Starz Fostering

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Starz Fostering 1 Starz Fostering Starz Fostering Community Interest Company 36 Hungate Road, Emneth, Wisbech, Norfolk PE14 8DE Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This privately owned independent fostering agency provides short-term and long- term placements. The agency registered with Ofsted in December 2020.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had three approved fostering households and four children being cared for by foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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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: Starz Fostering 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This newly registered agency approved its first fostering household in November 2021. Children experience stability and benefit from a wide network of support. They have trusted adults that they can talk to about their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers provide children with a personal welcome. An individualised memory box provided by the agency includes resources to help each child to know what to expect from living with their foster family. This includes a stamped addressed postcard for children to send to the office to share their experience of living with their foster family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician. Foster carers have a good understanding of children’s mental and physical health needs. Foster carers and their families can access additional help and support from a diverse team of therapists. This ensures that children benefit from specialist help when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children grow in confidence. They make good progress in education. Foster carers attend school meetings and ensure that children participate fully in school or college. Foster carers are aspirational for their children. They advocate for children to ensure that their views and wishes are heard by other agencies. This helps to ensure that children achieve their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children go on day trips and holidays. They spend time with their families and some children return home to live with their families. Some children live permanently with their foster families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers encourage children to be independent in relation to their age and development. They support children to explore their identity and to discover their sexuality. This helps to build children’s self-esteem and self-worth.

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

Children say that they feel safe. They share their ideas and opinions to improve the service. For example, children’s questions are included in the questions for prospective foster carers.

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

The pre-approval foster-carer training and initial assessment of prospective carers are considered and thorough. The assessments of experienced carers transferring to this agency are equally thorough.

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

The foster panel is made up of a range of diverse individuals from different professional backgrounds. Some members of the panel have a lived experience of care. The foster panel chair is highly experienced in foster care. The panel members have excellent knowledge and offer meaningful scrutiny and challenge to help the agency deliver recommendations of suitability. Independent challenge and requests Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Starz Fostering 3 for additional information have led to the deferment of two foster panels. This demonstrates the commitment to adhering to good standards of practice and holds the agency to account during the approval process.

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

Supervising social workers undertake unannounced visits and spend time alone with children. This helps to ensure children’s safety. The recruitment processes for staff and panel members are satisfactory. The agency decision-maker is a highly experienced social worker and manager. The rationale for decision to approve or to continue with the approval of foster carers is made clear. The annual review process is comprehensive and includes feedback from other agencies and children. This process identifies actions to encourage foster carers to continue with their professional development. This helps to ensure foster carers remain up to date with current themes in social care practice.

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

Children do not go missing from their foster homes. There have been no complaints, allegations or suspicions of harm. Foster carers receive training to help children to manage their emotions positively. The agency encourages foster carers to see beyond individual behaviours and to respond to challenge with empathy and understanding. This helps children to regulate their emotions.

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

Foster carers receive bespoke training if physical intervention is likely to be necessary. This is used proportionately, to keep children safe and with prior agreement from the child’s social worker. Managers talk to foster carers following their use of physical intervention and review written records. However, information about physical intervention is not recorded clearly on the child’s file in a way which will be helpful to the child in the future.

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good

The current manager registered in November 2022 and has significant experience of managing fostering services. Since the service registered in December 2020, there have been three registered managers. The quality of the manager’s oversight of written information is inconsistent. This does not ensure immediate action is taken to address any issues.

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good

The agency has two versions of the children’s guide. However, these are not available in alternative languages. This does not ensure that every child is clear about the fostering service and the facilities provided.

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good

One child lived with a family for a short period of time. This was because the previous manager failed to fully consider the other children living in the household. This meant that the child experienced an abrupt ending and had to be moved. This does not demonstrate careful matching of children to foster carers.

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good

Since the new manager started, she has introduced new systems to quality assure work and has identified priority areas for improvement. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Starz Fostering 4 Feedback from children’s local authority social workers is positive and recognises the efforts made by the foster carers and the agency to help and support children.

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good

The agency has appointed its first permanent senior supervising social worker. They have many years of relevant experience of safeguarding children. Foster carers are consistently provided with good-quality supervision. A child’s copy of the foster carer’s supervision record is available on the child’s file, and this helps to track individual progress. Support groups and training help foster carers to remain child- focused and mindful of children’s past traumas.

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good

The responsible individual set up this agency. They have several years’ experience of being a foster parent and supporting young people when they leave care. The responsible individual’s experience has influenced the ethos of this agency. The agency aspires to provide ongoing support to children when they leave care, up to the age of 27. This addresses the challenge of isolation many young people experience when they leave care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Starz Fostering 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are carefully matched to a foster placement and, in particular, that the impact of the placement on every child living in the fostering household has been considered. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 23, paragraph 11.2)  The registered person should ensure that when a child requires it, the children’s guide is available in suitable alternative forms of communication, e.g. Makaton, pictures, tape recording or translation into another language. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 33, paragraph 16.6)  The registered person should ensure that the manager regularly monitors 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.

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Recommendations

(‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 50, paragraph 25.2  The registered person should ensure that information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future. This relates in particular to records of physical intervention. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 52, paragraph 26.6)

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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: Starz Fostering 6

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Starz Fostering Community Interest Company

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 36 Hungate Road, Emneth, Wisbech, Norfolk PE14 8DE

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Nicole Starenczak

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: nicky.starenczak@starzfosteringcic.co.uk

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Inspector

Rosie Davie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Starz Fostering 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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