Compass Fostering North Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 1 Compass Fostering North Limited Compass Fostering North Limited Hope Park Business Centre, Hope Park, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 8HH Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Compass Fostering North Limited is a privately run company in England. This is one of the company’s seven independent fostering agencies in England. It provides short-term, emergency, long-term, respite, permanent and sibling group fostering homes. As an agency, it also offers placements for children with specific care needs, including unaccompanied children seeking sanctuary, parent and child, step down and children with disabilities and additional needs.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency had 315 approved fostering households and 404 children placed with its foster carers. Compass Fostering North Limited is spread across three different offices, each with their own operations manager and one registered manager overseeing them.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the proposed registered manager, who had oversight of the agency, was waiting for her fitness interview with Ofsted. This was completed.

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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: 31 January 2022 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make good progress. They benefit from good-quality, individualised care from foster carers who know them well. Children are introduced to their fostering family in a sensitive way and have the opportunity to visit their new foster family home. This helps to prepare children for the move and reduces any anxiety in the children that might have arisen due to their move. As a result, children develop trusting relationships with foster carers, which helps them to settle and feel part of the fostering family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Foster carers know their health-related responsibilities and the roles of the professionals involved. They understand the importance of securing a good standard of health care for children in their care. Children who have a different cultural or religious background to the foster carers they live with have their specific needs met well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of education is embraced by all in the agency, and they advocate on children’s behalf to identify educational provisions. Most children are engaged in education and are making good progress. Foster carers and staff communicate effectively with education professionals to ensure that children achieve good outcomes. In addition, children’s educational achievements are celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel the agency has given them a voice. They expressed that they feel appreciated and that their views are considered. As a result, they feel empowered to be part of staff interview panels and produce questions for the panel. In addition, they are involved in organising activities. The children said that the agency has been supportive, and the foster carers support them to be involved in different activities, giving them opportunities to try new things. This helps children to develop their self- confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The fostering service promotes ‘staying put’ arrangements when this is in the best interests of older children. This means that older children can maintain relationships with foster carers, who can continue to support them through to adulthood. Foster carers understand the importance of family ties. They support children to maintain important relationships that promote the children’s identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers understand the importance of recording children’s day-to-day events and celebrations to inform their life-story work. However, foster carers do not always write children’s records in a child-friendly way. This is not helpful to the children should they wish to view their records in the future. The manager recognises this shortfall and has started to address it. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 3

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

The fostering agency works to protect children from harm and abuse. Foster carers and staff are subject to robust vetting procedures to ensure they are suitable to work with and care for children. Foster carers understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Children know that they can speak to foster carers if they have any worries or concerns. This contributes to children feeling safe with their foster carers.

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

When safeguarding incidents occur, managers and staff reflect on the action taken to ensure that strategies to reduce harm to children remain effective. The manager is a strong advocate for children and will challenge other agencies appropriately to ensure that the safety plans of children remain relevant. Where shortfalls have occurred in practice, the agency has taken robust action to address them by reflecting on practice, updating procedures and promoting further training. This demonstrates a responsive approach to improving safeguarding practice.

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

When there are concerns regarding foster carers’ conduct, the fostering service responds promptly to safeguard children. The agency works closely with the local authority designated officer to ensure thorough investigations are carried out. The agency responds to complaints and follows its complaints processes.

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

Foster carers and staff receive regular training on safeguarding and child protection. Foster carers benefit from the support they receive from therapeutic practitioners. They say that the one-to-one sessions with the therapeutic practitioner have helped them to understand and respond to children’s behaviour. The induction for prospective foster carers ensures that they understand their responsibilities in protecting children from harm. Assessments of foster carers have a strong safeguarding focus. This ensures that children are safeguarded effectively.

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

Foster carers’ homes are safe and secure. The fostering agency undertakes two unannounced visits to foster homes in a year, as well as completing annual health and safety checks. These measures, alongside regular supervision visits, ensure that there is effective monitoring of the safety of foster carers’ homes.

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

Risk assessments are completed and reviewed regularly. However, the quality of these documents is inconsistent. Some are very child-focused and contain clear strategies for the foster carers to follow. A few of the risk assessments reviewed do not provide specific guidance to be helpful to the foster carers. This is a missed opportunity to develop clear strategies for the foster carers to follow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change of registered manager since the last inspection. There are also new team managers. The management team is embedding the ethos of the agency and is committed to improving and developing the service. Leaders and managers have clear aspirations for exceeding the objectives of the statement of purpose and achieving excellence for the fostering agency. The manager is more Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 4 visible, and there has been a real effort to connect with the staff team, the foster carers and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering agency staff describe leaders and managers as providing stability after a period of management changes. Staff feel supported and listened to by leaders and managers. They benefit from regular supervision and peer support sessions to help them in their role. Staff are positive about working for the agency because leaders and managers are approachable, available and are committed to improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of foster carer assessments is good. The fostering service’s preparation, support and training of foster carers are effective. This process ensures that prospective and approved foster carers have good insight into the needs of the children. Foster carers are skilled in meeting children’s identified needs. They are further supported by ongoing relevant training to enhance their skills and knowledge. This robust training helps foster carers to provide safe, personalised care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is well organised and effective, offering good-quality support to new and experienced foster carers. It is chaired by a knowledgeable independent person. The panel membership is diverse, with people who bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to the role. The consideration of reports is robust, and there is an effective quality assurance mechanism for the agency, scrutinising assessments of prospective foster carers and continued approval of established foster carers. When panel recommendations are sent to the agency decision-maker, the rationale for decision-making is clear. This ensures that children are safeguarded effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from living with foster carers who feel supported and committed to meeting their needs. Overall, foster carers state that they have supportive relationships with their supervising social workers. They benefit from various support groups and events running throughout the year. One foster carer said, ‘I always feel assured that they have my best interests in mind and feel confident in my role as a foster carer with their support.’ Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the service implements a proportionate approach to any risk assessment. Specifically, that risk assessments contain relevant information regarding the child’s specific needs and clear strategies for the foster carers to follow. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.5)  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. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 26.6)

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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: Compass Fostering North Limited 6

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Compass Fostering North Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: Belinda.cashman@compassfostering.com

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Inspectors

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering North Limited 7 regulates and inspects 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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