Blossom Fostering Services Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 1 Blossom Fostering Services Limited Blossom Fostering Services Limited Unit 28 Future House, Marsh Farm, Moakes, Luton LU3 3QB Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This small, privately owned independent fostering agency recruits and supports foster carers across the East and South East of England.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency was supporting three approved fostering households and caring for two children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered manager has been in post since June 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The independent fostering agency is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 September 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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improvement to be good

The agency has remained small since the last inspection in September 2023. At the time of this inspection, the agency was supporting three fostering households and two children, with a further two households awaiting approval.

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improvement to be good

There are examples of good-quality care. However, due to reduced management capacity, improvements in practice and the systems that underpin consistently good- quality care have been slow to develop. As a result, this agency requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

The manager carries out matching impact assessments for all new referrals. These are basic and do not adequately consider how all the child’s developmental needs will be met by the foster carers. Foster carer profiles do not provide full information about foster carers’ limitations. This reduces the quality of placement decision- making.

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improvement to be good

The agency supports foster carers to provide children with warm, consistent care that helps children to feel safe. Foster carers welcome children to their homes sensitively and respond well to children’s emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers recognise children’s strengths and are aspirational for children’s educational attainment. Children are supported to prepare for, and to participate in, meetings about their education.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers have a good understanding of children’s basic health needs and support children to attend required health appointments. When needed, foster carers have met with health professionals to ensure that they are confident in administering medication safely. Foster carers encourage children to access fun physical activities.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views are not consistently captured. One child said that they are not kept up to date with progress in response to issues that they had raised. There is a process in place for children to make a complaint. However, information about this, and other important information contained in the agency’s children’s guide, is not consistently shared with children in a meaningful way.

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improvement to be good

Assessments of potential foster carers do not fully explore applicants’ vulnerabilities or evidence their skills or ability to provide parent-and-child placements. On one occasion, the agency failed to obtain a written reference for a foster carer transferring to them from their previous fostering agency. Other relevant information was obtained for this applicant in line with the transfer protocol process, including Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 3 accessing the applicant’s case file. However, the missing reference was not identified by the fostering panel or the agency decision-maker, who failed to provide appropriate scrutiny of the safer recruitment checks.

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improvement to be good

There has been one safeguarding incident since the last inspection. The foster carers and agency staff responded quickly to ensure that the child was safe and accessed appropriate medical treatment. The foster carers implemented measures to reduce the risk of recurrence.

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improvement to be good

Managers ensure that safer caring household plans are written for each fostering household. These are individualised to the child’s needs. The supervising social worker carries out unannounced visits shortly after children move in to look at the environment. This helps ensure children are provided with safe and comfortable homes.

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improvement to be good

All foster carers with children in their care have completed first-aid and safeguarding training. Foster carers said that they received an informative induction that helped them to understand the fostering role and how to care for children safely.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers provide children with predictable daily routines and understandable, consistent boundaries. However, risk assessments relating to individual children are not routinely updated as new information is received. This does not provide foster carers with an up-to-date understanding of a child’s experiences and how this may present in the child’s behaviour.

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good

Improvements since the last inspection have been slow. Two shortfalls remain and further shortfalls in practice have been identified. Managers have a good understanding of the agency’s areas for development and, following a period of reduced management capacity, now have capacity to introduce the required changes. Managers remain committed to delivering good-quality care and recruiting foster carers who reflect the cultural and heritage needs of the children in the local area.

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good

The agency is led by an experienced manager who is working towards the required management qualification. The manager knows the children and foster carers well. Foster carers receive a high level of responsive help and support and value the experience of the managers, who have relevant experience of fostering and providing foster care.

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good

Foster carers receive regular supervision. However, the quality of supervision is variable. Supervision does not consistently provide foster carers with advice and guidance or allow for reflection on recent training to enhance foster carers’ understanding of the children they are caring for. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 4 Fostering panel members are diverse in culture and experience. They provide careful consideration of an applicant’s strengths and vulnerabilities but challenge and scrutiny of assessment and accompanying documents are sometimes lacking. Panel minutes are not always clear and accurate. They do not capture what information panel members reviewed to inform their recommendation or state which panel member expressed the minuted view. On one occasion, the recommendation for a foster carer’s approval was inaccurately recorded.

