A1 Foster Care

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 1 A1 Foster Care A1 Foster Care Unit 15, Evans Business Centre, Lingfield Way, Darlington DL1 4QZ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency was first registered on 11 May 2017. The agency was initially registered as an organisation but is now registered as an individual provider.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides respite, short-term and long-term placements for children with a range of needs. Placements are provided by foster carers recruited by the agency.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency was providing placements for 32 children and had 23 approved fostering households.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency’s staff team comprises of the registered provider, a registered manager, two full-time supervising social workers, two part-time supervising social workers, a part-time administrator, and a full-time administrator.

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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 inadequate

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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

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: A1 Foster Care 2

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improvement to be good

The manager does not have an effective process for considering referrals made to the agency, and for sharing information with a child’s placing local authority. As a result, the manager does not fully consider whether a proposed foster carer can adequately meet and manage a child’s needs. One child’s local authority social worker felt the information provided about one foster carer was misleading.

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improvement to be good

For some children, the manager only documents this consideration after the children have moved in to live with the foster carer. Furthermore, the manager does not provide strategies to foster carers to help them to manage their own feelings. This has led to children being cared for, by foster carers who do not have the necessary skills and experience, resulting in children’s care arrangements becoming untenable. This causes unnecessary disruption to a child’s life.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers provide care to children on an emergency basis. However, for some children this has extended to several months without review or additional consultation. This prevents children from having certainty about their care and limits the manager’s ability to plan for children’s and foster carer’s longer-term needs, such as specialist training.

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improvement to be good

Some foster carers stay in touch with children after they move on. However, as the agency does not keep a record of where children have moved from and to, this is initiated by the foster carers and children. The agency’s lack of support in this process prevents the manager from helping children to have a wider support network.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers support children to attend school regularly and pass their exams. Older children are supported to access training and further education.

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improvement to be good

Foster families are brought together through the activities that the agency regularly facilitates. These are informed by the children’s interests and views. This helps children to feel valued and listened to. One child commented that they like these events as it helps them to make friends. The agency also has access to a caravan on a holiday park. This supports foster carers to spend quality time with the children.

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improvement to be good

The manager continues to develop systems to ensure that children’s wishes and feelings inform service developments. This remains in its infancy and has not been evaluated. The manager does not yet have a system in place to ensure the views of those important to the children contribute to the development of the service. This limits the opportunity to improve from external scrutiny.

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improvement to be good

Children receive individualised care and support, although the quality of this support varies. Children speak fondly about their foster carers and describe them as Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 3 ‘amazing’ and ‘perfect’. One child said that their foster carer saved their life. Additionally, the agency’s social workers advocate for children. This has resulted in two siblings being supported to spend time together despite them living in separate households. This helps children to maintain their sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are kept up to date when new risks emerge. However, although risks are identified, there are no strategies in place to mitigate there reoccurrence and to help foster carers manage children’s unsafe behaviours. In addition, foster carers do not receive training to help them to support children as new risks emerge. This places children and their foster carers at risk.

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improvement to be good

When complaints and allegations are made against foster carers, the agency follows the necessary safeguarding procedures. However, the agency does not keep a written evaluation of the information obtained during the investigation process. This makes it difficult to track and understand the decision-making process. Although once again no impact of this shortfall has been identified, it means that crucial information may be lost or not considered, potentially placing children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed for the agency’s social workers. Proof of identity is not on one staff member’s record, gaps in employment do not have recorded explanations and not all references have been verified. This does not provide assurances that staff are suitably vetted and qualified to work at the agency. Ongoing safeguarding checks for some foster carers do not take place within the necessary timescales. This prevents the manager from being assured that the foster carer continues to be a safe and appropriate adult to provide care to a child.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always obtain consent from a child’s placing local authority when the agency intends to change a child’s care arrangements. Furthermore, the agency does not share safeguarding information when making these requests. This prevents a child’s placing local authority from making fully informed safe decisions.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers do not consistently record when children’s medication is administered. This prevents the manager from being satisfied that children’s health care needs are being safely managed.

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improvement to be good

Foster carers do not consistently share details of their use of consequences and physical interventions to manage children’s behaviour. This is in breach of the agency’s policy and does not give the manager assurances that foster carers implement safe and appropriate behaviour management strategies.

