Outset Fostering Agency Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 1 Outset Fostering Agency Ltd Outset Fostering Agency Ltd The Wenta Business Centre, Innova Park, 1 Electric Avenue, Enfield EN3 7XU Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Outset Fostering Agency is a privately owned independent fostering agency based in Enfield, London, with a satellite office in Coventry. The service provides foster care placements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and emergency, short-, medium- and long-term foster placements for children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, 68 fostering households were approved, with 78 children placed and seven young people under staying put arrangements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The fostering service and manager were registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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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: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care. They build trusting relationships with their foster carers, who strive to make children feel part of a family. Children are supported to settle, and placements are stable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the agency’s efficient matching process, particularly those who arrive in the country as unaccompanied asylum seekers. Many are matched with foster carers from their country of origin, which significantly aids their adjustment. For instance, one brother and sister swiftly settled with their new carers, alleviating previous worries about them going missing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain important relationships. One foster carer, with the help of the manager, went to great lengths to reunite three siblings who had been separated. They now live together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel that their foster carers have a good understanding of their past experiences and trauma. One child told the inspector how they had struggled being in a new country and living with a new family at the beginning. The child said, ‘Now she [foster carer] is like my mum - trying to help; you come to love the person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the children have been placed for the first time in foster care in their late teens. They are supported to develop practical life skills and increase their independence. Some teenagers stay living with their foster carers in ‘staying put’ arrangements after turning 18 years old. This allows them to still live with their foster families for continued support and guidance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes and general development are good. The agency has an education and participation officer who supports foster carers if there are any concerns about school provision. Foster carers and supervising social workers understand the challenges that children face when starting school, and provide support and encouragement. Children’s school and college attendance is high, and children make steady progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers and staff celebrate children’s achievements. One child told the inspector about their first struggles with going to school, and shared how proud their foster carer was with the progress they had made in training to become a plumber.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s guide sets out who children can speak to if they have any worries or concerns. Although the guide has been translated into two other languages, some children are at a disadvantage as their first language has not been translated. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 3

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

Children rarely go missing from their foster homes. Staff and foster carers have access to local area protocols in the event that a child was to go missing.

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

Managers and staff follow the agency safeguarding procedures when allegations or concerns about foster carers are raised. They consult with the external safeguarding networks effectively. Investigations into allegations are prompt and appropriate. An independent social worker routinely completes audits, which provide external scrutiny.

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

All foster carers receive training in safeguarding, including contextual safeguarding, and complete a paediatric first-aid course. Additional training has been provided to foster carers in response to incidents of concern. However, training for foster carers is not routinely reviewed or tailored to children’s individual needs.

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

Foster carers implement safe care policies to ensure the safety of the children in their care. However, managers do not keep these policies updated to meet the specific needs of individual children. Risk assessments are not regularly revised, leaving foster carers without the necessary guidance on handling household issues and risks for each child they care for.

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

The fostering service’s human resources team ensures the safe vetting and recruitment of staff and panel members. However, managers do not always verify previous employers. This is contrary to safe recruitment practices.

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good

The agency continues to be managed by an experienced, qualified manager. He is committed to providing stable foster placements for children where they are supported to reach their full potential.

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good

Since the last inspection, the agency has significantly expanded from nine fostering households to 68. However, this rapid growth has placed extra demands on the organisational side of the agency, resulting in some emerging shortfalls. To date, this has not had an impact on the quality of care provided to children and foster carers as their protection, progress and experiences are still positive. The leadership and management team is reviewing the structure and plan to recruit a new manager and supervising social worker.

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good

The annual review process for all foster carers ensures their ongoing suitability to care for children. Feedback from children and social workers is actively secured. However, the supportive evidence to illustrate that foster carers understand the agency’s policies and regulations is not clearly outlined, nor are the steps for future training and development. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 4 The registered manager oversees all aspects of the agency, including the recruitment of foster carers, auditing assessments and the supervision of supervising social workers. He is the person who foster carers contact if they have any concerns and is the main point of call outside of office hours. As the agency has grown, his ability to oversee all aspects of practice has been stretched.

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good

Social workers receive regular supervision. However, supervision records are not detailed to allow for accountability should concerns be found in the future. Similarly, annual appraisals for social workers are brief. They do not include feedback from foster carers or children. Plans for developing the social workers’ skills are not set out. The lack of detailed records means that it is hard to see how their performance of their work is fully assessed, including identifying training needs for newly qualified social workers. This is further affected by not having an up-to-date workforce development plan.

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good

Children’s care plans are not consistently recorded or shared with foster carers. Foster carers’ records for children are varied. Some records reflect the day-to-day lived experience of children well, while other records have minimal or missing details. This does not help children who may wish to access their care records relating to their time in foster care later in their childhood or adulthood.

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good

Most new foster carers who join the agency do so through word of mouth. New foster carers praise the agency’s assessment process and the support they receive from managers and supervising social workers.

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good

The fostering panel benefits by having a diverse membership with a range of professional backgrounds. The administration of the fostering panel is good. External consultant social workers complete foster carer assessments that are of a good standard. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 5

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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 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 relates to ensuring that the fostering service devises safe care policies that are specific to children and fostering households. 7 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including 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 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) (3)) 7 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that all persons employed by them—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal, and

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Requirement Due date

are enabled from to time to time to obtain further qualifications appropriate to the work they perform. (Regulation 21 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that supervisions and appraisals include records that show how these sessions support the 7 February 2025 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 6 work that staff perform. Also, ensure that newly qualified social workers receive appropriate training.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a record of the recruitment and suitability checks that have been carried out for foster carers and those working (including as volunteers) for the fostering service, which includes at least two references, preferably one from a current employer, and, where possible, a statement from each referee as to their opinion of the person’s suitability to work with children. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards,’ 19.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered persons should ensure that staff have the facilities to work with children who speak English as an additional language. Oral and written communications are made available in a format that is appropriate to the language of the individual. The procedures include arrangements for reading and translating documents to those people who are unable to understand the document. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards,’ 25.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the service, either identifying any planned changes in the operation or resources of the service, or confirming the continuation of the service’s current operation and resource. (‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards,’ 18.2)

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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: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: The Wenta Business Centre, Innova Park, 1 Electric Avenue, Enfield EN3 7XU

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: psium@outsetfostering.co.uk

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Outset Fostering Agency Ltd 8 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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