Families First Fostering Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 1 Families First Fostering Ltd Families First Fostering Ltd 7D Whitebridge Estate, Whitebridge Lane, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8LQ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A small private company owns this independent fostering agency. Ofsted registered the agency in May 2020. The provider aims to provide high-quality, therapeutically informed care where each child will have the opportunity for stability, security and a warm, safe, caring environment. At the time of the inspection, the agency had 25 fostering households caring for 31 children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Since the last inspection, there has been a management restructure. The current manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The independent fostering agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the independent fostering agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 2

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points because of the nurturing, therapeutic care that they receive from their foster carers. Children’s feedback was extremely positive. One child said, ‘[Names of foster carers] are like my actual parents. They’re really good, its good here. They make me feel like part of their family.’ Another child rated their home as ten out of ten and felt that it could not be any better.

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outstanding

Permanence for children is a strength of the agency. Almost half of the children live with their foster carers under long-term arrangements or are in the process of this being agreed. Foster carers show great commitment to the children, with one set of foster carers being granted a special guardianship order for a child they cared for and another currently going through the adoption process. There are also several children who have remained with their foster carers under ‘staying put’ arrangements. Children’s feedback consistently showed that they feel part of their foster carers’ family and are treated the same way as the foster carers’ own children.

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outstanding

Children receive excellent support to prepare for adulthood, as well as ongoing support from the agency when they remain with their foster carers on ‘staying put’ arrangements. Agency staff and foster carers help children to learn how to use public transport so that they can travel independently. They also support children to apply for university and, as a result, one child has received offers from three universities. This child’s foster carers told the inspector that the agency’s support has made a big difference, and that the child is now going to be achieving an important life goal that they otherwise would not have done. This outstanding support helps children to develop their confidence and be aspirational about their futures.

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outstanding

This agency is highly committed to ensuring that all children attend education. The agency has recognised the barriers to children achieving in education and has been proactive and creative in resolving these issues. One child was only able to attend school part time due to lack of funded support. In response, the agency is using its own family support worker to support the child in school, which allows them to attend full time. This not only benefits the child but also reduces the pressure on the child’s foster carers, helping to maintain their placement. This outstanding practice has resulted in all children who are cared for by this agency attending education and making good progress.

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outstanding

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and opportunities with their foster carers, including day trips, holidays and family events. This helps children to develop and follow their own interests and hobbies. In addition, the agency provides a series of activities for children during school holidays and special events. All events are Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 3 underpinned by the agency’s therapeutic ethos and offer flexible activities that can be adapted to all children’s needs. The agency regularly holds an art and craft day that is run by an art therapist. Children are able to enjoy a range of sensory activities and also engage with the agency’s therapy dog. The agency also recently held a conference for foster carers and children to promote trust and communication and an independence workshop where the children were supported to plan and prepare a meal together. These activities help children to feel part of the agency and

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outstanding

to make connections with other children outside of the family home.

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outstanding

Agency staff undertake extensive planning before children move into their foster homes. Agency staff know their foster carers extremely well and carry out a thorough analysis of whether the foster carers have the skills, experience and knowledge to meet the child’s needs. Through research, managers recognised that placements are at greater risk of disruption when children have moved from residential care. They thoroughly considered why this happens and developed their own ‘Stepping Stones’ programme to support children’s transitions and increase placement success. This creative and innovative support has supported children who have been reluctant to move from their residential home to settle and live long term with their foster carers.

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outstanding

Agency staff and foster carers are excellent advocates for the children. Children are supported to know how to make a complaint, and foster carers and agency staff assist them to challenge decisions when needed.

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outstanding

The agency provides specialist support to children and foster carers in line with its therapeutic ethos. The agency employs a trained therapist, who offers extensive support to foster carers in both group and individual sessions. The high level of support provided helps the foster carers to process their feelings and devise strategies to help them manage the children’s needs in a therapeutic way. The therapist also works directly with children, often when there are delays with external support. For one child, this has meant that they have been able to overcome some significant fears that were having a negative impact on their behaviour. The interim support provided has helped the child to be more settled and happier in their placement.

