Regional Fostering Services Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 1 Regional Fostering Services Limited Regional Fostering Services Limited The Atrium, 1 Harefield Road, Uxbridge, London UB8 1EX Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Regional Fostering Services Limited is an independent fostering agency based in north-west London which provides foster care placements across London, the Home Counties and the Midlands. The agency offers a wide range of placements, including short- and long-term, respite, parent and child, bridging, placements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors, for children who have disabilities, and sibling groups. Some young adults are living in ‘staying put’ arrangements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency was providing foster care placements for 146 children in 86 fostering households.

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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 good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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: 5 November 2018

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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: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 2

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outstanding

Children say that they enjoy trusted and secure attachments with their foster families. They develop a strong sense of belonging and feel loved. A child said, ‘I’m super happy, my [foster] family never let me down.’

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress from their starting points and enjoy a range of very positive experiences. A child told the inspector that they had received an offer from a top university. They explained that initially they were not motivated to even apply to university, but that the support and encouragement of the foster carer and staff led them to pursue higher education.

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outstanding

Children have good opportunities to share their views of their experiences. Staff are committed to listening to children’s voices and acting accordingly. Children do not generally make complaints. Staff arrange focus groups, activities and events to help the agency gather children’s views. This is turn helps to shape the service. A good illustration of this is the ‘You said, we did’ feature of the support team’s work. In addition, there are plans to develop a Children in Care Council to further promote effective consultation with children.

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outstanding

The agency’s matching process is effective in identifying foster care homes that meet children’s needs well. The introduction of children to their new foster homes is carefully considered and is managed at the child’s pace. As a result, children settle quickly into their new homes. Most placements are stable and children thrive.

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outstanding

Children’s learning outcomes are excellent. Some children achieve 100% attendance at school or college. Staff track children’s attainment to ensure that their learning needs are well met. Staff and foster carers are keen advocates for children, ensuring that they receive their full entitlements to support their learning. The fostering service celebrates children’s achievements. This is further motivation for children to do their best.

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outstanding

Children participate in a very wide range of social, educational and recreational activities. This broadens their experiences and they have fun. Children take part in family events and celebrations. The fostering service routinely makes a significant contribution to the funding of children’s holidays, so they do not miss out on family vacations. The support team ensures that events and trips are organised during school holidays. Children largely choose these activities themselves.

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outstanding

Children are treated with dignity and respect, and their identity needs are well met. This is well illustrated by the successful placements of a number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Children can safely explore their gender identity, and foster carers promote children’s heritage and culture. Good attention is paid to ensuring that children’s language and religious needs are met. In one case, the foster carer read an English version of the Qur’an, to gain a better understanding of the child’s Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 3 religion. Foster carers have a good understanding of the impact of children’s disabilities and work hard to counteract their experience of discrimination.

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outstanding

Children are in good health and are helped to improve their health outcomes. For example, parent and child placements monitor and support children’s health and general development. These placements provide parents with care skills that enable them to care for their children safely.

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outstanding

Children with complex health and medical needs make significant improvement while living with their foster carers. Foster carers are skilled in interpreting and understanding the wishes and needs of disabled children in their care, including those who are non-verbal. In one case, the foster carers adapted their property to provide a safe environment for a child who had significant sensory and physical disabilities. The independent reviewing officer said of this child ‘[Child’s name] is now standing and walking independently, which is amazing progress.’

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outstanding

The assessment of prospective foster carers is of a good standard. Assessment reports are comprehensive and analytical.

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outstanding

The fostering service’s therapist works directly with children and foster carers to help resolve placement difficulties; this supports the stability of foster care placements. Foster carers receive exceptional support. This ensures that children’s needs are fully met, and that they make significant progress and have very positive experiences.

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

Children feel safe with their foster families. They are protected from harm, neglect and abuse. Children identify their foster parents as the trusted adults they speak to about any concerns they have.

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

Children are largely not involved in offending behaviour, gang affiliation, the misuse of substances or alcohol, self-harm or going missing from care. When these do happen, children and foster carers receive support and advice that help them to manage risks. However, some risk assessments do not highlight all known or emerging risks. Some do not consistently outline strategies for foster carers to use in order to limit risks. Some risk assessments are not regularly updated.

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

Staff and foster carers have effective working relationships with the police and safeguarding professionals, such as local authority designated officers. Staff and foster carers manage instances of children going missing from care effectively. This encourages children’s safe return home. Children are supported to keep themselves safe. Staff and foster carers speak with children about risks. Staff provide children with information, resources and training that promote their safety and well-being. This is a key role and function of the service’s support team.

