Fostering Solutions Limited South

Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 1 Fostering Solutions Limited South

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Suite 3, Poles Copse, Poles Lane, Otterbourne, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 2DZ

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Fostering Solutions Limited South is an independent fostering agency, part of the National Fostering Group. The agency provides a wide range of foster homes. The agency’s statement of purpose states that this includes short and long-term, emergency placements, parent and child, children with disabilities, short breaks, staying put, and placements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, there were 80 approved fostering households and 99 children placed.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2020.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Previous inspection date: 18 February 2019

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Previous inspection judgement: Outstanding

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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.

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Information about this visit

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 Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 2 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

Following Ofsted guidance on COVID-19 restrictions, this assurance visit was undertaken remotely. Telephone discussions were held with the registered manager, supervising social workers, foster carers, agency decision-maker, panel chair, and one child. Email feedback was received from a social worker. Inspectors were given access to view documents through the agency’s online database and various documents were emailed to the inspectors that were also considered.

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The care of children

The vast majority of children make good progress and are well supported by the agency and the foster carers, who meet the children’s everyday needs. Children build trusted and secure relationships with their foster carers, who know them well and provide respectful, nurturing care. Several young people continue to live with their foster carers after they reach the age of 18, and this is a testament to the bonds that they have formed. However, since the previous inspection, there have been some incidents where children living with foster carers have not had their welfare promoted or have been safeguarded at all times.

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The care of children

Children’s success and achievements are celebrated with recognition in the form of trophies, star of the month awards, and individualised letters. Supervising social workers have been creative in looking at ways to support foster families through COVID-19, for example setting up a fun walking challenge. Manageable caseloads mean that the supervising social workers have time to offer a high level of support to the foster carers and the children.

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The care of children

Foster carers were unanimous in their praise of the support that they receive from their supervising social workers. The frequency of supervision has remained consistent via virtual means and face-to-face contact when possible. Extra support such as virtual foster family games nights and newsletters have been appreciated by the fostering families.

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The care of children

Children’s attendance at school during COVID-19 has been variable depending on their location and on the foster family’s circumstances. Foster carers said that the agency had supported them well with materials and help for home schooling during this period. This includes practical support from the organisation’s education workers and access to a wide breadth of online educational resources. For many children, the COVID-19 school restrictions have been difficult. However, the shared experience between children and their foster families during this time has also strengthened many relationships. Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 3 While most children enjoy warm relationships and feel part of their foster family, the quality of care provided by one fostering family did not meet the expected standards of care. In particular, the child was treated considerably less favourably than the

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The care of children

carers’ other family members. Further concerns were raised by a local authority, and the carers were subsequently de-registered by the agency.

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The safety of children

Managers and supervising social workers know and follow procedures for responding to concerns about the safety of children, once they become known. There is a good multi-agency partnership working to protect children. However, in two significant safeguarding instances, insufficient attention was paid to an emerging picture of practice concerns and issues relating to the foster carers. This resulted in children being harmed, or at risk of harm.

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The safety of children

In relation to one fostering household, there were historical concerns relating to training and record-keeping. These concerns had previously been discussed at the fostering panel with clear actions agreed. Yet, these actions were not all robustly addressed or challenged at the earliest opportunity.

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The safety of children

The registered manager has begun to embed new learning and practice as a result of the safeguarding incidents. This includes a second unannounced visit to be undertaken each year by a different supervising social worker to give an alternative perspective on fostering households. Further, supervising social workers will see children at least twice a year, outside of the foster carer’s home. Peer support groups are now in place for the staff to reflect on their learning, to improve safeguarding practice.

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The safety of children

Supervision records do not reflect the voice of the child. Nevertheless, a discussion with one supervising social worker showed her going above and beyond in ascertaining a child’s view. She visited him at school and used emotion cards to help him express his feelings and share his views. As a result, his needs and wishes are becoming central to practice and decision-making.

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The safety of children

Foster carer annual reviews do not routinely contain the views of the child or those of their placing authority social worker. This means that the foster carer approval process is not sufficiently thorough or informed to allow the agency to properly satisfy itself about the carer’s ongoing suitability to foster.