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outstanding

Foster carers feel highly valued and respected by the agency. Many of the foster carers have transferred from other agencies because they are inspired by the passion and commitment of the managers and staff. Feedback from foster carers was exceptional. Foster carers were highly complimentary about the agency’s child- focused approach, its extensive support for foster carers and its eagerness to continuously improve. They appreciate the family feel of the agency and the level of support that they receive from all staff. They are regularly consulted and their views and ideas are listened to and acted on. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 4

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outstanding

The agency manages children’s behaviour very well. Behaviour is viewed through a trauma-informed approach that helps staff and foster carers to understand the underlying cause. As a result of the foster carers’ comprehensive knowledge of therapeutic care, the support provided to children is extremely sensitive and nurturing. Incidents of children going missing from care and of physical interventions are very rare. Foster carers complete training on de-escalation skills, which is evident in the positive way in which children’s high-risk behaviours are managed.

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outstanding

Risk is managed very well. Clear plans are in place to manage risks of self-harm, and foster carers demonstrate vigilance and commitment to keeping children safe. Staff are always available to provide additional support and will go above and beyond, visiting children and foster carers when needed even if it is outside of their working hours.

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outstanding

Children can identify trusted adults whom they can talk to about any worries they have. Managers’ responses to allegations about foster carers are robust. Incidents are promptly reported to children’s placing authorities, and there is excellent multi- agency working to ensure that children are safe. Investigations are completed and foster carers are returned to the foster panel for post allegation reviews to ensure that they remain suitable to foster. No allegations have been substantiated since the last inspection.

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outstanding

Safer recruitment practice is strong. All required checks are completed to assure managers that only suitable people are employed to work with vulnerable children.

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outstanding

Children’s safety and well-being are paramount. Managers and staff have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. If shortfalls in practice are identified, they take quick and effective action to ensure that similar incidents are not repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are passionate about the agency and the care that they provide to children. There has been a recent management restructure, which has resulted in a change of manager; however, she has worked for the agency for several years and is committed to providing children with the best possible therapeutic care. She is well respected by foster carers, who value her experience and knowledge of the agency. She has applied to register as the manager and will be completing her management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual was involved with setting up the agency and was the registered manager until very recently. Her passion and drive for continuous improvement is clearly evident and she has instilled this across the staff team and Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 5 foster carers. Her change of role means that she is now able to take a more strategic oversight of the agency, and there are already plans for further initiatives and improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The use of monitoring systems is extensive and highly effective. Managers complete regular audits and reviews of documents to ensure that practice meets the high standards expected. Excellent oversight has led to identification of themes and patterns that have been analysed to identify and act on where improvements are needed. For example, managers have recently completed in-depth analysis of self- harm incidents and have identified where additional training or support could benefit foster carers and children. Plans are in place to upskill staff and foster carers in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are driven to make a positive difference to children’s lives. While they work very well with partner agencies to support children’s placements, they recognise that external support is not always available as quickly as it is needed. In response, the agency has taken steps to fill the gaps. For example, managers decided to upskill their own staff to be able to complete important life- story work so that children are not negatively impacted by any delays.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers recognise that to achieve excellent outcomes for children, they also need to provide excellent support to their foster carers. Their commitment to therapeutic care is not limited to the children, and staff show a high level of insight into the impacts that foster carers’ own life stories can have on the care they provide. Managers have worked with the agency’s therapist to develop an evidence- based tool to help foster carers explore their own triggers as a way of making them more self-aware and, in turn, improve the care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers invest heavily in staff’s and foster carers’ training and development to ensure that they deliver the therapeutic care that the agency prides itself on. All foster carers complete a therapeutic qualification during assessment and following approval. The agency is creative in providing bespoke, interesting training that foster carers enjoy engaging in. The extensive catalogue of training opportunities ensure that foster carers are equipped to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency’s panel arrangements are robust. Panel members come with a wide range of relevant knowledge and provide excellent scrutiny and challenge of the matters presented to them. Panel members undertake regular training alongside staff, which includes topics relevant to the agency’s therapeutic approach. For example, all panel members received training on the therapeutic fostering assessment to enable them to understand the expectations and to be able to scrutinise the quality of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel very well supported by managers and share the overall vision of the agency. They share the same passion for therapeutic care that has been modelled by managers. Staff appreciate managers’ flexibility and proactivity in getting the right support in place for children and foster carers. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 6 Feedback from staff, foster carers and professionals was overwhelmingly positive. No one had any suggestions for where improvement was needed. The agency is very well respected and recognised for the high level of care that is provided to children. It has also been nominated for awards by its foster carers and has won national awards for the past three years for the quality of its work. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 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: Families First Fostering Ltd 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Families First Fostering Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 7D Whitebridge Estate, Whitebridge Lane, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8LQ

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered manager: Amy Beresford (decision pending)

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: info@familiesfirstfostering.com

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Families First Fostering Ltd 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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