Alpha Plus Fostering Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 1 Alpha Plus Fostering Limited Alpha Plus Fostering Limited Chambers Business Centre, Chapel Road, Oldham OL8 4QQ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

This privately owned independent fostering agency was registered in January 2007. The agency provides the following types of foster placements:

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

 emergency  short term  long term  respite  parent and child.

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had 51 approved fostering households. These families were caring for 59 children.

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2020.

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

This inspection involved both on-site and off-site inspection activity. Foster carers and children were enabled to take part by video calls.

p.1

Information about this independent fostering agency

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 2 The independent fostering agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2018

p.2

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.2

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children experience care that is thoughtful and sensitive to their needs. Children spoken to feel settled with their foster carers and part of their foster families’ lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Almost half of all the children are in long-term placements. One independent reviewing officer commented of a child: ‘I’ve been working with him a long time and watched him grow up into a lovely young man. The foster carers have kept him on track, and he is a credit to them.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to sustain positive family identities. Most children placed benefit from being able to live with a brother or sister. In addition, in line with their plans, children are helped to keep in touch with others who are important to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As children become young adults, and in line with their wishes, some have remained with their foster families under ‘staying put’ arrangements. This offers them the support, guidance and stability they need until they are ready for independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, arrangements for children to move into foster placements benefit from suitable planning and information-gathering. However, on one occasion, the foster carers did not benefit from written plans and information when children were placed. Although meetings with the local authority had taken place prior to their move, this was not accompanied with essential documentation. A requirement is made in relation to this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most placements are stable and when children do move on, placements are in line with their plans. For example, children return to live with their birth family or ‘connected people’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

To reduce the number of unplanned moves, the agency has identified and acted upon areas for improvement. For example, it has established a ‘children who foster’ group that is supported by therapeutic workers. One child who attended stated that their experience of this group was ‘brilliant’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During times of national restrictions, the agency engaged with children and foster carers using both virtual contact and face-to-face visits. When possible, the agency re-established activities. They have continued to plan ahead, offering a wide and frequent range of fun things to do.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from foster carers who understand the impact of previous life experiences. The agency is committed to improving their services to children through strengthening their foster carers’ skills base. For example, all staff and foster carers have completed introduction training in therapeutic care. The agency plans to develop this further and provide additional accredited courses. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 4 Foster carers have access to good support networks and mechanisms for feeding back to the agency. Recent initiatives include offering therapeutically underpinned art classes for children fostered and foster carers’ birth children. Foster carers can also attend a support group for those who care for children with complex needs.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children say they feel safe and that they trust their foster carers. The sense of safety that children experience underpins the progress they make in their lives.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Incidents of children going missing from home are responded to appropriately by the agency and foster carers. Risk assessment plans are updated and reflect the known risks that children may face.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical interventions are infrequent and used to keep children and others safe. However, following one incident, recordings by foster carers were unclear as to their actions towards the child. This was not appropriately reviewed by managers and an opportunity to prevent recurrence was missed by the supervising social worker. Foster carers were not spoken to following the incident nor was the incident addressed later in supervision. A recommendation is made to address this.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Foster carers benefit from a wide range of training that supports their safe care of children and increases their understanding and knowledge base. The agency strives to ensure that training remains engaging and interesting. For example, recent training on internet use took an approach that explored creating a positive profile or online presence.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are regularly seen by supervising social workers and unannounced visits to carers take place at appropriate intervals. Good formal and informal support enables foster carers to continue to offer care in challenging circumstances and maintain placements into the longer term.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Foster carers overwhelmingly reported to inspectors that they felt fully supported by their supervising social workers. Supervising social workers in turn felt that their caseloads enabled them to provide support to foster carers and children on a needs- led basis.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers have responded appropriately to allegations made by children and have worked well with other agencies. However, on one occasion, managers did not notify Ofsted with regard to an allegation that had been made and police attending the foster carer’s home. A requirement is made to address this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are ambitious for the agency to develop and improve. For example, managers are intending to provide enhanced training to foster carers to embed the therapeutic approach. Ancillary services such as the ‘healing hearts’ therapeutic Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 5 service and additional foster carer support groups complement and support this approach.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and foster carers feel fully supported by the agency. Good levels of supervision and training provide opportunities for staff and foster carers to reflect on their roles and improve the care offered to children. In addition to managerial supervision, supervising social workers can also access bi-monthly group clinical supervision.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff were enthusiastic about their role and morale among staff was high. They were knowledgeable about the children placed and the strengths and areas for development of the foster carers. They felt listened to and considered that managers promoted an environment of openness and learning.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals spoke highly of the agency and the foster carers. Feedback from commissioners was positive and said the agency worked well with the local authority to identify appropriate placements for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an established children’s group. This group assists with rewriting information given to children and has recently been involved in the interview process for staff and foster carers. Managers value the input of children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is established and effective. The panel chair is knowledgeable and as a panel they scrutinise all information presented to provide effective and robust recommendations. Where shortfalls are identified, there is a clear mechanism in place to report this to the agency. Likewise, the agency decision-maker is also effective in their role.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, there are suitable monitoring systems in place for managers to have oversight of the service. However, although local authorities are approached for documentation, there remain several out-of-date or missing plans.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, foster carers’ assessments have been completed by a central team. This provides consistency and enables the agency’s supervising social workers to focus their time on providing timely support to foster carers and children. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that, in relation to any child placed or to be placed with a foster parent, the foster parent is given such information, which is kept up to date, as to enable him to provide appropriate care, for the child, and in particular that each foster parent is provided with a copy of the most recent version of the child’s care plan provided to the fostering service provider under regulation 6(3)(d) of the Care Planning Regulations. (Regulation 17 (3)) 30 April 2022

p.6

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. (Regulation 36 (1)) This particularly relates to notification being made to HMCI. 30 April 2022

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they regularly monitor all records kept by the service to ensure compliance with the service’s policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Immediate action should be taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.1)

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people 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: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 7

p.6

Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited

p.7

Independent fostering agency details

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

p.7

Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@alphaplusfostering.co.uk

p.7

Inspectors

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Sarah Oldham, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Alpha Plus Fostering Limited 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8