Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services

Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services Limited 8 London Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 1NA Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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organisation

This organisation is privately owned. Foster parents provide short-term, long-term, respite and permanent homes for children. The fostering service also provides homes for children on remand, as well as parent and child arrangements. At the time of this inspection, 55 approved fostering households were providing care for a total of 69 children.

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organisation

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 27 October 2020.

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

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 27 September 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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outstanding

Children receive exceptional care from warm and committed foster parents. The care that foster parents provide enables children to feel part of the family. Children speak positively about their experiences with their foster parents. One child said, ‘This is the best place that I have ever lived… we have all that we need.’ Children thrive and make exceptional progress. Their relationships with their foster parents are not limited to when they are living there; they extend to when they have moved away. This is an excellent demonstration of the family-like ethos of the organisation.

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outstanding

The organisation is child centred. The practice of the organisation means that the progress children make in all areas of their lives is exemplary. The care of an unaccompanied asylum seeking child created a sense of safety and stability. The swift action of the foster parent in partnership with the organisation enabled them to secure an education placement. This included language support, social and leisure opportunities and urgent health interventions.

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outstanding

The progress of other children has been exceptional. This is due to the safety and stability created by their foster parents. This has manifested in their educational outcomes and social development, as well as their resilience in navigating major life events. Other children with little experience of school have made accelerated or above-expected progress in school.

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outstanding

A particular strength of the organisation is the education and engagement team. They provide a diverse range of support to foster parents and children to enable them to achieve their goals. Strong partnerships between this team and other professionals create ambition and high expectations.

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outstanding

Children and their foster parents receive opportunities that enable positive life chances. This includes training and development provided to foster parents that impact the way that they work with children. For example, the communication training that foster parents receive affects the way that they care for children, and impacts children’s life experiences.

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outstanding

Creating a nurturing community is a core aim of the organisation. It supports the retention of foster parents and staff and generates greater stability for children. Children’s participation is meaningful and innovative. They receive training in areas such as keeping themselves safe online and first aid. The youth forum creates opportunities to hear children’s views and respond effectively. There is involvement of children in the recruitment of staff and foster parents. Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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outstanding

Risks have significantly reduced for many of the children cared for by this organisation. Clear boundaries and routines are implemented by foster parents, creating an environment of safety. For example, the impact of continued investment in horse riding lessons for one child despite the withdrawal of external funding has been transformative. This made a difference for the child’s sense of permanency, social development and self-esteem, as well as their engagement with adults and sense of stability.

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outstanding

A strong process is in place to protect children. Partnership working is effective, and the safeguarding of children and young people is at the centre of this. Staff understand the procedures involved in the management of allegations.

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outstanding

Foster parents receive extra support to manage children’s disclosures of historical abuse. The staff recognise the impact that this can have on the foster parent and the child.

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outstanding

Children have a strong sense of safety and wellbeing. They say that they feel safe and that foster parents look after them well.

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outstanding

A particularly strong process is in place to manage incidents of children going missing from home. Missing-from-home protocols mean that foster parents continue to look for the child and try to make contact. There are regular network meetings about the safety of the child and how they can be encouraged to return. This involves the foster parents. Robust safety planning, including reviewed risk assessments, means that children become safer. Effective partnership working creates an environment of safety and responsibility. One child said that if they knew the welcome they would receive on return, they would have returned sooner.

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outstanding

Safer recruiting is thorough. The effective processes in place ensure that staff are safely recruited. Checks are robust, clear and well organised, and show strong attention to detail.

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outstanding

Research-based practice is embedded across the service. This strong commitment includes supporting an adult birth child of foster parents with their research project. This related to the health outcomes of children in care and involved interviews and surveys with foster parents. Additionally, the organisation is working in partnership to create a better way to recruit families using technology.

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outstanding

A strong and effective panel process is in place. The panel provides good reviews as well as considered recommendations. Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are energetic and lead by example. They show a high level of ambition for the children in their care. They have high expectations of their staff and foster parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers’ ambitions for children are evident. This is evident in the opportunities they provide that have a positive impact on the direction of children’s lives. For example, the education and engagement team supported a child to visit a prison when they considered a career in the field of youth offending. With the support of this team, this child was successful in securing employment. Additionally, they secured a position as a youth commissioner for a children’s service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision and home visits undertaken by fostering supervisors are of a high standard. They use professional curiosity, reflection, observation and challenge throughout. They tailor discussions according to children’s plans and foster parents’ development objectives. The scope, curiosity and layering of this supervision is a real strength. It ensures the progress of children’s plans. The oversight of managers further strengthens this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders provide opportunities for staff to use their creative talent for the benefit of fostering families. This includes a successful cookbook project, as well as the use of a staff member’s dissertation research in the marketing strategy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The training and staff development strategy is forward-thinking. Leaders and managers provide an environment that promotes personal and professional development. The staff are positive about the quality of the support that they receive as well as the training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders show a consistent commitment to progress. They are not complacent about past achievements. When they recognise a strength, they invest in this; for example, the doubling of the education and engagement team to enable wider reach and support services to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The development and maintenance of professional relationships with partner agencies is a strength, for example working with housing providers, personal assistants, virtual schools and the police. Leaders and managers confidently escalate concerns to placing authorities where needed; for instance, around the exploitation risk for a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendation were made at this inspection. Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Independent fostering organisation details

Registered provider: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services Limited

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Independent fostering organisation details

Registered provider address: 8 London Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 1NA

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Independent fostering organisation details

Email address: tracey.sullivan@xcel2000.com

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Inspectors

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering organisation: Xcel 2000 Fostercare Services 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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

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Inspectors

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