Paramount Foster Care

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 1 Paramount Foster Care Paramount Foster Care Sma House, 172 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich B70 6QG Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A small private company operates this service. The service has been registered with Ofsted since October 2019. It provides a full range of fostering services that include long-term fostering, short-term fostering, sibling groups and short-break fostering. Currently, there are 28 children living in 16 households.

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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.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Ofsted last visited this setting on 1 December 2021 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in their development because of the good-quality care they receive. Foster carers show resilience and dedication and commitment to the children they care for. Children flourish because they experience meaningful relationships with their foster families and have strong emotional connections to the foster carers’ extended family. They benefit from long-term stability, with children living with their foster carers for several years. These positive and sustained nurturing relationships mean that children have a sense of belonging. One child told the inspectors: ‘[foster carers] are my mom and dad.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel very much part of the foster carers’ family. They experience and are included in a range of significant family events, such as birthdays and holidays, as well as individual and group activities. Foster carers provide a safe, nurturing environment where children can freely express themselves. Children have meaningful and positive memorable experiences. Foster carers capture these through memory boxes and photo albums that record children’s positive experiences. This good care promotes children’s emotional well-being and enables them to build positive childhood memories for their adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Throughout the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children continued to do well at school. Foster carers have realistic and high expectations for children making progress in their learning and educational achievements. They support children by attending statutory meetings and parents’ evenings as well as keeping in close communication with teachers and other professionals. As a result, children make good academic progress. One child’s school report stated: ‘[Child] has come a long way, where he has the confidence to read books, hold conversations with adults and his behaviour means he can go out in the community.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers are good advocates in supporting children to maintain their links with family members who are important to them. They are understanding and sensitive to children’s experience of separation and loss. This is supported by the agency, with training for foster carers to understand children’s experiences. As a result, this enables children to maintain their sense of identity with birth families, while celebrating experiences with their foster family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are constantly met to a high standard. Staff ensure that individual health assessments are in place and recommendations from health plans are acted upon. Children attend regular appointments with the dentist, general practitioner and optician and specialist services. As a result, children’s physical and emotional health are consistently promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency provides opportunities for children and foster carers to give feedback about the agency. Supervising social workers consult with children through foster carer reviews and regular visits to foster carers’ homes. Managers identify children’s participation as an area for further development to ensure that the agency plans for Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 3 children to be included in groups, activities and events. Despite this shortfall, children told the inspectors that they feel listened to by the carers and supervising social workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a way that celebrates and recognises their identity and cultures. Also, foster carers’ identity is promoted. However, managers and staff do not always promote equality and diversity well. For example, some children and foster carers do not have English as their first language, which has excluded them from the agency’s wider activities. Despite receiving training, managers and staff do not yet understand this issue completely. For instance, they have not translated information into the children’s and carers’ native language to make it easier for them to read and understand. This is a missed opportunity to help children and carers feel included in the agency’s services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children are matched with appropriate foster carers who have the appropriate experience and skills to meet their individual needs. Referrals and applications are scrutinised by the registered manager and discussed with external professionals. Children feel welcomed and valued as a member of the foster family. However, it is not always clear to see how some decisions are made in the agency’s assessment process. For example, not all documents contain the relevant information about how foster carers will be supported to care for children with complex needs. This has the potential to compromise the quality of care that children receive.

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

Managers ensure that allegations and complaints are fully addressed through transparent investigations. Managers work in close partnership with other professionals, including the regulatory body, to promote the safety and welfare of children. Following investigations, managers present a detailed report of the process, which is subject to further scrutiny. This means that children are kept safe because of managers following safeguarding protocols.

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

Managers and supervising social workers complete regular health and safety checks and unannounced visits. Children are always spoken to at these visits. This means that children’s views, wishes and feelings are obtained about the quality of care they receive.

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

Recruitment of staff and panel members is scrutinised and thorough. The agency completes suitable vetting checks as part of any initial application, including clarity with regard to any gaps in employment history. Appropriate references are obtained and verified, and criminal records checks undertaken. Foster carers’ recruitment is strong. All required checks are completed prior to the application being presented to the fostering panel.

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

Staff support foster carers to understand and implement safe care plans and risk assessments when children move in. These documents identify known risks for Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 4 children. This provides foster carers with clear guidance and strategies to enable them to respond to and manage any potential risk.

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

Foster carers are committed to children and do not give up on them when they display difficult behaviours. Despite the obstacles and difficulties foster carers face, they use their expertise and guidance to help children manage periods of crisis. When necessary, staff provide foster carers and children with additional support to help manage risks. This approach is a crucial element in stabilising the children’s placement and developing trusting relationships. Foster carers told the inspector: ‘We can pick the telephone up at midnight and call the manager and she gives us advice; we feel supported mainly by her. It [the agency] is very supportive and has a family feel.’

