Flying Colours Foster Care

Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 1 Flying Colours Foster Care

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Park View Business Centre, Combermere, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 4AL

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A small private company operates this fostering agency. The foster carers provide long-term and short-term care. At the time of this inspection, the fostering agency had five fostering households, and there are six children being cared for.

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This monitoring visit

In October 2024, Ofsted undertook a full inspection of Flying Colours Foster Care. Serious and widespread shortfalls were identified, and the agency was judged as inadequate. Compliance notices were issued in respect of Regulations 8, 17 and 20.

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This monitoring visit

In December 2024, Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit to review the steps taken to meet the compliance notices and to bring about improvement. Sufficient progress had not been made to meet the compliance notices. Because the shortfalls found were all attributable to poor leadership and management, one compliance notice in respect of Regulation 8 was issued to incorporate several of the shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

On 28 and 29 April 2025, Ofsted undertook a further monitoring visit to review the steps taken to meet the most recent compliance notice. Very little action had been taken to meet the compliance notice, due to the manager prioritising other agency matters.

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This monitoring visit

An action plan was put in place after the initial inadequate judgement; however, the actions stated have not been effectively implemented. For example, at the previous monitoring visit, policies had been reviewed and updated, but not all gave enough guidance for carers to follow if children go missing or when children take medication. Despite this being raised at the previous monitoring visit, the manager was unable to Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 2 provide evidence that the policies had been improved. This means that carers are still not provided with sufficient guidance to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Monitoring of the agency remains ineffective. Despite the manager stating that new audits were being completed, they were unable to provide any evidence of this. In addition, several documents were missing or outdated in the children’s and carers’ files that were reviewed. This demonstrates that if monitoring has been completed, it has not identified shortfalls so that action can be taken.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual continues to have minimal input into the agency. Monthly supervision sessions with the manager have been introduced to discuss carers, children and updates about the agency. The responsible individual has been involved in drafting the action plan following the inadequate judgement, but there was no evidence of monitoring to ensure that actions were being met. The responsible individual does not complete any additional monitoring of the agency, which has meant that the lack of action towards the compliance notices has not been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

The agency’s recording systems are poor. Paper files are not kept up to date, and there is a general lack of recording of discussions with carers and professionals. Despite the manager saying that the agency is in the process of transitioning to electronic records, there was no evidence of this. This meant that several documents were not available to be reviewed, which makes it difficult to ascertain whether actions have been taken and not recorded, or whether actions have not been taken. For example, new children have been placed, but there was no record of meetings or transition visits.

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This monitoring visit

There is a lack of oversight and responsibility for foster carer training. The manager has put in place additional training since the previous monitoring visit, which has improved access to training for some carers. However, gaps remain in some important training. For example, there was no evidence that one carer had safeguarding, safer care or paediatric first-aid training. Some other carers had not refreshed other important training for some time, including training in medication and online safety. In addition, although some carers have an up-to-date personal development plan, gaps in training had not been identified and acted on to ensure that all required training had been completed by both carers in one household. Due to the lack of records and monitoring systems, it was difficult to gain an accurate picture of training for all carers.

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This monitoring visit

There remains a lack of commitment to ensure that all foster carers receive a review of their performance at least once every calendar year. There was no evidence of monitoring to ensure that timescales are met. One carer is currently out of timescale for their review, but there was a lack of urgency to complete this. Another carer has not cared for a child since being approved several years ago but has not had an annual review to consider their ongoing approval. The agency is failing to ensure that carers’ ongoing suitability to foster is monitored effectively. Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 3 The agency does not have the required panel members to be able to convene a panel if needed. The panel chair is no longer able to fulfil the role but has not resigned. No action has been taken to recruit a new panel chair, and there is no vice

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This monitoring visit

chair in place. Although no panels have been needed since the previous monitoring visit, the agency would not be able to convene a panel if one were needed to consider a carer’s approval.

