Phoenix Community Care

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 1 Phoenix Community Care Phoenix Community Care Ltd Room 1, 639 The Trampery, 639 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 8AA Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This is a privately owned independent fostering agency based in London. The agency provides foster care placements for unaccompanied children, children with complex health needs, sibling groups and parents with children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the fostering service had 25 approved fostering households, and 26 children placed with foster carers. The independent fostering agency registered in July 2004. The agency has two registered managers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that the appropriate authorities were investigating a serious child protection allegation. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the service in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their lives. They feel part of their foster family and, in some cases, the foster families’ extended family. Many children are currently in long- term placements that enhance their feelings of belonging and security. Some children interviewed at this inspection scored their foster carers with 10 out of 10.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement stability is good. Unplanned endings are rare, and some children continue to stay with their foster carers once they are 18 under ‘staying put’ arrangements. One child who had experienced significant placement moves is now settled and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who struggle with their education are supported by their foster carers to overcome barriers to their learning. As a result, all children in the agency are in education. One child who had experienced significant difficulties is now settled in a new school and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers are extremely positive about working for this agency. They feel valued and appreciated and this motivates them to meet the high standards and ethos of the agency. One foster carer said, ‘my social worker is amazing, and she has been there for me during any crisis.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive help to improve their physical and emotional health. Foster carers work closely with specialist medical teams, such as the child and adolescent mental health services and Looked After Children’s specialist nurses. This expert guidance helps foster carers to understand and respond to children’s wide-ranging health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some foster carers look after sibling groups to keep children together. Feedback from placing social workers is positive about the support provided by the agency to keep children together and helping children to stay in touch with their families when this is assessed to be safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers are skilled and experienced, providing high-quality placements that cater to the diverse needs of children. They demonstrate a strong understanding of the needs of the children in their care and feel very much a part of the support team surrounding the child. Children are encouraged to make friends, develop independence skills, and pursue their interests and hobbies. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 3

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practices can be compromised due to the lack of monitoring systems to record, track, and review significant incidents. For instance, when the local authority investigated two incidents, the agency did not document these investigations properly. One incident that needed a referral to the local authority designated officer was only discovered during the inspection while reviewing a member of staff’s supervision records.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers support foster carers to keep children safe. However, the agency has not let Ofsted know of two safeguarding concerns. Although this shortfall did not place children at risk of harm, it is a regulatory requirement.

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improvement to be good

The agency’s placements team is dedicated to ensuring that children are placed with foster carers who can meet their needs. This includes unaccompanied asylum- seeking children who have experienced significant trauma before arriving in this country. The matching process is conducted with great care and thoroughness, taking into account the varied and sometimes unknown needs of the children. The team ensures that relevant information from the placing local authority is received and shared with foster carers. However, not all supervising social workers fully understand this process.

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improvement to be good

Staff and panel members are generally recruited safely. However, one shortfall was found during the inspection about a reference for one member of staff. The responsible individual and managers took immediate action to rectify this . In addition, on one isolated case a prospectus foster carer was presented to panel prior to receiving their outcome from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The panel identified this shortfall and did not approve the foster carer until all the checks were received. Managers have taken swift action following this incident and all new foster carers are only presented to the panel once all checks are back and verified.

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improvement to be good

Children spoken to said they feel safe and can talk to their foster carers about any worries. They know how to complain and have access to a detailed children’s guide which has a list of people they can contact if they are worried. The children’s guide is tailored to meet children’s diverse needs including those whose first language is not English. Complaints are rare in this agency. However, one complaint was found during the inspection that had been raised by a parent to the placing authority. Swift action was taken during the inspection to address the complaint.

