Fostering Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering Limited 1 Fostering Limited Fostering Limited Fostering Limited, Unit B2, Pittman Court, Pittman Way, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9ZG Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This independent fostering agency registered with Ofsted in June 2015 and is privately owned. It provides a range of emergency, short-term, respite and long- term foster placements for children who are unable to live with their birth families.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency was providing foster care for 27 children living in 15 fostering households.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The previous registered manager left the agency in May 2024. One of the agency’s directors has stepped into the manager’s role and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with stable and supportive care from their foster carers. They are supported to develop secure relationships with their foster carers and supervising social workers, and many children stay living with their foster carers when they reach adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers feel valued. They receive high-quality support and supervision that help them to reflect on their fostering experiences and enable them to provide good- quality care to the children they look after.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and supervising social workers have an extremely thorough understanding of each foster carer’s individual skills, as they have developed good working relationships with them. Foster carers are involved in decisions about children moving into their homes. Therefore, children only move in with the agency’s foster carers when it is identified that their needs can be met effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress when living with their foster carers. Systems are in place to monitor their progress, and carers and supervising social workers identify areas where a child may need further help. One child has been given specific external advice in relation to smoking and vaping, and a plan has been put into place to help them to reduce and stop. This is important to them as it will mean they will be healthier when applying to join the army in the near future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well supported. Foster carers and supervising social workers emphasise the importance of education and participate in school meetings. During school holidays, the agency hosts activities and picnics where foster families can meet together. This provides all children in the foster family with opportunities to come together to talk about how they experience life as part of a fostering household and to build relationships. During these sessions, agency staff also gather feedback, which is used to further develop the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are generally well met. However, on one occasion, medical consent was not obtained from one child’s placing authority social worker. This led to a delay in the child receiving essential dental care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The fostering agency has made a deliberate decision to grow its pool of foster carers organically by word-of-mouth referrals and through encouraging existing foster carers to recommend fostering to others. This has had mixed success; however, there are now several families going through the assessment process. This means that carers who want to foster fully understand the complexities of fostering and are prepared by the agency to offer a supportive and nurturing environment to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency provides comprehensive training and ongoing support. This not only enhances the skills of current foster carers, but also motivates them to share their positive experiences in their communities. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering Limited 3

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

Children consistently say that they feel safe living with their foster carers. The relationships between foster carers and children are supportive and nurturing. The consistency of caring adults who children can relate to contributes significantly to their overall well-being.

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

Managers promote a strong culture of safeguarding. Foster carers and staff know their own roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. However, when the response from other professionals falls short of a good standard, the agency does not yet have proactive processes in place to advocate for children’s welfare. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that children’s needs are being met.

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

Clear risk management plans are in place and help children and foster carers to make informed choices. Additionally, each child has a well-defined missing-from- home plan. This ensures that foster carers are well prepared to respond if incidents arise. As a result, incidents of children going missing are rare, and the agency’s proactive approach contributes to their overall safety.

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

The agency carries out comprehensive recruitment checks for new staff, panel members and prospective foster carers. This is accompanied by risk assessments when required. This ensures that the staff working with children are safe to do so.

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

Safer caring plans are completed with input from a range of professionals. These plans reflect the child’s individual needs and provide foster carers with all the relevant information they will need to care for children safely. These plans help to promote stability and well-being for each child and foster carer.

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

When faced with risk, foster carers and supervising social workers act swiftly and decisively, and they follow established procedures. All carers commented on the robust response from the out-of-hours service. This ensures that children receive timely support.

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

Generally, leaders and managers take effective action when concerns arise about the practice of foster carers. Information is shared with relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer. However, on one occasion, concerns raised about the care being provided to children were not investigated quickly or robustly enough. This does not ensure that children are safeguarded effectively.

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

Supervising social workers regularly visit foster carers’ homes to ensure that they are safe environments for children. Supervision sessions are detailed, and records of these sessions are promptly provided to foster carers, who sign to agree the contents. The agency also undertakes twice-yearly unannounced visits to ensure that children are receiving good-quality care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering Limited 4 The preparation, training and assessment of foster carers are good. Assessment reports presented to the fostering panel demonstrate the skills and experiences that applicants bring to fostering.