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good

The agency decision-maker has relevant experience of fostering. However, their involvement with the agency is limited to reviewing panel paperwork and falls short of what is required.

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good

The quality of foster carer and case file records is poor. Records do not provide an accurate record of children’s experiences or reflect the warmth conveyed by foster carers and the manager when speaking about children. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 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, 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

Where a person (“X”) applies to become a foster parent and the fostering service provider decide to assess X’s suitability to become a foster parent, any such assessment must be carried out in accordance with this regulation.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (1B), the fostering service provider—

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Requirement Due date

where X has been a foster parent within the preceding 12 months and was approved as such by another fostering service provider, must request a written reference from that other fostering service provider.

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Requirement Due date

(The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 as amended by The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review and Fostering Services (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013. Regulation 7 (1A)(b)) 1 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The functions of the fostering panel in respect of cases referred to it by the fostering service provider are—

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Requirement Due date

to consider each application for approval and to recommend whether or not a person is suitable to be a foster parent,

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Requirement Due date

where it recommends approval of an application, to recommend any terms on which the approval is to be given,

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Requirement Due date

to recommend whether or not a person remains suitable to be a foster parent, and whether or not the terms of their approval (if any) remain appropriate—

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Requirement Due date

In considering what recommendation to make under paragraph (1), the fostering panel—

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Requirement Due date

may request the fostering service provider to obtain any other relevant information or to provide such other assistance as the fostering panel considers necessary. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)) 1 June 2024 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 6 In particular, fostering panel should provide effective scrutiny to ensure all safer recruitment checks are undertaken and provided as required.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only suggest foster carers to local authorities as a potential match for a child if the foster carer can reasonably be expected to meet the child’s assessed needs and the impact of the placement on existing household members has been considered. In particular, ensure that any limitations of the proposed fostering arrangement are clearly identified and shared with the local authority at the point of referral. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 32, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that children understand how their views have been taken into account and when significant wishes or concerns are not acted on, they are helped to understand why. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 8, paragraph 1.2)  The registered person should oversee that the panel chair ensures written minutes of panel meetings are accurate and clearly cover the main issues and

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Recommendations

views expressed by panel members and record the reasons for its recommendation. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 30, paragraph 14.7)  The registered person should ensure that the written report on the person’s suitability to be approved as a foster carer sets out clearly all the information that the fostering panel and decision-maker need in order to make an objective approval decision. The reports should be prepared, signed and dated by the social worker who assessed the prospective foster carer and countersigned and dated by the fostering team manager or a team manager of another of the provider’s fostering teams. In particular, ensure that there is clear evidence of the applicant’s ability to support parent-and-child arrangements and that clear identification of applicants’ vulnerabilities and support needs are reflected on carers’ profiles. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 29, paragraph 13.7)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that foster carers are aware of and alert to any signs or symptoms that might indicate a child is at risk of harm. This specifically relates to ensuring that assessments of risks to children are updated to provide clear and accurate guidance to foster carers as children’s needs change. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 14, paragraph 4.3)  The registered person should ensure that the fostering service’s decision-maker is a senior person in the fostering service or is a trustee or director of the fostering service. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 48, paragraph 23.12) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 7  The registered person should ensure that foster carers receive support to understand children’s previous experiences. In particular, ensure that learning from training, and information shared about the child in referrals and updated

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Recommendations

plans, is discussed with foster carers. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 12, paragraph 3.7)  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. Children should be actively encouraged to read their files, other than necessarily confidential or third-party information, and to correct errors and add personal statements. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 52, paragraph 26.6)  The registered person should ensure that the child receives the children’s guide at the point of placement and that the foster carer explains the contents of the children’s guide in a way that is accessible. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 33, paragraph 16.3)

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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: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Blossom Fostering Services Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Unit 28 Future House, Marsh Farm, Moakes, Luton, Bedfordshire LU3 3QB

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Shahzeb Adil Khan

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered manager: Jiji Thannikuzhippil Joseph

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@blossomfostering.co.uk

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Inspectors

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Majella Russell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Blossom Fostering Services Limited 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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