Doncaster Children's Trust - Fostering Service

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 1 Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service

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Colonnades House, Duke Street, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 1ER

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This independent fostering agency registered in July 2014. It is managed by Doncaster Children’s Services Trust, which provides children’s social care services on behalf of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides long-term, short-term, emergency and respite placements. It currently provides placements for 136 children and young people, with 85 approved foster carers. Twenty kinship carers and 12 connected persons’ foster placements have been assessed and approved to enable extended family or friends to care for those children and young people who are unable to live with their birth parents. The agency also assesses private fostering arrangements and provides supervision and support to all of these groups.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Date of previous inspection: 16 May 2022

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook a full inspection of this independent fostering agency between 16 and 20 May 2022. The inspection found that the agency had failed to maintain consistently strong and effective management oversight and effective safeguarding practice. As a result, Ofsted issued five compliance notices in relation to regulation 11, 12, 13, 35 and 36.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the agency’s progress in response to the compliance notices. The inspectors found that leaders and managers have taken sufficient action to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notice. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 2 Leaders and managers have maintained a consistent presence within the agency, providing stability and raising standards within the staff team. The interim manager and two fostering social workers have left the agency since the last inspection. Their departure has not negatively impacted on the operation of the agency.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have developed systems and processes that allow them to manage the agency effectively. A significantly improved quality of care review report of the agency provides a comprehensive and transparent assessment of the journey so far and the actions to continually improve.

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This monitoring visit

Progress has been made to ensure that all adults living in fostering households have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. There are four households with lapsed DBS checks that have been evaluated and risk assessed. There is now better management oversight of these families, and the risk assessments are kept under regular review until the DBS checks are returned. Consultations with placing social workers, safety planning and increasing unannounced visits until DBS checks return provide additional safeguards to ensure that children are safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

Members of the management team, fostering staff and panel members have benefited from completing safeguarding training. Lead safeguarding professionals from the local authority delivered the training and it was well received by the majority of the participants. The training covered basic safeguarding principles as well as broader and relevant topics. For example, these included safeguarding thresholds, the functions of the local authority designated officer, allegations management, and making prompt safeguarding notifications to Ofsted. Further safeguarding training is scheduled for foster carers later this year to refresh their knowledge and inform their standards of care.

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This monitoring visit

The training, support and guidance provided to the fostering staff have led to improved knowledge and awareness of safeguarding practice. It was evident from discussions with one fostering social worker and foster carer that the appropriate risk management strategies have been identified. Training relating to child sexual and criminal exploitation for one foster carer now ensures that they have the knowledge to care for and safeguard children at risk of exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

The communication between the agency and the local authority designated officer has improved. Safeguarding referrals have been made in a timely way by the agency, which allows quicker action to be taken to safeguard children. Training to improve fostering social workers’ recording skills is a work in progress.

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This monitoring visit

The revised behaviour management policy provides clear practice guidelines for fostering staff and foster carers, including an explanation of what constitutes physical restraint. Training for foster carers and fostering social workers to reinforce the expectation of the policy has not yet been delivered, but is planned. Leaders and managers can now monitor physical interventions better because they have a clearer understanding of them. They have also devised an appropriate format for recording Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 3 physical interventions, which provides a transparent audit trail of the incident and action taken.

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This monitoring visit

Notifiable incidents are monitored by the responsible individual. Although issues regarding the timeliness of the agency sending the notifications to Ofsted remain, the actions taken by the agency in response to the incidents have been appropriate.

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This monitoring visit

The five requirements that were made at the last inspection have been met. The stronger communication between the agency and health and education lead professionals promotes children’s health and education outcomes. Leaders and managers collaborate better with their teams and with other professionals. This enables them to have a better understanding of children’s outcomes, meet their needs and escalate any concerns to the local authority.

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This monitoring visit

The newly implemented tracking systems alert leaders and managers to any delayed annual reviews, so they can ensure that foster carers are suitably appraised.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have worked hard to make the necessary improvements since the last inspection. They are realistic about the amount of work that still needs to be done to instil consistently good practice and enhance children’s safety and day- to-day experiences. The agency is preparing to cease trading as a trust and return to the local authority in September 2022. There is a strong commitment from leaders and managers to continue to improve the service. They welcome further scrutiny in the future through Ofsted inspections of the local authority, which supports their intention to maintain the improvements so far and continue to raise standards. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 4

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the independent agency since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 5

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Colonnades House, Duke Street, Doncaster DN1 1ER

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Suzanne Whiteley

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: suzanne.whiteley@dcstrust.co.uk

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Victoria Horsefield, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 7 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 8 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Doncaster Children’s Trust - Fostering Service 9

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