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improvement to be good

Supervising social workers assist foster carers in understanding children's behaviour and attachment-related issues. They also implement behaviour support plans and collaborate with external professionals to help foster carers support children in regulating their emotions. During home visits, supervising social workers engage in direct work with children, discussing important topics such as healthy relationships and online safety. This approach helps children feel secure and promotes their overall safety. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 4 Staff and foster carers have received training in safeguarding, including areas such as safer caring, child sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and child criminal exploitation. Risks are assessed and documented well and reviewed in line with emerging needs. This has helped foster carers to recognise and respond well to concerns around children’s safety. Foster carers have a good understanding of

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improvement to be good

children’s vulnerabilities. For example, a foster carer was able to alert professionals when they were concerned about a child’s friendships and assessments were completed to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and leaders have high ambitions and expectations for all their foster carers and the children. Managers and staff know the children and the foster carers exceptionally well, which enables them to show and provide the support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are extremely positive about working for the fostering agency and feel very well supported. They describe the leadership team as approachable, visible, and available, as well as responsive to individual diverse needs. Communication is good, helped by regular team meetings and staff supervision to reflect on children and foster carers and how to progress any situations of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are exceptionally child-focused and committed, going above and beyond to support the children and foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers are incredibly happy with the high level of support they receive from the agency. They feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging as part of a ‘family.’ Many have recommended their friends or family members to foster for the agency. Supervision records are detailed and of good quality. One foster carer said, ‘without the support from my social worker, I would not know how to deal with the trauma, you are not left alone.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is well established and makes appropriate recommendations about foster carers’ suitability and ongoing approval and variations to their terms of approval. The panel membership includes people with relevant personal and professional experience. The panel minutes are produced in a prompt way. However, panel members have not yet received their annual appraisals. This is a missed opportunity to identify their training needs and address any areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Assessments of prospective foster carers are thorough. Foster carers have monthly supervision visits that focus on the children’s progress as well as the foster carer’s development. There are also weekly telephone calls, support groups and training. The training is extensive, relevant and equips foster carers with a strong understanding of the fostering task.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers are positive about this agency, describing it as ‘excellent.’ They comment very positively about the friendliness and helpfulness of staff. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 5 Placing authority social workers and a commissioning officer spoke positively about the care provided to children and the communication from foster carers and supervising social workers. In the main, partnership working with professionals is good. However, managers and staff do not consistently challenge placing authorities when they do not fulfil their statutory obligations, for example, ensuring that plans are provided promptly to help foster carers understand the needs of children in their care including placement planning records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered managers know the foster carers and children extremely well. They carry out all foster carer’s annual reviews, which are detailed. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community 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, 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 prepare and implement a written policy which—

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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

liaison and co-operation with any local authority which is, or may be, making child protection enquiries in relation to any child placed by the fostering service provider;

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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) (3) (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that all safeguarding concerns are reported promptly to relevant agencies and followed up in line with their policies. Leaders and managers must ensure that all safeguarding incidents are recorded and monitored appropriately to identify and address any trends or gaps in staff practice. 31 January 2025

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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. (Regulation 36 (1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that safeguarding incidents are notified to Ofsted. 31 January 2025 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all records kept by the service are regularly monitored to ensure compliance with the service's policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Immediate action is taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. ('Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards', 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that assessment and appraisal of all staff involved in fostering work takes account of identified skills needed for particular roles and is used to identify individuals' learning and development needs. This relates to all panel members having annual appraisal and identify any training needs. ('Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards', 23.5)  The registered person should ensure that the foster carer is given a copy of the child's placement plan as soon as this is provided to them by the responsible

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Recommendations

authority. If provision of the care plan by the responsible authority is delayed, the fostering service follows this up with the responsible authority. ('Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards', 31.2)  The registered person should ensure that the fostering service only suggests 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. This specifically relates to all supervising social worker ensuring that they understand the matching process completed for new children with foster carers. ('Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards', 15.1)

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Information about this inspection

Inspector has 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: Phoenix Community Care 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Phoenix Community Care Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: The Trampery, 639 High Road, London N17 8AA

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered managers: Pauline Hawkes and Jeffrey Coates

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@phoenixcommunity.co.uk

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Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Phoenix Community Care 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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