National Fostering Agency

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 1 National Fostering Agency The National Fostering Agency Ltd 1750 Solihull Parkway, Birmingham Business Park, Solihull, Birmingham B37 7YD Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A large national provider of children’s services operates this independent fostering agency, providing short- and long-term care. A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the agency. The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the fostering agency was caring for 281 children with 200 registered fostering households.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making great progress from their starting points because of the warm and nurturing care they receive from their foster carers. Many of the children have lived with their foster carers for several years, which promotes a strong sense of belonging and stability. Where possible, children live alongside their brothers and sisters, helping them to maintain important family relationships. Children speak positively about their foster carers; one child described them as ‘awesome’ and another child stated that ‘they are very happy living with [name of foster carer]’ and they ‘enjoy life so much’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education provisions that meet their individual learning needs. When barriers arise, the agency acts proactively by providing additional support through specialist educational advisers. Foster carers value this input, which has led to improved engagement in education. For example, one child was supported to obtain an education, health and care plan (EHC plan), resulting in increased classroom support. However, for one child who disengaged from post-16 education, there was a missed opportunity to access support from the agency’s education lead.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. They are supported to attend all routine health appointments, which ensures that their physical and emotional wellbeing is monitored. However, for one older child, despite consistent encouragement, they have chosen not to attend any appointments. Foster carers encourage children to maintain good health and promote healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from opportunities to take part in physical activities such as football and swimming, which promote fitness and overall wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with the most complex needs benefit from a wraparound package of care. This includes regular consultation with the agency clinician, short breaks, task- focused support and increased supervision to effectively meet children’s needs. As a result, stability has improved for one child, allowing them to remain with their foster carers and experience continuity of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by their foster carers to explore hobbies and talents. They enjoy new experiences, such as holidays, clubs and day trips. Some children take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, promoting independence and confidence. Children also enjoy social activities provided by the agency. One child said, ‘I love the great parties at the agency.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in decisions within the agency through their Youth Forum, which supports that their views are listened to and valued. The agency engages well with children through regular consultations, and any comments raised by children are explored appropriately and used to inform practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed sensitively into their foster homes. Where possible, moves are well planned and take account of individual needs. Children receive child-focused Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 3 guides to support their journey into foster care. This supports children to feel welcomed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency promotes family time with those who matter to children. Foster carers advocate for children and help maintain positive relationships with birth families, supporting strong family connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children leave their foster homes in a planned and positive way. However, for one child when a move happened suddenly, they were not given the chance to say goodbye. Furthermore, the agency does not consistently reflect on these endings to improve practice.

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

Children report feeling safe living with their foster carers. Strong, trusting relationships enable children to share any worries and concerns with their foster carers. One child said, ‘I feel safe and secure.’ Another child stated, ‘I feel safe and happy with [name of foster carer]. Home is where I feel safe.’

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

Since the last inspection, the agency has experienced a significant incident. Ofsted is assured that leaders and managers responded appropriately to the difficult circumstances. This included providing support to children, foster carers and staff within the agency, demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding and wellbeing during challenging times.

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

Children are kept safe through effective safeguarding arrangements. Incidents of going missing from care and self-harm are rare, and when they occur, the agency responds promptly with clear safety plans and strong partnership working with professionals. As a result, for one child, clear boundaries have led to no further missing episodes. Foster carers receive training to manage risks, and risk assessments are regularly reviewed to reflect changing needs. This proactive approach reduces risk and helps children feel safe and supported.

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

Consistent and nurturing care from foster carers helps create stability for children, including those at risk of exploitation. The agency takes proactive steps to safeguard children where there is a risk of criminal exploitation. This includes collaborative work with professionals, such as the police, youth offending teams and specialist services. Foster carers receive appropriate training to meet children’s needs. Risk assessments are in place and are regularly reviewed and updated when new risks or changes emerge, ensuring children remain safe.

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

The agency operates a clear non-restraint policy. In the last 12 months, there have been four incidents of restraint, used only when children were at immediate risk of harm. Each incident is reviewed promptly, and additional support, such as sessions with the clinical therapist, is provided to help children and carers.