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

An independent reviewing officer carries out good-quality independent reviews of suitability to foster. The reviews are carried out within the required time frames and offer robust support and appropriate challenges to foster carers. All foster carers said that this mechanism is helpful to them.

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

Foster carers benefit from a varied training programme that covers topics such as child development, attachment and trauma and managing behaviour. This helps to give carers a deep understanding of their responsibilities. When carers need additional support, training is sourced for them to undertake.

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good

The agency has undergone significant changes over the past year, with several staff members resigning and new staff joining. The director has taken on the role of manager and is awaiting her registration interview.

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good

The staffing changes have impacted the experiences of some foster carers. However, carers expressed positive sentiments about the agency. They particularly appreciate the support from the director, who has played a key role in maintaining their commitment to the agency.

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good

However, shortfalls in oversight by managers have meant that a breakdown in communication from some carers was not swiftly addressed, and insufficient plans for two children moving on from their foster home were not escalated with their placing authority in a timely manner. This was addressed during the inspection but did not ensure that children or their foster carers were well prepared for their moves.

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good

The statement of purpose for the agency does not reflect the staffing changes. This limits the regulator’s oversight of the agency. In addition, the agency website did not reflect the current management structure. This was rectified during the inspection.

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good

The fostering panel provides effective scrutiny and challenge to the agency. The fostering panel chair and vice-chair are skilled and experienced, and the panel makes robust recommendations. The fostering panel has moved back to in-person panels, which has been seen as a positive move by carers. The administration of the panel is efficient and professionally managed. This effectiveness contributes to the smooth operation of the panel. The agency decision-maker also possesses a high level of experience and proficiency. Decisions are considered thoroughly and are accompanied by well-founded rationale. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering Limited 5 Supervising social workers receive regular, effective supervision that helps them with their professional growth and supports their work with foster carers. These sessions are well organised and provide opportunities for reflection and development.

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good

Gaps in management oversight have led to key documents, such as care plans, placement plans and minutes from children’s reviews, not being held in the agency’s recording system. This limits supervising social workers’ ability to have an accurate picture of the children placed. A new monitoring system has been introduced but it is yet to be embedded. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: 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 fostering service provider must promote the health and development of children placed with foster parents.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the fostering service provider must ensure that each child—

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Requirement Due date

is a registered patient with a general medical practitioner who provides primary medical services under Part 4 of the National Health Service Act 2006,

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Requirement Due date

has access to such medical, dental, nursing, psychological and psychiatric advice, treatment and other services as the child may require,

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Requirement Due date

is provided with such individual support, aids and equipment which the child may require as a result of any particular health needs or disability the child may have, and

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Requirement Due date

is provided with guidance, support and advice on health, personal care and health promotion issues appropriate to the child’s needs and wishes. (Regulation 15 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that medical consent is obtained from a child’s placing authority at the point of a child’s placement with a foster carer. 16 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

notify the Chief Inspector of any such revision within 28 days (Regulation 4 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is reflective of the current service. 16 October 2024 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: 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 him 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 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s care and placement plans are requested from the child’s placing authority at the point of a child’s placement with a foster carer and that escalation processes are followed if they are not received. In addition, ensure that revisions of the care plan are obtained. 16 October 2024

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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, and

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Requirement Due date

before making any decision affecting a child placed or to be placed with a foster parent due consideration is given to the child’s—

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Requirement Due date

wishes and feelings (having regard to the child’s age and understanding), and

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Requirement Due date

religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background. (Regulation 11 (a)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that action is taken to support children when their carers resign from the agency. Plans must be made with placing authority social workers to manage a move in a positive manner, ensuring that the children’s welfare is paramount. 16 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the manager regularly monitors 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 50, paragraph 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that investigations into allegations or suspicions of harm are handled fairly, quickly and consistently in a way that Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering Limited 8 provides effective protection for the child and supports the person who is subject to the allegation. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 45, paragraph 22.9)

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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: Fostering Limited 9

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Unit B2, Pittman Court, Pittman Way, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9ZG

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Williams

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Inspectors

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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