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This monitoring visit

There remains a lack of responsibility for ensuring that staff, including the manager, undertake training to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills for their roles. The manager has no oversight of staff training and does not know what training staff complete, and there are no records. The manager has failed to recognise that it is their responsibility to ensure that staff are adequately trained.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to complete safer recruitment training, as they were requested to do. The manager has failed to understand the importance of the training and does not feel it is necessary. Recruitment documents are not held in one clear system, which makes it difficult to establish whether all the required checks have been completed. The manager lacks understanding of the Disclosure and Barring Service checking system, and there is no evidence that the update service has been checked for staff. Following the previous monitoring visit, the manager had requested a full employment history for one member of staff, but when this was reviewed, it contained gaps that had not been explored. This demonstrates that leaders and managers do not have a good understanding of safer recruitment, which limits their ability to ensure that only safe people are employed.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has still failed to enrol on a management qualification, despite having been the manager for several years and it being raised during every inspection of the agency.

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This monitoring visit

From the children’s files that were reviewed, there were no concerns identified that had not been addressed appropriately. No concerns for children’s safety were found, and the files reviewed showed that children were having positive experiences and were making progress. Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must not—

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Requirement Due date

employ a person to work for the purposes of the fostering service unless that person is fit to do so, or

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Requirement Due date

allow a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, to work for the purposes of the fostering service unless that person is fit to do so.

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Requirement Due date

This paragraph applies to any person who is employed, other than by the fostering service provider, in a position in which that person may in the course of their duties have regular contact with children placed by the fostering service.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work for the purposes of a fostering service unless that person—

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Requirement Due date

has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for the work they are to perform,

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Requirement Due date

is physically and mentally fit for the work they are to perform, and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to that person in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must take reasonable steps to ensure that any person working for a fostering service who is not employed by the fostering service, and to whom paragraph (2) does not apply, is appropriately supervised while carrying out their duties. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(b)(c) (4))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 June 2025 Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 5 The fostering service provider must review the approval of each foster parent in accordance with this regulation.

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Requirement Due date

A review must take place not more than a year after approval, and thereafter whenever the fostering service provider consider it necessary, but at intervals of not more than a year. (Regulation 28 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The registered provider and the registered manager must, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency, carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

where the registered provider is an organisation, the responsible individual,

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Requirement Due date

undertakes, from time to time, such training as is appropriate to ensure that they have the experience and skills necessary for carrying on the fostering agency.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake from time to time such training as is appropriate to ensure that they have the experience and skills necessary for managing the fostering agency. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers understanding their roles and carrying them out effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and repeated. 3 July 2025 Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 6 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 requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (5), the fostering service provider must constitute one or more fostering panels, as necessary, to perform the functions of a fostering panel under these Regulations, and must appoint panel members including—

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Requirement Due date

one or two persons who may act as chair if the person appointed to chair the panel is absent or that office is vacant ("the vice chairs")

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Requirement Due date

A fostering panel may be constituted jointly by any two or more fostering service providers, in which case the appointment of members must be made by agreement between the fostering service providers.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that the fostering panel has sufficient members, and that individual members have between them the experience and expertise necessary, to effectively discharge the functions of the panel. (Regulation 23 (4)(ii) (5) (7))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

A fostering service provider must, in deciding whether to approve X as a foster parent and as to the terms of any approval, take into account the recommendation of the fostering panel.

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Requirement Due date

No member of the fostering panel may take part in any decision made by a fostering service provider under paragraph (3). (Regulation 27 (3) (4)) 30 June 2025 Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

It has not been reviewed as part of the monitoring visit.

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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, and

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Requirement Due date

before making any decision affecting a child placed or to be placed with a foster parent due consideration is given to the child’s—

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Requirement Due date

wishes and feelings (having regard to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

It has not been reviewed as part of the monitoring visit. 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the independent fostering agency since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Flying Colours Foster Care Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Park View Business Centre, Combermere, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 4AL

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency – monitoring visit: Flying Colours Foster Care 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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