Brighter Fostering Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 1 Brighter Fostering Limited Brighter Fostering Limited Suite F, 2nd Floor, Mabgate Mills, Mill 2, Leeds LS9 7DZ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides a range of placements, including long-term, short-term, emergency, and respite care.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency was providing placements for 13 children in nine fostering households with 21 approved foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The independent fostering agency is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 2

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improvement to be good

The agency has been on a journey since it registered in November 2021. At times, this journey has been difficult and has negatively affected the overall progress and experiences of some children and their foster carers. There has been learning, and the agency has demonstrated a proactive approach and a commitment to developing and moving forward. There is a culture of learning; a development and expansion plan is in place, aimed at addressing areas for improvement and enhancing the experiences of all children and their foster carers. The agency’s secure value base is central to the actions it carries out and provides a foundation for future progress.

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improvement to be good

Some children are experiencing positive outcomes and making progress in their fostering journey. One child’s progress has led to a planned ‘staying put’ arrangement starting next year. This is not consistent across all children’s care. Some children have not had positive experiences, which has at times required supervising social workers to intervene with foster carers. Such experiences disrupted progress for these children. In some cases, this has led to placements ending prematurely and resulted in agency staff having to revisit expected standards of care with children’s foster carers.

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improvement to be good

Children’s matching assessments do not fully consider the influence a new child could have on other children already living with foster carers. They do not consider children’s opinions or their needs when introducing other children to their home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education is promoted throughout the agency. Children’s attendance at school or college is good. Foster carers collaborate with schools to support children’s learning and celebrate their achievements. One foster carer spoken with was preparing to attend a parents’ evening and spoke positively about their child’s progress. One child said how much they like school and how much they enjoy learning new things. This reflects the value placed on education by the fostering agency and by foster carers. However, this is not consistent for all children. While most children experience good educational support, some have faced disruption, which has affected their learning journey. The agency takes steps to challenge and provide support where barriers exist, but these efforts have not always secured outcomes for every child.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy. When complaints are made, supervising social workers consider them to ensure that each child’s welfare is prioritised. Children are spoken with, and actions are taken to enhance their experiences and promote their progress. While the process is clear, complaints have been made by children because the care provided has not met their expectations. This means that some children have experienced poor care before changes have been made for the better. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 3 Foster carers celebrate children’s achievements as families. There is currently no formal recognition from the agency for individual achievements. There are limited opportunities for children to feel individually valued and celebrated. Children’s views are sought through feedback and annual consultations. The manager wants to

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improvement to be good

strengthen participation through the introduction of a children’s champion and providing children’s activities. However, this has not yet been implemented by the agency.

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improvement to be good

The agency employs supervising social workers who respond promptly to concerns about children, and actions are taken to support children’s safety. However, not all agency safeguarding practice is effective. While responses are appropriate when concerns are identified, some issues arise because care does not meet expected standards. This leaves children at potential risk.

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improvement to be good

Safe care plans are in place for children, which are regularly reviewed. The plans align with individual risk assessments and provide carers with clear guidance on how to keep children safer. Plans are updated when new risks are identified. This system is not always effective. There was a significant delay for one child in updating their safe care plan and risk assessment. The delay in updating the child’s essential documents increased risk to all the children in the home and did not provide carers with sufficient timely guidance.

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improvement to be good

Unannounced visits to foster carers are carried out at least annually. If concerns arise, the visits are brought forward in response to potential risk. This supports oversight of carers and promotes children’s safety. However, during this period, some unannounced visits were carried out outside of required timescales. The delay in carrying out visits reduced the effectiveness of monitoring and safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers appropriately escalate concerns identified by foster carers. This happened recently when agency staff were concerned about one child’s safety and the possible effect on another child in the same placement. Escalation also occurs when essential documents are not received in a timely manner. This demonstrates that agency staff are prepared to challenge external partners when necessary to safeguard children. However, these actions are reactive, and some children’s records are still incomplete and lack essential information.

