Brighter Fostering Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 1 Brighter Fostering Limited Brighter Fostering Limited Suite F, 2nd Floor, Mill 2, Mabgate Mills, Leeds LS9 7DZ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Brighter Fostering is a small independent fostering agency. It currently has six children living in foster homes and seven fostering families. The fostering agency registered with Ofsted in November 2021. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the fostering agency was registered.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager was not available due to being out of the country during the time of the inspection. She made herself available to speak to inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 2

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inadequate

The provider has failed to ensure that the foster carers, children and student social workers receive support and guidance from staff who are skilled, qualified and have the experience to undertake these roles. The children and foster carers are seen regularly by the responsible individual and the student social workers, who are on placement with the agency. However, these visits are not directly overseen by a qualified social worker.

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inadequate

Plans for children who move to new foster homes are not always child-centred. For example, one child was introduced to foster carers before all the relevant information had been obtained. Information held by school indicated that the foster carers could not meet the child’s needs. Therefore, this child was exposed to uncertainty as this placement did not go ahead.

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inadequate

Not all foster carers have a copy of the children’s care plans, and some children do not have care plans in place. While the agency has asked the local authority for these plans, they have not been made available. This prevents the foster carers from having a comprehensive overview of the children’s needs so they can understand how children need to be cared for.

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inadequate

Despite the failings in the fostering practice of this agency, the children are making some progress, and most children have positive experiences with their fostering families. For example, all children, including children who have recently arrived in the United Kingdom, are in receipt of appropriate education. One child proudly told inspectors that their foster carer has taught them how to be healthy and active and that this has made them feel good about themself.

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inadequate

Most of the children have lived with their fostering families for several months. These children are settled and well established. Most children experience complete acceptance from their fostering families. This gives them a sense of stability and belonging.

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inadequate

Children’s heritage and identity are supported well. Children who are new to the country are helped to join local faith groups and spend time with people who speak their language and share their cultural identity. Fostering families take the time to learn the child’s first language while the children learn English. This helps children to feel valued and increases their ability to communicate their wishes and feelings.

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

The provider has failed to ensure that someone with the required qualifications, skills and experience can respond in person and immediately when any significant issues or concerns arise. The registered manager does not work full time, and she lives a Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 3 significant distance away from the agency and location of the foster carers. This severely limits her oversight and capacity to respond in person to urgent situations when these arise.

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

There are times when there is no one available to carry out the functions of the agency safely. During the inspection, the registered manager was not in the country, and the responsible individual was attending a personal event a significant distance away. This left the student social workers, who are in their induction period, without any means of support, guidance and monitoring. This practice does not ensure that the children are safe and that the foster carers feel supported.

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

Safeguarding concerns are not always responded to appropriately. One child emailed numerous concerns to their social worker about one foster carer’s behaviour. A different child later shared similar concerns. The agency failed to consider this pattern of concern and did not seek advice from the local authority designated officer. This does not provide independent scrutiny of the child’s concerns or the allegations made.

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

The provider has failed to consistently maintain clear, accurate records of safeguarding incidents. When the agency responds to safeguarding concerns, the actions that they have undertaken are not always recorded. The lack of information prevents independent agencies from scrutinising the provider’s actions to ensure that the appropriate steps have been taken to safeguard children.

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

The risks surrounding family relationships and the potential impact on children are not fully understood. The quality of fostering assessments is not consistent as the majority of these are completed by the student social workers. The students are not suitably qualified to carry out assessments on their own . While some assessments address all of the key issues, other assessments fail to satisfactorily address concerns such as domestic abuse within the extended family who live in the home.

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

The agency has failed to ensure that all of the foster carers have the required first- aid training so that they can respond to children in a medical emergency. Only two foster carers have had any relevant first-aid training. This has the potential to expose the children to unnecessary risk.

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

The registered manager, who is the only supervising social worker in the agency, does not undertake immediate investigations when safeguarding concerns are raised. Due to the location of her home address, she is unable to respond immediately and visit fostering households when safeguarding concerns arise. Consequently, the responsible individual, who is neither a qualified social worker nor experienced, manages these situations with the children’s placing local authority.

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

Children’s safe care plans are not always kept up to date. They do not reflect all the children’s current needs and risks, nor do they include any new information about the children’s past experiences as this emerges. This failing prevents the foster carers from having all the relevant information so that they can provide the best care they can to keep the children and themselves safe. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 4 Not all foster carers have a good understanding of the impact of trauma on children. Some foster carers have repeatedly used derogatory language to describe the children and their behaviours. Although the provider has addressed this poor practice, there are no written action plans in place to identify how this practice is being addressed. This prevents the provider from being assured that the foster carers are clear about the expectations that are placed on them, and that the

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

support being offered to the foster carers is appropriate for them to make the required changes.