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

Foster carers understand and follow safeguarding procedures and share safeguarding concerns with the professional network. Staff are prompt in following this through with safeguarding referrals to the local authority. However, at times, Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 4 there are delays in staff informing Ofsted of serious events. This is contrary to the fostering regulations.

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

Children’s positive behaviour is promoted. Foster carers receive training in de-escalation techniques and they complete therapeutic training. This is focused on providing trauma-informed care to children. Children receive help to manage their feelings and behaviour safely; foster carers respond with clear boundaries. Restraint is rarely used.

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

Managers deal sensitively yet effectively with allegations and when there is any complaint of harm made against foster carers. Managers’ investigations into allegations are comprehensive and keep children central to their enquiries. Concerns are promptly shared with professionals.

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

Foster carers’ homes are safe and secure. They provide a comfortable, nurturing environment for children. Staff complete six-monthly unannounced visits to fostering households. These visits are more frequent if this is required.

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

The recruitment, assessment and support of foster carers have a strong focus on child protection. Managers ensure the safe recruitment and vetting of staff and panel members. This confirms that staff are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably experienced and qualified registered manager effectively and efficiently manages the fostering service. Following a period of high turnover of staff, the fostering service is now properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers monitor the quality of care that children receive. Review of quality of care reports are detailed and demonstrate the oversight managers have of the fostering service. Managers, leaders and the compliance team regularly hold management meetings to further improve the quality of the service. However, file audits and the monitoring of case records are not consistently effective. Key records such as foster carer logs and monthly summaries, safe care plans and risk assessments lack detail or are missing from some case file records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that there are comprehensive plans in place for children. These highlight the needs of children and how the fostering service plans to meet these needs. Staff ensure there is effective, consistent partnership working with other professionals, which helps to coordinate children’s safe care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders keenly monitor the progress of children. For example, children’s progress is routinely discussed in management meetings and in staff and foster carers’ supervision. Staff complete progress trackers to support the monitoring of children’s progress. Managers can demonstrate the very positive impact the service has on children’s lives, in particular, the significant difference the work of the support team has in positively influencing placement stability and success. All areas Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 5 identified for improvement at the previous inspection have been successfully addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering service’s statement of purpose outlines well its aims and objectives. The service produces three age-specific children’s guides and one for parents in parent and child placements. These guides are generally informative and contain useful information. However, the children’s guide for very young children, those aged 0-10 years, is not an easy read. In some places the language used is very difficult to understand.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are very well supported and they receive regular and meaningful individual, group and reflective supervision. Staff say they are very well led by the management team. Managers complete staff appraisals each year to ensure that staff development needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work in very close collaboration with each other and foster carers. This promotes consistency and stability of foster care placements. Specialist staff such as the therapist, placement officers and the support team also work very closely together. This helps to provide children with stable foster care homes. Unplanned endings do not happen often.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel promotes safe and secure foster care placements. The fostering panel functions robustly; the process is orderly and democratic. Panel members have good experience and expertise in their chosen fields, which are relevant to the fostering task. The administration of the fostering panel is highly organised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers receive excellent support. They identify this as a clear strength of the service. Foster carers’ training and development activities are wide ranging and effective in meeting the needs of children. However, managers do not always ensure that training identified for foster carers is completed in a timely fashion. Foster carers’ annual reviews take place each year, or more frequently if there are significant changes to the household or concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering service’s pool of foster carers has steadily increased since the last inspection. The culture of the agency is characterised by high expectations and aspiration for all children. Managers and leaders are committed to identifying applicants and re-approving foster carers who share the agency’s ethos. Foster carers demonstrate well that they can care for children safely, encourage children’s excellent progress and provide them with very positive experiences. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 6

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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 registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. (Regulation 11(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that staff and foster carers maintain comprehensive records about children. This relates to risk assessments, foster carer logs and household safe care plans. 1 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

If any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 7 takes place in relation to a fostering agency, the registered person must without delay notify the persons or bodies indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 36 (1)) 1 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the children’s guide,

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Requirement Due date

notify the Chief Inspector of any such revision within 28 days, and

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Requirement Due date

if the children’s guide is revised, supply a copy to each foster parent approved by the fostering service provider, and to each child placed by them (subject to the child’s age and understanding). (Regulation 4 (a)(b)(c)) 1 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that foster carers’ personal development plans are reviewed and the effectiveness of training and development received is evaluated. This relates to foster carers completing identified training in a timely manner. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 20.6) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 7

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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: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Regional Fostering Services Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: The Atrium, 1 Harefield Road, Uxbridge, London UB8 1EX

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: faraz@regionalfostering.co.uk

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Inspectors

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Jayshree Pillay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Regional Fostering Services Ltd 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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