National Fostering Agency

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 1 National Fostering Agency The National Fostering Agency Limited 920 Birchwood Boulevard, Warrington WA3 7QS Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This is one of several independent fostering agencies owned by a large national provider. This agency registered with Ofsted on 27 July 2016.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had 110 approved fostering households providing care for 156 children. The agency provides short-term, long-term, permanent, respite, parent and child and emergency placements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered manager has been in post since July 2023.

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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 good

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good

The independent fostering agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2021

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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: National Fostering Agency 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living with the agency’s foster carers. Children experience child-centred, individualised care and support from their foster carers. Foster carers understand the children’s needs well. This enables children to develop positive, trusting relationships with their foster carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency’s matching of children to foster carers is good. This results in children being placed with carers who can meet their needs. Child-centred planning and preparation allows for an adequate period of adjustment and integration for the child and foster carer to get to know each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to develop an appropriate sense of permanence and belonging and are fully included in their foster carers’ family lives. One child said that they love their foster carers and feel part of the family. Children enjoy doing activities with their foster family, such as going on holiday and having days out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers speak affectionately about the children they care for. They advocate for what is in the children’s best interests. One child said that their carers are ‘always rooting for us’. Foster carers commitment to the children is a real strength. An example of this commitment is a foster who prioritised a child’s ending to the placement before her own needs. This feeling of commitment and unconditional love is important to children’s feelings of security and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to spend time with their family members. Staff and foster carers appreciate the significance of these family relationships. This helps the children to maintain their identity and continue to see the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are attending school or pre-school provision, and their attendance is good. They are learning and making good progress from their starting points. Foster carers support children to achieve their educational potential and have opportunities beyond the school day to engage in activities which promote learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of new experiences that contribute to their physical and emotional health. For example, several children enjoyed a one-week residential at a farm and engaged in activities which promoted independence and confidence building while learning new skills. This led to one child becoming a volunteer at a local farm. Another child won a Young Explorer’s Award after successfully completing expeditions to Scotland and Canada. Children receive support to develop their individual areas of interest, such as swimming, horse riding and golf. These new experiences help to build children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health or are being helped to improve their health or to manage lifelong conditions. Children’s health needs are identified and addressed, and they Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 3 have access to local services. Children with complex health needs are provided with a high level of support, and additional support is offered to their foster carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of the child are sought regularly on all aspects of their care and support. Children actively engage in the youth participation group and help plan events and interview new members of staff. All staff, including the managers, know the children well. The staff are regular visitors to the children in their home and they see them at family activity days. They also take pride in children’s progress and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers receive the training and development they need to carry out their role effectively. This includes access to specialist training when new needs emerge. This ensures that children are cared for by foster carers who have the experience, skills and training necessary to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers and children have access to specialist advice if required. Therapeutic support is available from the wider organisation through schemes such as Bridge to Foster and Invictus, and an education lead is able to provide advice and guidance on educational issues. Support workers carry out high-quality individual work with children. This supports and improves children’s emotional well-being and placement stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers are a key part of the team working with children. One foster carer has created a cookery video for children who are heading towards adulthood. Another foster carer has facilitated craft sessions with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave their foster homes, staff keep in touch with children when appropriate. One young person described the staff as ‘cheerleaders’ who are always there for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Certain case records for children are inconsistent in quality and do not always reflect their daily lived experience. Managers acknowledge that this is an area for development and have plans to address this shortfall.

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

Children spoken to during the inspection process identified their foster carers as someone they could talk to about any concerns. Children told inspectors they know how to make a complaint.

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

The agency promotes safe care, and staff make unannounced visits to foster carers at least annually. Staff ensure that children have regular opportunities to speak to them without their foster carers. Unannounced visits take place at different times to ensure that the standard of care remains high even when a social worker is not expected to visit.

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

Risks are not fully understood by staff. Individual risk assessments do not always address all known vulnerabilities for each child effectively and set out what actions Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 4 should be taken to address the risks. This means that the foster carers do not have all the strategies to help reduce harm or the risk of harm to the child and others.