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

When recruiting new staff, the agency ensures that the appropriate references and checks are undertaken. However, the recruitment processes are not well documented. Written records are not routinely kept of the interviews. When these are kept, the rationale for the applicant’s appointment is not made clear when they have limited previous experience for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has failed to ensure that there are suitable day-to-day management arrangements in place in the absence of the registered manager. She has not visited the agency for several weeks. Therefore, there has been no one with the relevant qualifications and experience to provide day-to-day oversight of the support, guidance and supervision of foster carers, children and the student social workers. The lack of management oversight and understanding has led to serious shortfalls across a number of areas. This has led to an inadequate judgement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered provider has failed to ensure that there are sufficient staffing arrangements in place to promote the safety and well-being of the children. The registered manager is the only qualified social worker employed. The agency relies on student social workers to perform direct social work tasks. These students perform these important tasks to the best of their ability. However, they do not receive direct support and supervision from the registered manager. Management oversight is significantly limited and students are not directly observed during the completion of the assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent scrutiny of the operation of the agency and its staff has been compromised. This new, small agency has a limited number of staff who perform a range of different and conflicting roles. The agency decision-maker is also the fostering panel chair on occasion. This individual is also responsible for placing the student social workers with the agency. They also act as the students’ practice educator. In addition to these roles, the agency’s decision-maker has also undertaken visits to the fostering families in their homes as part of the recruitment process. This does not ensure independent oversight of the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The foster panel remains quorate. There is a central list of the panel members, who are from diverse backgrounds and are suitably experienced. The panel decisions on foster carers’ suitability are made in a timely manner. However, the panel has not identified the inconsistencies in the quality of the foster carers’ assessments, nor has Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 5 it acknowledged the times when there has been a conflict of interest. On one occasion, the responsible individual, who was a panel member, presented information on a foster carer who they had interviewed during a safeguarding enquiry. The panel failed to recognise the conflict or the influence they had in the panel process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not received supervision sessions since the service was registered with Ofsted 17 months ago. This has led to a lack of scrutiny of the registered manager’s practice. This poor practice has prevented the manager from developing her skills and has prevented the provider from identifying any shortfalls in the manager’s practice. There are now plans in place for the manager to receive supervision by an independent social worker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are no clear lines of accountability. The registered manager and the responsible individual have completed each other’s appraisals. The registered manager oversees the practice of the responsible individual when addressing safeguarding concerns raised about foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to current staffing arrangements, there is not always a qualified social worker available to offer out-of-hours support to the foster carers or the children. This is not in line with the agency’s statement of purpose. This does not help prospective foster carers or social workers looking for a fostering family to understand what support is available outside of the agency’s usual opening hours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a focus on recruiting foster carers from diverse backgrounds who can meet the cultural needs of the children from the local areas. One prospective foster carer confirmed that they felt welcomed, supported and valued through the recruitment and assessment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The managers have developed a positive working relationship with the local authority of the children they care for. Professionals shared a positive view of their relationship with the agency during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the significant failings identified with the operation of the agency that affect the safeguarding arrangements for children, Ofsted has issued two compliance notices under regulations 8 and 11. Ofsted will monitor the provider’s progress in taking action to remedy these failings. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 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, The 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 provider and the registered manager must, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency, carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b)) 10 September 2023

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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 (1)(a)) 10 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

A person must not manage a fostering agency unless they are fit to do so.

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Requirement Due date

A person is not fit to manage a fostering agency unless that person—

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Requirement Due date

is of integrity and good character. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the fostering service must ensure that any significant change in the way the service is managed is communicated immediately to the regulator. 1 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with them. 1 November 2023 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 7 The fostering service provider must ensure that, in relation to any child placed or to be placed with a foster parent, the foster parent is given such information, which is kept up to date, as to enable them to provide appropriate care for the child, and in particular that each foster parent is provided with a copy of the most recent version of the child’s care plan provided to the fostering service provider under regulation 6(3)(d) of the Care Planning Regulations. (Regulation 17 (1) (3))

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that there is a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the purposes of the fostering service, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering service, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by it, and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of children placed with foster parents. (Regulation 19 (a)(b)) 1 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must not—

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Requirement Due date

employ a person to work for the purposes of the fostering service unless that person is fit to do so.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work for the purposes of a fostering service unless that person—

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Requirement Due date

has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for the work they are to perform.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must take reasonable steps to ensure that any person working for a fostering service who is not employed by the fostering service, and to whom paragraph (2) does not apply, is appropriately supervised while carrying out their duties. (Regulation 20 (1)(a) (3)(b) (4))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the fostering service must be able to provide written records that demonstrate how they have assessed through interview a candidate’s suitability to be appointed. In particular, records should demonstrate that the candidate has the necessary experience and skills to undertake the role they have been appointed to. 1 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 8

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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: Brighter Fostering Limited 9

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Brighter Fostering Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Suite F, 2nd Floor, Mabgate Mills, Leeds LS9 7DZ

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: admin@brighterfostering.co.uk

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Inspectors

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 10 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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