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

The agency completes thorough and timely assessments of foster carers to ensure they can provide safe and stable homes for children. Assessments explore foster Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 4 carers’ skills, experience and capacity to meet children’s needs. The process is clear and includes checks, references and training to make sure foster carers meet the required standards.

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

Unannounced visits to fostering households are completed twice yearly. These visits capture children’s views and understand their lived experiences. In addition to assessing the home environment. A stable supervising social work team means children know their fostering social workers well and can share their views with someone they trust. However, there are occasions when children have not been seen as part of the visit, and while supervising social workers check children’s bedrooms, this is not always recorded in written reports.

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

Overall, the agency responds well to allegations. Actions include referring to the local authority designated officer and working alongside the local authority. When concerns arise about carers’ practice, investigations are completed, and carers are taken back to panel to review their suitability. However, on at least two occasions, safety planning for children living with carers where concerns existed was not robust and did not fully consider wider risks to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has a suitably experienced registered manager, who is child focused and passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children. Since the last inspection, a new responsible individual has joined the agency; she is equally experienced and shares the manager’s ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key strength of the agency is its leadership team, including the practice manager and team managers. They have a thorough understanding of the agency, its children and foster carers. This ensures continuity of care and supports positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring systems are in place. Managers scrutinise all areas of practice, identify themes and trends and take proactive steps to improve outcomes. Weekly leadership meetings ensure consistency across the agency. The staff team is stable, enthusiastic and committed, with minimal changes since the last inspection and no changes in supervising social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A dedicated engagement team meets prospective applicants and builds strong relationships throughout the assessment and approval process. Matching processes are robust. Appropriate checks are completed when children are matched with foster carers. Close working relationships between engagement, referrals and social work teams support effective matching decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency benefits from a diverse group of carers, reflecting the geographical areas covered and supporting children’s identity needs. Growth has been achieved through word-of-mouth recommendations from existing carers. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 5 Professionals say communication with the agency is good. They receive regular updates about children and find staff responsive and helpful. This supports effective planning and ensures children’s needs are met. Children’s social workers report that children have made good progress because of the nurturing and consistent care provided by foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A diverse national panel meets weekly, providing rigorous quality assurance and operating within timescales. Panel members receive regular training and annual appraisals, supported by the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) process. However, foster carer annual reviews have not consistently been completed in line with regulations. While carers attend review meetings, paperwork is not always referred to the ADM for a formal decision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers provide mixed feedback about the support they receive. Most carers feel well supported by their supervising social worker. However, some report feeling unsupported during the allegation process and one carer advised they had to chase for help. The registered manager is committed to improving support for foster carers and has introduced wellness hubs to promote their wellbeing. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 6

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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

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy which— sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must, subject to paragraph (4), provide in particular for—

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Requirement Due date

consideration to be given to the measures which may be necessary to protect. (Regulation 12 (1)(b) (3)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that clear safety plans are in place when there are concerns with regard to a foster carer’s practice 30 January 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children are leaving the fostering family, they are helped to understand reasons why they are leaving. The registered provider should ensure that children are supported during the transition to their new foster home, independent living or to their parental home. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, page 23, paragraph 11.5).  The registered person should ensure that each approved foster carer is supervised by a named, appropriately qualified social worker who has meetings with the foster carer, including at least one unannounced visit a year. Meetings have a clear purpose and provide the opportunity to supervise the foster carer’s work, ensure the foster carer is meeting the child’s needs, taking into account the child’s wishes and feelings, and offer support and a framework to assess the carer’s performance and develop their competencies and skills. (‘Fostering services:

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Recommendations

national minimum standards’, page 43, paragraph 21.8)  The registered person must ensure that decisions about foster carers’ approval are made appropriately. The decision maker is responsible for deciding whether a person and their household remain suitable to foster, and whether the terms of approval remain suitable, following each review of the foster carer’s approval. The decision should be based on the written report of the review; it must take account of any recommendation by the fostering panel (which must be provided on the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 7 occasion of the first review and may be provided for subsequent reviews) and any recommendation of the IRM. (Assessment and approval of foster carers: Amendments to the Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations, 2013 page 19, paragraph 3.2)

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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: National Fostering Agency 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: The National Fostering Agency Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

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

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Inspectors

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: National Fostering Agency 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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