Cuffe and Lacey Fostering

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe And Lacey Fostering 1 Cuffe and Lacey Fostering Cuffe and Lacey Associates Limited Burnley Business Centre, 2 Empire Way, Liverpool Road, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 6HH Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Cuffe and Lacey Fostering is a privately owned fostering agency. The agency offers a range of foster placements including long-term, short-term and short-break foster placements for children aged up to 18 years.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency was supporting 11 children and eight fostering households.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Both the agency and the manager were registered with Ofsted in June 2020. This is the agency’s first full inspection.

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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 on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The inspection involved a blended approach of both on-site and off-site activity. Children and foster carers were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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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 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 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the centre of the agency and decisions are made in their best interests. They benefit from child-centred, nurturing care that is tailored to meet their individual needs. As a result of the care they receive, children like living with their foster carers. They make good progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency has a strong family feel. Staff and foster carers know the children, and each other, well. Foster carers say they feel highly valued and are proud to foster for the agency. The agency is in its infancy and is continuing to grow. Carers speak positively about the growth and are complimentary about the high levels of support they receive. One foster carer said, ‘They are absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. For anyone who is considering fostering, they are an amazing company to go with. They support you 100%. I am so glad we went with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family relationships are exceptionally well supported. The agency has developed a guide for parents, providing them with information about what to expect when their child lives with the agency’s foster carers. Foster carers actively facilitate family time in line with children’s plans. Where appropriate, parents receive regular updates, and the agency is proactive in including families in their child’s care. As a result, relationships between children and their families are strengthened. This enables children to benefit from these relationships into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. They are regularly consulted about their care. Foster carer recordings are child focused and reflect what is going on for children. Children’s participation is continuing to develop, and there are plans in place to further strengthen practice in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency implements robust processes to ensure that children live with foster carers who can meet their needs. When children have to move from their foster homes in an unplanned way, the agency seeks to identify opportunities for reflection and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where possible, children are helped to live with their siblings. This enables them to retain their family identity. However, the agency also advocates strongly for children ensuring that complex family dynamics are well managed. When appropriate, young people have been supported to stay with their foster carers after reaching the age of 18 years. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 3 When living with the agency’s foster carers, children are given the opportunity to access a range of new experiences including clubs, holidays and structured activities. This enables children to widen their social networks and increase their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and carers have high aspirations for children. They are committed to supporting children to achieve their potential. Through regular communication with education providers, any issues affecting children’s learning are swiftly identified and addressed.

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

The leadership team is committed to providing safe, secure foster placements for children. A strong safeguarding culture underpins practice across the agency.

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

Foster carers know how to keep children safe. They implement clear routines and boundaries that help children to feel safe. Other professionals and their families say children are safe. One professional said, ‘He feels safe. He has a secure base and that comes from his carers. He knows they won’t give up on him. The support they all get is fantastic.’

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

Children are involved in age-appropriate discussions to raise their understanding about risk. This helps them to make safer choices. Concerns are appropriately shared. Children’s plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Practice is evolving to ensure that children’s voices are reflected throughout their plans.

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

A small number of children living with the agency’s foster carers experience high-risk behaviours. Foster carers remain vigilant and know how to respond when incidents do occur. There have not been any safeguarding notifications submitted by the agency.

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

The registered manager is currently supervising the agency’s foster carers. Foster carer reviews and supervisions reflect appropriate challenge to foster carers. Assessments of prospective foster carers are robust. Assessment reports are comprehensive and analytical, enabling clear and objective approval decisions to be made.

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

Foster carers have access to a range of online training opportunities to further develop their abilities to meet children’s needs. The leadership team is committed to the delivery of therapeutic foster care. Through the therapeutic training that foster carers currently access, they are able to support children to regulate their emotions. Some children also benefit from access to specialist therapeutic life-story work, which helps them to understand their past experiences.

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

The registered manager is the agency’s designated safeguarding lead. She has completed relevant training for this role. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably skilled and experienced. She is supported by the agency’s directors. Together, they are a strong leadership team and are using their vast fostering and social care experiences to improve outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team currently undertakes a number of management and practice- based roles. All members of the team have access to supervision, and they ensure they hold each other to high account. However, the impartiality of decision-making has the potential to be undermined due to the crossover of roles. This is something that the leadership team is taking action to address. There are ongoing plans for expansion in line with the agency’s growth.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong oversight of the agency, but opportunities to evidence wider management oversight and decision-making have been missed. Electronic recording systems are exceptionally well maintained. Auditing and monitoring processes are continuing to be implemented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Highly effective communication is a key strength in the agency. Positive working relationships have been developed with commissioners and placing authorities to ensure that children’s needs are being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are a range of resources and guides available on the agency’s website. However, when the agency’s statement of purpose was updated, it was not shared with Ofsted as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is effective. The minutes of the panel reflect sufficient challenge to the agency. Members of the central list have a wide range of experiences relevant to fostering. However, panel members have not signed to accept the objectives set for them, and they have not all had their performance appraised annually. The reliance on fostering agency social workers on the panel reduces opportunities for independent scrutiny. This is something the agency is taking action to address.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency decision-maker provides appropriate challenge. However, the agency had not clearly recorded the appointment of an additional decision-maker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The two recommendations made at the assurance visit have been met. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 5

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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 a copy of the statement of purpose to the Chief Inspector, place a copy on their website (if they have one), and make copies available, upon request, to—

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Requirement Due date

any person working for the purposes of the fostering service,

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Requirement Due date

any foster parent or prospective foster parent of the fostering service,

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Requirement Due date

any child placed with a foster parent by the fostering service, and

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Requirement Due date

the parent of any such child. (Regulation 3 (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the registered person ensuring that a copy of the statement of purpose is provided to the Chief Inspector following any updates. 24 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers, staff, volunteers and foster carers are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The level of delegation and responsibility of the manager, and the lines of accountability, are clearly defined. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, 25.4)  The registered person should ensure that, before appointing any panel member or including them on the central list, the fostering service should inform them in writing of their performance objectives, which should include participation in induction and training, and safeguarding the confidentiality of records and information submitted to the panel. Panel members should sign an acceptance form to record their agreement to these objectives. (‘The Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations Volume 4’, Section 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that each panel member’s performance, including that of the chair, should be reviewed annually against agreed

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Recommendations

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 6 performance objectives. (‘The Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations Volume 4’, Section 5.15)  The fostering service should identify a senior member of staff (usually referred to as the decision-maker) who will receive the panel’s recommendations and make decisions as required. More than one decision-maker may be appointed, but they may not delegate their authority to another person. (‘The Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations Volume 4’, Section 5.39)

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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: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Cuffe and Lacey Associates Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Keenan Chartered Accountants, 43 Derbe Road, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire FY8 1NJ

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered manager: Chelsea-Anne Stanworth

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Inspector

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Cuffe and Lacey Fostering 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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