True Fostering Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 1 True Fostering Limited True Fostering Limited

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76-78 Parsonage Street, Dursley, Gloucestershire, GL11 4AA

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency is a small independent fostering agency with offices based in Gloucester and Cardiff. The agency offers short-term and long-term foster care placements to children and young people aged from birth to 17 years, including children who have disabilities. The agency supports young people beyond the age of 18 years in staying put arrangements. The agency offers a specific therapeutic model of care, supervision and support to children and their carers, who the agency refers to as foster parents.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Fostering households are organised into four groups, known as pods, that are each supervised by one supervising social worker and supported by one children’s support worker. The geography of these groups is large, covering the West Midlands, the South West, East Anglia and the East Midlands.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered manager has worked in a management role in the agency since 2021 and has been registered with Ofsted since May 2023.

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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 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: 7 October 2019 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 3

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outstanding

The agency has developed a comprehensive therapeutic approach to the care and support that they offer children. Foster parents are skilled and knowledgeable in therapeutic parenting. They understand that children’s behaviours are linked to the trauma they have experienced, and they respond to them with understanding, love and patience. This leads to exceptional outcomes for children.

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outstanding

Most children stay with their foster parents for many years, building trusting relationships with them. Over half of all current children have been with their carers for over two years. A significant number of children remain with their foster parents once they reach adulthood. This reflects the strength of the relationships that children build as a valued part of their foster family.

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outstanding

Children grow in confidence once they move to their foster parents. They develop trust that their foster parents will respond to them in a calm and empathic way, whatever their behaviour Foster carers help children to feel valued and important. Children make considerable progress in their emotional well-being because of this.

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outstanding

The agency reports a high level of disclosures by children about their past experiences. This is in large part due to the trust they have built in their foster parents and the safety and security they feel. All disclosures are responded to sensitively and effectively. The team involve the expertise and advice of internal and external safeguarding professionals to provide a robust and consistent approach.

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outstanding

Foster parents support children well in their education. There is excellent communication between the agency, schools, the headteacher of the virtual school and the local authority to help children have access to educational placements that meet their needs. Children’s educational outcomes are very good.

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outstanding

Children have access to a wide range of activities, clubs and experiences. They go on holidays abroad, are involved in local ranger and scout groups, have days out and have opportunities to explore many new adventures. Children told the inspector that they feel part of the foster family and take part in things they have not tried before.

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outstanding

The agency has skilled children’s support workers who visit the children frequently. They build positive relationships with children, supporting their emotional well-being and sense of self-worth. Children spoken to all knew them well and said that they were fun and kind. There is evidence of excellent communication between the supervising social workers and the children’s support workers. This means that the needs of children are well known by the team, and support and services are identified and provided swiftly.

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outstanding

The agency considers children’s identity needs well. Children’s uniqueness is celebrated. Foster parents support children to continue traditions that are Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 4 meaningful to them and explore their culture and religion. This helps children to maintain a sense of self and belonging and build self-confidence.

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outstanding

The agency has comprehensive mechanisms in place to assess the needs of children before they go to live with a foster family. There is careful consideration of the proposed foster parent’s skills and experience and whether they can meet the needs of the child. When children are already living in the foster placement, the needs of all children are well assessed. Most of these assessments are excellent.

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outstanding

Very few children experience a breakdown of their placements with this agency’s foster parents. This is due to a significant package of pre-emptive support being in place for foster parents and children from the outset. The team consistently monitors the stability of each placement and adapts the services provided to ensure that children remain with their foster parents whenever possible. There is a very strong ethos that children are an integral part of the foster family, and they will not be given up on.

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outstanding

The well-being of foster carers is highly protected by the agency. The support offered to foster parents is outstanding. The agency employs empathic listeners, counsellors and an attachment therapist to provide a range of high-quality support. There is a strong focus on recognising when foster parents may be at risk of emotional exhaustion that limits their capacity to be as attuned to children’s feelings and emotional wellbeing so that support can be provided at an early stage.

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outstanding

There is a significant focus within the agency on helping children to make sense of past trauma. An experienced psychologist offers therapeutic services to children, foster parents and staff. This includes Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming.

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outstanding

Children rarely go missing from their foster homes. There have been no occasions where children have been restrained since the last inspection. Foster parents are skilled in using de-escalation techniques to help calm children when they are distressed, and this is causing behaviours that could put themselves or others at risk. This helps to build trusting relationships between children and their foster parents.

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outstanding

Children’s relationships with their birth families are supported well by the agency. However, the stability of the child’s relationship with their foster parent is prioritised when family relationships make children feel unsafe. Children’s support workers transport children to see their families rather than their foster parents. This helps children to continue to view their foster parents as people who keep them safe. Leaders and managers advocate for children and challenge other agencies when plans for their time with family are not meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 5 Leaders have high aspirations for children. Every part of the agency’s approach is underpinned by therapeutic parenting. It starts at the assessment process and flows through every part of the plans, support and care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good systems in place to monitor the quality of the care that children receive. However, some children’s records seen during the inspection had not been updated despite a significant amount happening recently for the child.. This has not had a negative impact on the care the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is competent and provides well-considered evaluations of the assessment of prospective foster parents. The agency decision maker approval is backed by detailed considerations and feedback is detailed. However, the voice of the child within panel meetings could be further strengthened.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency uses safe recruitment processes. This means that those adults working with children are appropriately vetted before commencing their employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In most circumstances, communication between the team and other agencies is good and this helps to ensure that children benefit from high quality care. However, on one occasion, a plan that was implemented for one child, which could have had a negative impact on another child, was not communicated effectively to their social worker. The team has reflected on this, and lessons have been learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders understand the agency’s strengths and areas for development. The team is newly formed, and there has been considerable positive change since the last inspection. Feedback from staff about the quality of the support and guidance that they receive is overwhelmingly positive. Staff are highly motivated to provide outstanding care for children. They report that this is due to the high level of support that they receive from leaders and managers and the underlying trauma- informed approach to childcare. The agency requires time to demonstrate that the positive changes that have been made within the team can be sustained. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person must regularly monitor 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. (Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards, page 14, paragraph 25.2)

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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: True Fostering Limited 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: True Fostering Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 76-78 Parsonage Street, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 4AA

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: alisond@truefostering.com

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Inspector

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: True Fostering Limited 8 inspects 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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