Familyplacement.com

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Familyplacement.com Family Placement.com Limited Unit 2, The Old Power Station, Ardington, Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 8QJ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Familyplacement.com is an independent fostering agency providing emergency, short-term and long-term placements for children. The service recruits, approves and supports a range of carers, including parent and child carers and carers for children with disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there were 67 fostering households caring for 83 children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency has been registered since March 2003. The manager has been registered since July 2023.

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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: 5 September 2022

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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: Familyplacement.com 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality, child-focused care from their foster carers which meets their individual needs. This enables children to make progress and thrive, with some choosing to remain with their foster families and continue to be supported into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to address their physical and emotional healthcare needs. Foster carers support children to attend specialist appointments and they promote a healthy lifestyle for children through healthy diets and physical activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers routinely help children process and understand their thoughts and feelings about being fostered, through skilful and patient care. Access to an in-house psychotherapist provides carers with additional wraparound support, increasing their confidence in meeting children’s emotional needs. Individualised plans provide clarity about what is needed to meet children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school or engage in training and gain employment. Foster carers and agency staff work with teachers and other professionals to promote positive educational experiences. Transitions, such as the move from primary to secondary school, are well prepared for, and children’s achievements are celebrated with ‘star of the month’ awards and child-centred annual events. Children benefit from a wide range of enriching activities, from family holidays to community clubs. Several children describe these opportunities as ‘life-changing’, and important in preparing them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers and staff advocate effectively on behalf of children. They take pride in the children’s progress and celebrate all achievements. The ‘star of the month’ and child-centred annual celebrations are some examples of this. Foster carer records and other key documents are written to children in language which is kind. This helps children to understand the reasons for important decisions that affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain safe and meaningful relationships with their family, friends and others who are important to them. Foster carers and staff are attuned and flexible to the needs of children, including recognising the importance of preserving and nurturing relationships with previous carers and other significant people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views on the care that they receive. Supervising social workers meet with children alone and use a range of creative tools, adapted when needed, to ensure that every child can make their voice heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers and staff are trained in the agency’s chosen approach, and this is evident in the interactions between foster carers and those in their care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most respite care is arranged in the children’s best interests and, whenever possible, continuity and trust are prioritised through consistent carers from within existing networks. Leaders identify strong pockets of peer-group support between carers, which has helped to build these relationships, and they are keen to consolidate this across the wider carer community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Assessments of potential foster carers are timely and informed by a clear understanding of strengths and areas where additional training is required to help them to provide care in line with the agency’s model and approach. Assessments are detailed, exploring histories and wider factors that affect potential foster carers’ capability. In stronger examples, they thoroughly consider the potential impact on birth children of becoming ‘children who foster’. The quality of analysis in assessments is variable, with weaker examples repeating the narrative of carers’ histories, rather than probing beneath the surface to explore underlying issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers and children benefit from regular household reviews. Reviews are reflective of strengths and learning and include the direct views of children, helping foster care practice to continually develop. Most carers report feeling valued, supported and helped by their supervising social worker to collectively achieve the best care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at all levels are proactive in seeking and acting on feedback from carers about how they can help them continually learn and develop.

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

Children have positive and strong relationships of trust with their foster carers and others; this enables children to share their worries and concerns with a trusted adult.

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

Staff and foster carers understand and respond to risks promptly and appropriately. Safeguarding concerns are reported and referred as required, in line with policies and procedures, with a focus on keeping children safe. Records provide clarity about actions, decisions and outcomes. Staff and foster carers complete the required training, which equips them for their roles. Recent training for staff and foster carers has promoted an improved understanding of the expectations regarding reportable matters.

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

Foster carers are trained in the agency’s chosen approach to manage and de- escalate behaviour. This supports foster carers to help children to develop positive strategies to express and communicate their needs. Foster carers rarely use restraint or restrictive practices, and when they have done so, the practices have been appropriate and proportionate and in line with a child’s agreed plan.

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

The agency has reviewed and amended its oversight of any forms of surveillance or monitoring devices which may be in a foster carer’s home. Assessments explore the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

rationale for their use, and plans provide clarity about their use and any consent obtained from children and other relevant professionals.

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

Most children are supported to take age-appropriate risks that are in line with their age and level of understanding. Supervising social workers and foster carers work collaboratively with others to assess risks and vulnerabilities for children and take the necessary steps to manage risks safely. However, for a small number of children, particularly when risks are outside the home, assessments lack the depth needed to fully inform decision-making.

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

A very small number of children go missing from their foster homes. When children go missing from home, foster carers use their positive relationships with children to stay in touch and locate them. They refer and report concerns as they arise, in line with each child’s individual plan. When a child returns home, foster carers support them to talk and share their reasons for going missing, while checking on their welfare.

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

Allegations or suspicion of harm are shared appropriately, and the agency robustly explores and investigates matters when directed. Findings are then provided to the local authority designated officer and the majority are reviewed and considered by the fostering panel and the agency decision-maker.

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

The agency undertakes thorough safer recruitment checks for all staff. This is alongside the careful recruitment and vetting of foster carers, which focuses on keeping children safe. This is supported through the ‘preparation to foster’ training, which all prospective foster carers complete.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in the registered manager since the previous inspection in September 2022, when the agency was judged to be ‘good’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager manages the agency effectively and efficiently. There is a culture of transparency and teamwork, within an environment of support and visible leadership. Managers are creating a more robust culture around challenge, with high child-centred expectations to meet the needs of the children in their care. Leaders of the agency show ambition and aspiration for children to achieve their full potential. Managers are focused on ensuring that children receive high standards of care. The agency is meeting its objectives as described in its statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of children’s plans, and this is informed through careful consideration of the matching of children with their carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers and staff receive regular supervision and access to a wide range of training and support groups. Training and appraisals are prioritised, and staff development is promoted through meetings, observations and professional opportunities. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recent changes to the fostering panel are being further developed and embedded. The registered manager has effective interactions with the chair of a new regional panel and seeks feedback on the quality of the agency’s practice. The fostering panel demonstrates an ability to identify carers’ strengths and assets. While questions posed to applicants are relevant, there is variable depth of scrutiny, with some discussions lacking sufficient exploration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency decision-maker’s oversight of recommendations made by the panel is a strength. It provides detailed analytical decision-making, setting out clear child- focused actions to mitigate risks and support foster carers in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Work with partners is variable. Supervising social workers attend children’s network meetings and managers consult with commissioners and placing authorities. However, escalation processes are not always used consistently and effectively to secure the best outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are taken seriously, with leaders investigating and updating complainants on outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency’s development plan is thorough and time bound. Monitoring systems provide leaders with clarity on performance and inform priorities for improvement. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In considering what recommendation to make under paragraph (1), the fostering panel-

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Requirement Due date

must consider and take into account all of the information passed to it in accordance with regulation 26, 27 or 28 (as the case may be). (Regulation 25 (2)(a)) 1 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that foster carers encourage children to take appropriate risks as a normal part of growing up. Children should be helped to understand how to keep themselves safe, including when outside of the household or when using the internet or social media. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.4)  The registered person should ensure that the agency works effectively in partnership with other agencies concerned with child protection, e.g. the responsible authority, schools, hospitals, general practitioners, etc., and does not work in isolation from them. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.7)

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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: Familyplacement.com 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Family Placement.com Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspectors

Amanda Maxwell, Social Care HMI Steve Bailey, Social Care HMI Rodica Cobarzan, Social Care HMI Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Familyplacement.com 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspectors

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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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