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

Throughout the pandemic, the agency has ensured that foster carers have had a mixture of face-to-face and online training made available for them to develop their skills and learning to support children’s vulnerabilities. For example, foster carers are trained to help children in relation to sexual exploitation, drugs and alcohol awareness, self-harmful behaviours, safeguarding children with learning disabilities and medication. However, not all foster carers have received adequate training in the agency’s therapeutic approach to help children regulate their emotions.

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

When children go missing from home, carers take some steps to try to locate them and to help them to return home safely. However, not all carers have followed safeguarding protocol to seek advice and guidance from staff and contact the police at the required time. In addition, some children’s missing-from-care management plans do not provide carers with clear guidance, such as all the key individuals to be contacted if a child goes missing. This has the potential to put children at risk of harm in the community.

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good

The registered manager has been in post since October 2019. She understands the strengths and weaknesses of the agency. Managers implement positive changes to the development and operation of the agency. Overall, foster carers, and stakeholders feel supported by the managers and build positive relationships. However, the agency is not yet able to provide evidence of improvement over a sustained period in areas of weakness. An effective action plan is ongoing to address the shortfalls.

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good

Restrictions imposed due to the pandemic have had a negative impact on face-to- face training for foster carers. The managers have not ensured that foster carers continue to receive specific training for the children they care for, such as autism spectrum disorder, online safety and sexual abuse awareness. Furthermore, the agency has not provided additional training, resource or support where gaps are identified in foster carers’ knowledge. For example, one foster carer reported that they had to get support from the child’s school. This omission has the potential to Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 5 compromise foster carers’ ability to update their knowledge and skills to support children better.

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good

Foster carers do not receive consistent support from supervising social workers. The agency continues to have a high staff turnover. In the past 12 months, many of the core staff have left the agency. Some foster carers told the inspectors that they have had no contact from the agency and that the agency has not attended children’s statutory meetings. Others reported that they are unclear who to go to when making enquiries. Foster carers have felt frustrated by the frequency of changes that they have experienced in their supervising social workers. Consequently, foster carers have not had the help they need to support children in crisis.

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good

Not all the supervising social workers have received the agency’s mandatory refresher training to enhance good practice in supporting foster carers and children. This means that staff lack some of the skills required for their role. The managers have identified training to address this shortfall.

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good

Foster carers have found it difficult to allow children to participate in a range of leisure and recreational activities because of the pandemic restrictions. Participation has been further affected because the agency has not continued to encourage and support children with activities. For example, there have been no family support workers to engage children in various face-to-face or online activities. During the periods of restrictions, children have not been given the opportunity to develop new skills or form friendships outside their placements. Children told the inspector: ‘We [children] would like to meet with other children and carers in the agency.’ As a result, children have not had activities or events arranged by the agency to give children a sense of togetherness and joy.

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good

There are gaps in management oversight of the service which have affected standards within the agency. Leaders and managers acknowledge these shortfalls and, prior to inspection, had begun to identify what needs to change. For example, the manager did not have written consent from the placing local authority to have surveillance and monitoring equipment in children’s bedrooms. When this was identified, the managers took quick action to remove the monitoring devices.

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good

Overall, the functioning of the panel is effective within the agency. The panel chair has substantial experience in fostering and is clear about the role of the panel. The panel central list shows that there is a range of experienced and skilled individuals, which includes social workers, health professionals and fostering members. However, the manager sits as a panel member; this can be a conflict between her role as the registered manager and panel member. For example, the manager is in a position to influence decisions with regard to the suitability of foster carers or placements. This means that the manager’s having dual roles could be an actual or perceived conflict of interest or have a negative impact on the decision-making process.

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good

Managers and staff are passionate about children, and they are at the heart of the agency. This ethos is shared by the foster carers, who take great pride in children Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 6 and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small. Managers provide foster carers with access to 24-hour inter-agency support. This support and guidance supports foster carers to manage times of difficulty. As a result, children benefit from stable and nurturing care.

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good

New staff to the agency receive a clear induction that is specific to their role. Staff report that they are well supported by managers, with regular reflective supervision and appraisals. The senior management team is available to all staff when supported is needed. This consistency has ensured that disruption is reduced. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 7

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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 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that foster carers undertake relevant training regularly. 4 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that there is a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the purposes of the fostering service, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering service, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by it. (Regulation 19 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is sufficient staff to promote the needs of children and carers. 4 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff promote children’s identity and diversity in written communication. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 2.1)  The registered person should ensure that all carers implement missing-from-care protocols when children go missing. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 5.2)  The registered person should ensure that children are appropriately matched with carers who have the experience, skills and training to meet the child’s needs. Also, the agency should provide additional training, resource or support where gaps are identified. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that they exercise effective leadership of the staff in a manner that delivers the best possible care to children and their carers. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 17.5) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive mandatory refresher training, so they are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to support foster carers and children. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 23.1)

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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: Paramount Foster Care 9

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Paramount Foster Care

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Sma House, 172 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich B70 6QG

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@paramountfostercare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Anne Daly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Paramount Foster Care 10 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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