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The safety of children

Gaps were found in the agency’s matching process. For one child that moved within the agency, no matching plans had been completed. Another matching document sampled did not contain information about the impact of new children joining a fostering family on an existing young person in the family. Moreover, information about the children’s identity and cultural heritage was limited. This means that the carers are not fully equipped to promote the children’s identity and cultural needs from the outset. Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 4

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager and the senior leadership team have ensured an appropriate use of the flexibilities permitted by the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.

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Leaders and managers

There have been some challenges of the new registered manager implementing improvement changes in the agency, in part due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, foster carers said that changes in staffing and management have resulted in significant improvements to the individual support received and responsiveness of the agency. Yet, some undercurrents remain. This continues as an area of development for the leaders and the managers to manage.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager inherited an ineffective training audit system, which has meant that some carers have not completed mandatory training, such as safeguarding and first aid. Swift work has been undertaken by the registered manager and leaders to rectify this. A new online training portal is now in place and outstanding training has been reduced. However, there are a number of carers who do not hold the skills and knowledge required to meet the needs of the children.

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Leaders and managers

Some longstanding foster carers have struggled and shown resistance to complete training within timescales. The registered manager recognises that training needs are often a contributory factor in practice-related concerns. Consequently, she is robust in escalating clear expectations with carers about training. As a last resort, she will take carers back to the foster care panel to address this. One comment by a carer encapsulated the shift in focus well: ‘we are now held more to account by supervising social workers in terms of doing things we have agreed’.

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Leaders and managers

The quality of supervision records between supervising social workers and foster carers is variable. Some supervision records sampled contained repeated information, copied from previous sessions. The manager’s quality assurance processes failed to identify this.

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Leaders and managers

Weekly team meetings and peer support groups have provided additional personal and professional support for the staff. This, in turn, has helped empower the supervising social workers in their role to help and support the foster carers and the children.

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Leaders and managers

The draft review of the quality of care report was provided during the assurance visit. This was last received by Ofsted 15 months ago. As a result, there has been a considerable period in which inspectors have been unable to review the monitoring of the agency, and that these activities support ongoing and overall improvement in the care provided to children. A requirement has been made in response to this delay. Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must ensure that— the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. (Regulation 11 (a)) This is with specific reference to the registered manager ensuring that sufficient attention is paid to emerging themes of practice concerns and issues relating to the foster carers, and that there are no missed opportunities to ensure that children are safeguarded, and that their welfare is promoted at all times. This is with specific reference to the registered manager ensuring that children are not treated less favourably than other family members in the household. The child’s needs are met, and they benefit from a stable placement. 4 May 2021

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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)) This is with specific reference to the registered manager ensuring that all foster carers have completed mandatory training within required timescales. 4 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)) 4 May 2021

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Recommendations

 The fostering service supports their foster carers to ensure they provide foster children with care that reasonably meets those children’s needs, takes the children’s wishes and feelings into account, actively promotes individual care and supports the children’s safety, health, enjoyment, education and preparation for the future. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, 21.1) Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 6 The register manager must ensure that foster care supervision records are of consistent quality, and accurately record key discussion points which take into account individual care that supports the children’s safety, health, enjoyment, education and preparation for the future.  Reviews of foster carers’ approval are sufficiently thorough to allow the fostering service to properly satisfy itself about their carers’ ongoing suitability to foster. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, 13.8)

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Recommendations

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that the views of the child and placing social worker are submitted as part of the carer annual review process, including the date when ascertained.  The fostering service only suggests foster carers to local authorities as a potential match for a child if the foster carer can reasonably be expected to meet the child’s assessed needs and the impact of the placement on existing household members has been considered. Where gaps are identified, the fostering service should work with the responsible authority to ensure the placement plan sets out any additional training, resource or support required. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, 15.1) Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that there are matching plans for all children. These should consider the impact of new children joining the fostering family on the existing children in the household, and also include

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Recommendations

information about children’s identity and cultural heritage and how this will be promoted.

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Fostering Solutions Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspectors

Anne-Marie Davies, Social Care Inspector Lee Kirwin, Regulatory Inspection Manager Assurance visit report: Fostering Solutions Limited South 7 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

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