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improvement to be good

The agency regularly reviews whether the home environment which children live in is safe and meets their needs. However, when a supervising social worker identifies improvements are required in a foster carer’s home, to improve safety, there is no Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 4 record that the necessary improvements have been made. This prevents the manager from being satisfied that children live in a safe environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is limited evidence of any management oversight, evaluation, or decision- making in the children’s case files. There has been one management audit since the previous inspection, however this lacks analysis and does not identify the shortfalls found during this inspection. The manager relies on information provided by the staff rather than undertaking her own evaluation of the quality of the staff’s practice and record-keeping. The manager is working with the service provider to address the shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not notified Ofsted of all significant incidents. This has prevented independent scrutiny and oversight of the safeguarding practice in response to the incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Foster carers and the agency do not have all the required statutory information about the children in their care. This includes placement plans, care plans, personal education plans, looked after health assessments and looked after child review documents. This means that foster carers do not have the most up-to-date information when providing care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all foster carers have completed their mandatory training. Records reflecting this are also inaccurate. This prevents the manager from effectively tracking which foster carers may require additional support. Equally, although foster carers are clear about the expectations with regards to their mandatory training, some carers did not complete this training in the required timescale. Although the agency’s social workers address these concerns when supervision sessions are held, there is still no accountability for these individuals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of documents and records kept by the agency is poor. The agency’s social workers are not consistent in recording requests made to professionals for children’s care planning decisions and documents, including education and health documents. When these requests are documented, the outcome of these requests is not always reflected in the child’s records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no policy in place that sets out clear timescales and expectations to escalate requests for missing documents. The manager is therefore unable to track how effective requests for decisions or information are and whether the required information or action has been provided. This causes unnecessary delay for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Foster carers logs do not consistently capture important details about a child’s life. This prevents children from having an accurate account of their time spent in foster care. Some language within these logs may be considered stigmatising to a child. Furthermore, these records are not always verified in the necessary timescales by Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 5 the agency’s social workers. This causes delay in addressing any shortfalls identified about the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The agency operates an effective out of hours service to support foster carers. This is valued by those who access it. Some foster carers feel better supported than others. One foster carer described their social worker as ‘amazing’. However, foster carers and the children they care for, who live in the North West, do not receive the same quality of service as those in the North East. There are fewer face-to-face training opportunities for foster carers and fewer social events for children. This means the standards of care differ across the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The supervision of the provider’s social workers is much improved. It is regular and reflective. There are discussions recorded about the children and the carers. However, the manager does not set timeframes for expectations about what the social worker is required to achieve. This hinders progress being made. In addition, records of the manager’s supervision sessions contain limited information. They do not reflect discussions about any progress being made to address the shortfalls from the previous inspection. This prevents the service provider from being assured that the necessary improvements are being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The agency’s website is misleading and does not contain the most recent version of the agency’s statement of purpose. This prevents those accessing this information from having an accurate understanding of how the agency operates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

No children’s guide has been sent to Ofsted in line with the regulations. This prevents the regulator from being assured that children are being given the necessary information when they move in with a foster carer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The fostering panel is operated effectively. It is diverse and is a strength of the agency. The quality of the assessments provides sufficient information to help the fostering panel to make sound recommendations to the agency decision-maker. Minutes of the panel meeting clearly demonstrate when panel members challenge the agency and when shortfalls are identified, such as safeguarding checks being out of timescales and mandatory training not being up to date. There are clear explanations of why panel members make the recommendations about prospective foster carers to the agency decision-maker. However, panel minutes are not always accurate which causes confusion. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 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 person must maintain a system for—

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Requirement Due date

monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals, and

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Requirement Due date

improving the quality of foster care provided by the fostering agency. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person meets the shortfalls identified that relate to national minimum standards 21.9, 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 26.2, 26.5 and 26.6.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 1 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. (Regulation 11 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person meets the shortfalls identified that relate to national minimum standards 2.3, 4.1, 11.2 and 15.1.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 1 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children placed with foster parents from abuse or neglect, and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect. 1 October 2024 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 7 The written policy must include a statement of measures to be taken to safeguard any child before making parent and child arrangements with that foster parent.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must, subject to paragraph (4), provide in particular for—

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Requirement Due date

the prompt referral to the area authority of any allegation of abuse or neglect affecting any child placed by the fostering service provider,

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Requirement Due date

notification of the instigation and outcome of any child protection enquiries involving a child placed by the fostering service provider, to the Chief Inspector,

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Requirement Due date

written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person meets the shortfalls identified that relate to national minimum standards 22.6, 22.7, 22.8 and 22.9.

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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, or

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Requirement Due date

allow a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, 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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to that person in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 1. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person meets the shortfalls identified that relate to national minimum standards 19.1, 19.2, 19.3 and 19.4.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 1 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including 1 October 2024 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 8 support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with them.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that foster parents are familiar with, and act in accordance with the policies established in accordance with regulations 12(1) and 13(1) and (3).

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Requirement Due date

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 (1) (2) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person meets the shortfalls identified that relate to national minimum standards 4.3, 4.6, 6.8, 6.10, 20.3 and 20.8.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

Any notification made in accordance with this regulation which is given orally must be confirmed in writing. (Regulation 36 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 1 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must maintain and keep up to date the records specified in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The records referred to in paragraph (1) must be retained for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 22 (1)) 1 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must compile a written statement in relation to the fostering service (“the statement of purpose”) which consists of— 1 October 2024 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 9 a statement of the aims and objectives of the fostering service, and

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Requirement Due date

a statement as to the services and facilities (including any parent and child arrangements) provided by the fostering service.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to the Chief Inspector, place a copy on their website (if they have one).

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide a copy of the children’s guide to the Chief Inspector, 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).

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the fostering service provider must ensure that the fostering service is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 3 (1)(a)(b) (2) (4)(5))

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Recommendations

 The fostering service provider should ensure that foster carers receive support on how to manage their responses and feelings arising from caring for children, particularly where children display very challenging behaviour, and understand how children’s previous experiences can manifest in behaviours that challenge. (‘Fostering services: National Minimum Standards’, 3.7)  The fostering service provider should ensure that the panel chair ensures written minutes of panel meetings are accurate and clearly cover the key issues and views expressed by panel members and record the reasons for their recommendation. (‘Fostering services: National Minimum Standards’, 14.7)

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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: A1 Foster Care 10

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Unit 15, Evans Business Centre, Lingfield Way, Darlington DL1 4QZ

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: jan.anderson@a1fostercare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: A1 Foster Care 11 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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