Mosaic Foster Care

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Mosaic Foster Care 1 Mosaic Foster Care Mosaic Foster Care Limited Suite 2, Chalkwell Lawns, 648-–656 London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 9HR Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides specialist therapeutic family homes for children who have experienced early childhood trauma and require long-term support and individualised help from therapeutically informed adults. The agency provides child-focused restorative placements with the aim of achieving permanency for each child.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The fostering service is provided by a small private provider.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had 36 approved foster care households. The agency was providing homes for 25 children and three young people staying put.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The suitably qualified and experienced manager registered with Ofsted in September 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The independent fostering agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the independent fostering agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

The planned, collective support for every child from the foster carers, supervising social workers, the therapy team and the children’s support workers is exceptional. The time and effort from the adults provide safety and ensure that every child’s emotional, psychological and physical care needs are a priority for the multi- professional network around the child.

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outstanding

Attuned foster carers, supervising social workers and children’s support staff work towards one vision of providing lasting care and support. Foster carers are unanimous in their commendation and admiration of the attention to detail given by the whole staff team in the provision of children’s care.

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outstanding

Most households offer solo homes. Meticulous pre-placement planning, professional curiosity and child-led introductions ensure that foster carers and their families have time and opportunity to prepare and plan. Foster carers receive excellent help, including from one another, to put themselves ‘into the shoes’ of the child. This empathetic and authentic approach means that stability is a central feature of children’s experiences. 84% of children have lived with their foster families for over one year. Many children have lived with their foster families for several years. Unplanned placement endings are rare.

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outstanding

Children with complex social histories and additional vulnerability learn to rebuild trust and confidence in adults. Bespoke, long-term placements provide strength, continuity and reassurance for children who carry on seeing their family members. This ensures that children and young people understand their story and develop their sense of their unique identity.

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outstanding

Children waiting for national mental health services can attend individual therapy sessions and Theraplay. Those children who have experienced multiple moves make extraordinary progress from their starting points. Children who have previously struggled with formal learning achieve recognition and achievement awards in education.

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outstanding

Children who experience continuing physical and personal health challenges flourish. Rapid responses to provide the right resources reduce delays in service delivery. This ensures that children’s physical health needs are front and centre of staff’s practice. Timely consultation with the professional network led to a child being referred for and receiving private physiotherapy.

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outstanding

The agency places a strong emphasis on celebrating individual children’s small personal successes. New, exciting events such as holidays, horse riding, crafting, after-school clubs and camping form part of children’s experiences. The dedicated Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Mosaic Foster Care 3 agency support workers offer additional one-to-one time with children, ensuring that the culture to value talent, ambition and fun permeates the agency.

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outstanding

The hopes and ambitions of children emerge and develop. One young person staying put said, ‘My carers love me and have helped me to see that the future can be different.’

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outstanding

This agency’s approach to safeguarding is inclusive and transparent. The staff work together as a team to maintain children’s psychological and physical safety. The children said that the adults consult with and listen to them and take forward their suggestions to help them feel safe. Children contribute to how the service is delivered.

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outstanding

The agency has created its own bespoke therapeutic model. Achieved over time, the model has been shaped from collaboration between supervising social workers, foster carers and therapists. All approved foster carers are trained in the approach. The agency’s commitment to keeping children safe is introduced during prospective carer assessment. The result is a culture of reflection, and review is embedded across the organisation, contributing to an ethos of openness and diligence.

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outstanding

The agency’s unrelenting attendance at formal external meetings such as child looked after reviews and education planning meetings ensures that up-to-date, relevant information is shared promptly across the professional network. Child by child, the agency initiates and delivers multi-disciplinary, bespoke safeguarding reviews. These meetings engage the network in the analysis and evaluation of areas such as emotional and behavioural responses from children. This means that emerging concerns and risky behaviours, including the challenges linked to loss, change and trauma, are a continual conversation. The few unanticipated incidents receive a swift child-focused response because shared plans of action mean that every child receives the right help at the right time

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outstanding

Professional scrutiny from an experienced panel chair and thorough initial assessments ensure that the motivation of an individual to foster is explored in depth. The agency is transparent and responsive to managing any complaints or allegations. Standards of care investigations are managed fairly and perceptively. This ensures that the focus of enquiry remains firmly on growth, development and lessons to learn.

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outstanding

One-to-one therapeutic consultation is available for children who foster, ensuring strong emphasis and group thinking on the impact of fostering for the whole family.

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outstanding

The staff work seamlessly to ensure that foster carers are superbly equipped to meet children’s needs. A professional appreciation of the importance of self-care helps to build foster carers’ capacity for longevity. The few children who go missing from care or are at risk of exploitation receive supportive and coordinated responses Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Mosaic Foster Care 4 to help to increase their personal safety. On the few occasions when a child’s needs cannot be met in foster care, the agency intervenes, driving child-focused solutions and moves. This enables the foster carers to offer ongoing emotional support to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Senior managers are visionary and dynamic. Leadership qualities blossom across the organisation. The senior managers’ stimulating approach ensures a committed emphasis on the safety, care and support of every child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency adapted quickly to government restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency adopted a remote approach to meetings and support when needed. Learning from the move to virtual discussions has resulted in an extra layer of support for carers and their families, and this now complements in-person appointments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff and foster carer retention is high. The experienced, dedicated registered manager works hand in glove with the agency owner, who is the responsible individual. With the department heads, they work in partnership to identify, develop and implement new initiatives to provide stability and continuity across the service. Feedback from foster carers and all children is central to shaping the ongoing developments, such as the formation of the children’s council.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Foster carers’ supervisions are consistent and focused on the detail of the child’s experience. Helpful electronic recording clearly sets out the plans to support children. Adept and skilful supervising social workers, the compassionate foster carers and all staff across the agency are provided with excellent opportunities for research-based training and reflection. Mini groups, a men-in-foster-care group, sector-related workshops, guest speakers from local universities and the annual conference are some examples that ensure practice remains focused on issues such as self-harm and sexual abuse.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Meaningful appraisals result in excellent professional development opportunities for staff. This ensures that the stable team is ready to learn about what else might help to make the difference for every child. Opportunities for reflective discussions are commonplace. This ensures that the vision and values of the organisation are held in mind by all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has met the recommendation raised at the last inspection. Since the last inspection, the registered manager and responsible individual have invested in the further strengthening of the therapeutic offer across the whole organisation. This is because of the permanent appointment of a child-focused therapist. This means that the depth and reach of support available across the agency is expanded and enhanced. Distinctively, the therapeutic offer seamlessly extends to the professional network around the child. This includes additional training provided for class teachers and learning support assistants so that the messages from research about Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Mosaic Foster Care 5 early trauma and adverse childhood experiences are heard by many. This helps to nurture children’s recovery from trauma.

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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: Mosaic Foster Care 6

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Mosaic Foster Care Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Langham, Colchester CO4 5PX

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@mosaicfostercare.com

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Inspector

Rosie Davie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Mosaic Foster Care 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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