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

Incidents of children going missing from foster carers’ homes are rare. Children’s risk assessments identify missing from home when this is a known risk. However, a missing-from-home profile is not completed as the agency’s policy sets out, and there is no record of return home interviews taking place.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed well by foster carers who receive specific behaviour support training. Foster carers use effective de-escalation techniques, and the frequency of incidents of physical intervention is extremely low and continues to fall. This helps to create a positive home environment where children can flourish. The need for formal police intervention has reduced significantly since the last inspection.

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

The agency follows safer recruitment processes for foster carers, staff and panel members. This helps to ensure that foster homes are a safe place for children to live. Careful recruitment also prevents unsuitable staff from being recruited and having the opportunity to harm children or place them at risk.

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

Child protection concerns are immediately shared with the placing and/or host local authority as required, and a record of that referral is retained. Allegations or suspicion of harm are shared with the appropriate agencies and are handled fairly, quickly and in accordance with statutory guidance. Support is provided to foster carers facing allegations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has a permanent registered manager, who is suitably qualified and experienced. The registered manager is dedicated and is passionate about the service. The manager is supported by two team managers and an advanced practitioner who share the same child-centred ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of foster carers and children. Staff are extremely child centred and highly committed to achieving excellent outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the managers are supportive and that they enjoy working for the agency. Staff receive regular supervision, and records demonstrate that supervision is of good quality with opportunities for reflection. Team meetings take place regularly, which allows for feedback and discussion. The staff’s views are listened to, and their ideas are considered when reviewing any changes to care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are procedures for monitoring and reviewing the activities of the agency. This includes any serious incidents, allegations or complaints about the service and ensuring the quality of the service. Managers meet several times a week to identify any concerns about specific incidents, patterns and trends, and they take immediate action. Managers and staff use learning from practice and feedback to improve experiences and care of children. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 5 The recruitment of foster carers includes a strong system of detailed initial home visits to ensure that only suitable people progress to assessment. Assessments are thorough and explore key issues to ensure that people feel equipped to foster.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Each foster carer is supervised by a named, appropriately qualified social worker who has meetings with the foster carer on a regular basis. The meetings have a clear purpose and provide the opportunity to supervise the foster carer’s work and ensure that the foster carer is meeting the child’s needs. Carers receive a formal review annually. Early reviews are held when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers are extremely positive about their experiences and say that staff are ‘caring’ and ‘go above and beyond’. Foster carers feel supported by their supervising social workers, and they feel valued. This is a real strength of the agency. Foster carers report that they can always speak to someone who knows about their situation and who can offer timely and helpful advice. Support groups take place regularly and across the region. Foster carers say that the agency has an inclusive family feel, which they are part of.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency’s escalation policy is not followed consistently. Outstanding documents from other agencies are not always received. Managers and staff are not consistent in their challenge of the local authority when they have concerns about the plans for children. This can lead to drift and delay in resolving issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Panel members have the necessary knowledge and expertise to support the agency decision-maker to make effective child-centred decisions. The fostering panel carries out a rigorous quality assurance function and promotes thorough assessments, support and training for foster carers. The panel members are recruited from a range of diverse backgrounds, including care experienced members. Foster carers reported that attending panel was a positive experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency decision-maker makes a considered decision that takes account of all the information available to them in a timely way. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 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 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

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s individual risk assessments reflect the child’s current situation and consistently give foster carers clear strategies to manage and reduce risks. 14 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the agency’s escalation policy is followed so that any concerns about a child’s plan and outstanding documents can be addressed and resolved in a timely way with other agencies. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.7)  The registered person should ensure that the agency’s missing-from-care policy and procedure is followed by managers and staff. In particular, the registered person should ensure that a missing-from-care profile is completed for children who go missing, and staff should liaise with the relevant agencies to ensure that a return home interview is carried out. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 5.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff and fostering households understand the importance of up-to-date and good-quality records that reflect children’s daily lived experiences. (‘Fostering services: national minimum

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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, Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 7 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: National Fostering Agency 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: The National Fostering Agency Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspectors

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 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 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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