Chrysalis Consortium Ltd

Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 1 Chrysalis Consortium Limited

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Chrysalis Consortium Limited, 48 Wostenholm Road, Sheffield S7 1LL

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This privately owned independent fostering agency provides therapeutic foster placements for children and young people who have experienced trauma and/or abuse and may have attachment difficulties.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency offers short- and long-term placements. It also offers emergency, bridging, task-focused, child and parent, and respite placements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency currently supports 26 children in 25 fostering households, with 45 approved foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered manager is qualified and experienced. She has been registered to manage the agency since December 2014.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Previous inspection date: 27 November 2018

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children's social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits. Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 2 Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills is leading Ofsted's work into how England's social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Children are well cared for and treated like valued family members in their foster homes. Most children experience stability and are living with their foster carers long term. This includes older children under staying put arrangements, which offers them a ‘forever family’. Children are thriving. The secure and trusting relationships between children and their foster carers have led to children experiencing deeper attachments, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. One child said that their foster carers ‘have really changed the world for me’.

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The care of children

The agency has supported foster carers effectively, which ensures that children have positive experiences and receive predicable care within clear routines and boundaries. Positive relationships between the foster carers’ and the children’s families have enabled the children to stay in touch with significant people in their lives. Children have met up with family members in public places and have used video calls to stay connected. Children develop further relationships with their foster carers’ wider family. One child’s contact with the foster carer’s family who lives abroad is helping the child to learn a new language.

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The care of children

Some children have continued to attend school during lockdown. Other children have been educated at home. The foster carers and the agency have acted as strong advocates for children, which has helped the children to overcome any potential barriers to their learning and progress.

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The care of children

Children who have been making the transition from primary to secondary school during the COVID-19 pandemic have participated in an art group over the summer. The group provided children with valuable opportunities to share their experiences of life during lockdown and make a positive transition from primary to secondary school through different therapeutically led activities. Foster carers’ engagement in webinars in relation to these transitions has provided them with practical strategies and guidance so they can support the children on their individual journeys.

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The care of children

Children’s social, physical, emotional and mental health needs are well understood and promoted effectively by both the agency and their foster carers. Children’s engagement in therapy has helped them to talk about their feelings and work through their difficulties. Foster carers’ training in therapeutic parenting helps them Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 3 to provide children with the appropriate levels of nurture, which meets the children’s complex needs.

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The care of children

Children have enjoyed a range of leisure activities, including visiting places of interest, cooking, baking and playing games. Foster carers and children have also joined together to complete a virtual walk to Mount Kilimanjaro from their homes. Photographs of children and foster carers involved in the walk capture the event beautifully and provide positive memorabilia. The event has helped to motivate children, foster carers and the agency staff, increase morale and raise funds for charity.

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The safety of children

Foster carers promote the safety and welfare of the children within their households. One child rated their safety as ‘10 out of 10’. They said, ‘Whenever I am in trouble, I always know that they [foster carers] are always there to help.’

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The safety of children

Comprehensive written risk assessments and safer caring plans support the foster carers to implement the strategies to reduce and manage risk. The agency has delivered relevant social media training to the staff team, panel members and foster carers. This helps to update everyone’s knowledge about the digital world and the potential risks that children can be exposed to online. Young people who have used their mobile phones in an unsafe way have engaged in sessions that offer them guidance on keeping themselves safe.

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The safety of children

The supervisory visits carried out by the agency to individual fostering households have been risk assessed to keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The visits have been carried out in foster carers’ gardens and online and have included unannounced visits. This promotes appropriate safeguarding measures.

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The safety of children

There have been no reports of episodes of children going missing from home. Foster carers know their children and the places they may go when they may go away from home.

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The safety of children

Placement stability has been strengthened by the coordinated responses that the children receive from their foster carers and other professionals. Clear and consistent boundaries and therapeutic parenting from foster parents help the children to self-regulate their behaviors. This is leading to a marked reduction in serious incidents and assaults on foster carers. Not all children’s behaviors can be managed safely and effectively by their foster carers despite their best efforts, which has resulted in one unplanned ending.

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The safety of children

The agency notifies Ofsted of significant incidents. This allows Ofsted to have an overview of how the agency responds to these incidents. Safeguarding concerns are referred to the designated officers. These measures promote safe and transparent practice and help to make sure that children are protected.

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Leaders and managers

Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 4 The registered manager has the relevant qualifications, skills and experience for the role. She knows the foster carers and children very well. She remains hands-on supporting fostering households and engaging directly with children, which keeps her up to date with the children’s and foster carers’ progress.

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Leaders and managers

Management oversight and quality assurance processes have improved since the last inspection, which now places children at the centre of the fostering task. Managers have been raising standards through prioritising service developments. Improvements in management monitoring have included the implementation of the new electronic recording system. This provides the agency and foster carers with the relevant information that they need to protect and care for children effectively.

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Leaders and managers

Changes to the staff team have strengthened the agency infrastructure. Two new team managers have been appointed since the last inspection. New supervising social workers have filled the vacancies. The roles and responsibilities throughout the agency are clear and understood. Staff feel motivated and supported by managers and have engaged in supervisions and team meetings virtually.

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Leaders and managers

The agency promotes a supportive and learning environment. Managers, agency staff and foster carers have engaged in a wide range of learning and development opportunities, including COVID-19 pandemic themes, safeguarding topics and a broad range of practice issues. The agency has embraced the inequality issues for black and minority ethnic communities during the pandemic. A book about race and discrimination was disseminated to foster carers through the agency’s book club. The reading material has raised foster carers’ awareness of discrimination and has enabled them to reflect on their beliefs. The registered manager’s role as the chairperson in an anti-racist working party is one in which she can influence others, share ideas and standardise good practice across the region.

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Leaders and managers

Foster carers recognise the positive changes in the agency. They say that they feel valued as part of the team and no longer wish to leave. Foster carers speak highly about the support and flexible training opportunities that are available to them. Virtual support groups have been set up for foster carers, which keeps them connected to other foster carers and the agency. Foster carer reviews are timely. This provides a further opportunity for them to reflect on their practice and continue to deliver good-quality care. One foster carer said about the support from the agency, ‘They have been absolutely amazing. It’s been the little things that have really mattered. It’s been an amazing year. Within days of being in lockdown, they sent an Amazon voucher. They surprise and delight.’

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Leaders and managers

Fostering panel meetings have taken place virtually and the panel has remained quorate. The panel process promotes safe, secure and stable placements for children. However, there is a lack of clarity in some of the records. For example, the reasons for panel recommendations are not always made explicitly clear. Some of the information sharing with applicants about the next steps following panel Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 5 meetings is not accurate. These shortfalls do not have a negative impact on the children’s safety and welfare.

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Leaders and managers

The agency works collaboratively with other professionals, which helps to promote consistency and stability for the children. Professionals report good communication from the agency. One professional said, ‘They meet expectations and a little bit more.’

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Recommendations

 The panel must keep written minutes of its business, including the reasons for recommendations made. It is important that these are full and accurate so that the fostering service is clear about matters discussed and the reasoning behind recommendations, as they will form the basis of decision-making by the fostering service. ('Fostering services: National minimum standards', 5.25)

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Chrysalis Consortium Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 48 Wostenholm Road, Sheffield S7 1LL

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Neil Penswick, Her Majesty’s Inspector Assurance visit report: Chrysalis Consortium Ltd 6 to 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, 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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