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improvement to be good

There have been examples of allegations or serious incidents where children have been exposed to harm. Some allegations have been substantiated and resulted in carers returning to the panel for review. Not all serious incidents have been notified to the regulator. The manager applies a high threshold for what is considered serious, meaning notifications have not always been made. This lack of timely notification reduces regulatory oversight. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 4 Panel arrangements are in place. The central list provides diversity and appropriate experience. Panel meetings must be quorate to ensure safe decision-making and reduce risk to children. One panel meeting was not quorate. This was not identified, and, as a result, the outcomes of that panel were not thorough. No additional scrutiny, learning or risk assessment was carried out to qualify the decision-making.

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good

The manager is available for the staff team. The manager contributes to the out-of- hours service, demonstrating commitment to the wider operational needs of the agency. The agency has been through a period of unrest, with resistance from the staff team to changes introduced by the manager. This period of resistance contributed to staffing instability and other issues. This highlights weaknesses in team cohesion, which have affected the effectiveness of leadership and management during this period.

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good

The manager does not have effective oversight of agency records relating to the children and their foster carers. This means it is not clear from children’s records that the manager has reviewed and agreed with decisions made about children’s welfare.

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good

The current training arrangements are inconsistent for foster carers. The manager recognises the necessity for foster carers and staff to receive training. Some carers have attended relevant training, but most are out of the expected timescales. This means care provided to children is not consistent. The manager has reviewed the training programme and introduced improvements. The changes are recent and have not yet had a measurable impact on the quality of care provided to children.

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good

The manager carries out a review to evaluate the quality of the care provided to children and identify any emerging themes, patterns or shortfalls. The reviews are discussed among the management team, and actions are agreed to address areas for development. However, the reports are not shared with the regulator, which limits its oversight of the agency.

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good

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. Although there has been a change in manager, supervision sessions have remained consistent and regular. Discussions during these sessions are reflective, enabling staff to explore their understanding and knowledge. Sessions provide opportunities for staff to ask questions, share ideas, and contribute to the ongoing development of the service. Staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice and to consider their aspirations and any areas for progression.

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good

Foster carers receive regular, planned supervision sessions that remain child focused. Foster carers’ supervision sessions track children’s progress and prioritise their safety. Discussions are reflective and encourage foster carers to ask questions and explore issues. This approach helps carers understand children’s experiences and improve the quality of care they receive. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 5 The quality of recording has improved. A new staff team has brought greater clarity about agency expectations and a vision for the future. This has improved the quality of agency records. Foster carers said they feel supported by the recently recruited staff team. Foster carers reported inconsistent support in the past. Foster carers now say there is a positive and helpful approach that enables them to provide better quality care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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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)) 28 February 2026

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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

In particular, ensure that safe care plans and risk assessments are updated when a risk is identified. 28 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

No business may be conducted by a fostering panel unless at least the following meet as the panel—

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Requirement Due date

either the person appointed to chair the panel or one of the vice chairs,

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Requirement Due date

one member who is a social worker who has at least three years’ relevant post-qualifying experience. (Regulation 24 (1)(i)(ii)) 28 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for—

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Requirement Due date

monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals, and

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide the Chief Inspector with a written report in respect of any review conducted for the purposes of paragraph (1) and, on request, to any local authority. (Regulation 35 (1)(a) (2)) 28 February 2026 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the service only suggests foster carers to local authorities as a potential match for a child if they can reasonably be expected to meet the child’s assessed needs and the impact of the placement on existing household members has been considered. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the service. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.1)  The registered person should ensure that the manager regularly monitors all records kept by the service to ensure compliance with its policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents, and to identify patterns and trends. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that the management of the service makes

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Recommendations

sure that all fostering activities and staff practices comply with The Fostering Services (England) Regulations, national minimum standards, and the service’s policies and procedures. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.3)  The registered person should ensure that, in the case of an agency placement, the agency collaborates with the responsible authority to ensure that the information held in the agency’s case files and those of the responsible authority is integrated effectively. This includes children’s documents to support their care. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 26.8)

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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: Brighter Fostering Limited 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Brighter Fostering Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Suite F, 2nd Floor, Mabgate Mills, Mill 2, Leeds LS9 7DZ

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: admin@brighterfostering.co.uk

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Inspector

Kate Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Brighter Fostering Limited 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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