel, organised their own clubs, and given gifts to their local community. There is a sense of giving back to the community instilled in the children, which they are largely happy to fulfil.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children are supported to attain a good education, including learning English as an additional language, and carers are aspirational for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

When children wish to remain with carers beyond the age of 18, this is supported by the agency and works well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

If children have to move on, this is done in a planned way and where possible at the pace of the child, with a clear focus on minimising disruption.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Preparing children for independence is mainly focused on the practical skills that people need in order to live on their own. Because of the level of trauma and abuse these children have experienced, this programme needs to focus more on emotional independence. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 5

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Children feel safe and protected. Social workers, carers and managers identify, understand and manage risks well.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

When children arrive in an emergency, there is a clear process for re-evaluating risk after they have spent a short period of time with their carers. In addition, risk assessments are updated following significant developments, such as increased concerns about mental health or behaviour.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Carers support children to become increasingly safe, including reducing the number of times they go missing and giving them strategies for keeping themselves safe.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Training and support focus on safeguarding risks in modern fostering, and give carers meaningful strategies to use when children are putting themselves at risk. Support extends to workers and care leavers working directly with children who the agency is worried about.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

When there are concerns about carers, these are managed professionally and from a child’s perspective. Other professionals spoke positively about the openness and challenge from the agency when safeguarding issues arise.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Background checks on carers are actively sought and considered at the initial stages of assessment and are rigorously checked, ensuring that children are cared for by appropriate adults.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Assessments have improved in quality since the last inspection, as confirmed by the panel chair and the agency decision maker. Assessing social workers broach difficult issues with carers, such as female genital mutilation and the emotional impact of children moving on.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Children are given clear boundaries regarding what is safe, and the opportunity to experience risk-taking from a secure base. Managers match the strengths of carers and children well, resulting in high levels of stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have ambition and high expectations. They always prioritise the needs of children. They acknowledge the growing need for high-quality carers for children seeking asylum. Alongside this, other fostering arrangements are given equal importance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency supports carers to ensure that children make good progress from their starting points. This support is informed by a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have ambitious plans for enhancing the experiences of children. Carers know the importance of charting a child’s progress through regular reporting and Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 6 building a comprehensive record of achievement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers celebrate success and are accessible when children need extra support such as legal representation or assistance outside of office hours. Other professionals spoke highly of the agency, and its openness and commitment to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff is regular and contains a good balance of accountability, direction and reflection. This could be further enhanced by a clearer link between social work theory and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders actively challenge when children are not getting a good service from other agencies, including advocating for them when necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is run well, by an experienced group of people. Both the panel chair and the agency decision maker bring a level of expertise and challenge that enhances the professional development of the management team and the social work staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On occasion, assessments take longer than prescribed in the national minimum standards for fostering, although the reasons for this are always clearly recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New initiatives for tracking children’s progress, charting life-stories and understanding emotional health are still in their infancy, but are beginning to have a positive impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders acknowledge that recruitment of a more diverse group of foster carers remains a key area for development. Currently, recruitment involves a lot of energy, but has insufficient focus.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is required to complete a management qualification within three years of registration and because he enrolled late, this is now a priority. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and children. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and children. They watched how professional staff work with children and children and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and children and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the independent fostering agency knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and children whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Bridging Gaps Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: c/o 8–12 Lancaster Road, Southall, Middlesex UB1 1NW

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Inspector

Steve Lowe, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Bridging Gaps Fostering Agency 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and children, 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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