SWIIS Foster Care Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 1 Swiis Foster Care Limited Swiis Foster Care Limited Unit 5, Pavilion Business Park, Royds Hall Road; Wortley, Leed, LS12 6AJ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Swiss Foster Care Limited is an independent fostering service. This is one of five independent fostering agencies that the company operates. The agency provides short-term, emergency, long-term, respite and short-break placements. The agency also offers placements for children with specific care needs, including sanctuary seeking children, parent and child, children with disabilities and complex additional needs.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency had 89 approved fostering households and 114 children living with foster carers. Thirteen young people are living with foster parents under ‘staying put’ or ‘shared lives’ arrangements. These arrangements enable young people over the age of 18 years to remain living with their foster parents.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered manager has been in post since December 2015.

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

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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 agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 2

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outstanding

This agency makes a significant difference to children’s lives through the robust recruitment, assessment and support of foster carers. There is also excellent management oversight of the service. In addition, the agency values the direct input children make to the continued development of the service, and to the quality of care that children receive. The agency is progressive and innovative. Due to this, children make excellent progress across all areas of their lives.

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outstanding

There is a sharp focus by the agency on promoting placement stability for children. The work of the stability and support team is well embedded and ensures that children and foster carers receive support in a timely way when they encounter difficulties. In addition, when children experience difficulties in their foster family, leaders and managers take the time to understand and learn from this. This has resulted in a significant reduction in children moving on from their foster homes in an unplanned way.

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outstanding

The agency promotes stability and permanence for children by making sure that children can stay with their foster carers as long as they need to. Conversations about post-18 living arrangements for children take place in a timely way. Consequently, a large number of children remain with their foster carers into adulthood through ‘staying put’ and ‘shared lives’ provisions. The agency also supports foster carers to achieve legal permanence for children through adoption and Special Guardianship orders where appropriate.

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outstanding

The agency is highly committed to supporting brothers and sisters to live together where possible. This helps children to develop a deep emotional security and lasting companionship with their siblings, especially during key times in their lives. Children are also able to enjoy time with family members and friends.

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outstanding

Foster carers know the children that they care for exceptionally well. They are highly committed to making a difference to children’s lives through the provision of a stable, permanent and loving home. Children are valued by their foster carers and are an integral part of the fostering household. Foster carers speak about the children they care for with pride and affection. One child spoke about how settled they feel living with their foster carers and proudly spoke about how they are going to live with them until they are an adult. The child said that they ‘love’ their foster carers because ‘they look after me.’ Another child spoke about how they have felt part of the family for the past ten years and that their foster carers are always there for them.

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outstanding

The agency works effectively with a range of health, education and social care professionals. In addition, foster carers receive support and guidance from the agency’s education officer and health advisor. These relationships are key to the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 3 exceptional progress that children make with their education and health. For one child who has complex health needs, this level of support and the care the child receives from their foster carers, has enabled them to attend college; something which the child never thought they would achieve.

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outstanding

Listening to children is a strength of this agency. Children are encouraged and helped by the agency’s support workers to share their views about the care they receive. Also, children of the foster carers are encouraged to share their views about the impact of fostering on their lives. This helps to inform the foster carer reviews.

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outstanding

Children take part in a range of activities that support their interests. They also actively engage and participate in events organised by the agency. The agency currently has two children’s groups that meet on a regular basis and are influential in developing the service. One child spoke about the impact that his views have made and was proud that a surfing activity has now become an annual event. The opportunities that the agency provides for children to spend time together enhances children’s experiences. One child said that being a part of one of the children’s groups has made him realise that ‘he is not the only foster child and that there are other foster children that he can talk to and spend time with.’

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outstanding

Children feel safe living with their foster families. One child said, ‘I give [Name of foster carer] 10 out of 10 as she is there for me if I need to talk. [Name of foster carer] gives me 100% support. We are a family unit.’

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outstanding

Leaders and managers have an unwavering commitment to safeguarding children and understand the importance of getting it right for children from the start. To this end, the agency’s process for recruiting and assessing prospective foster carers is robust. The quality of assessments of prospective foster carers is of a high standard, and the fostering panel is thorough in its discussions, which are well documented. The agency decision-maker has excellent knowledge and experience for the role. Together, the fostering panel and agency decision maker help with the safe recruitment of applicants to foster and ensure that approved foster carers can provide high quality care to children.

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outstanding

The agency’s process for welcoming children into a new family is strong. Relevant information is gathered at the point of a child being referred to ensure that foster carers have all the information they need about a child’s strengths, needs and vulnerabilities. Management oversight of whether a foster carer can meet a child’s needs is evident. This helps a child to settle into their new home with foster carers who can meet their needs and help them to thrive. It also assists carers to understand the child’s specific vulnerabilities and what they need to do to help and protect the child.

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outstanding

Plans to safeguard children are tailored to the individual needs of each child. They clearly detail the child’s vulnerabilities and what foster carers need to do to keep the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 4 child safe. Since the last inspection, the agency has taken an innovative and research-based approach to understanding and recording risk in children’s plans. This has led to a reframing of risk which helps children to understand, without blame or shame why adults are worried about them and how they will support them. The quality of children’s plans is exceptional and how they are implemented by foster carers contributes to children being kept safer. Children have direct input into their plans wherever possible, and child friendly plans are provided for children.

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outstanding

Although the agency’s model of behaviour management is well established and embedded, it is kept under close review by leaders and managers and benefits from continuous improvement. This, along with foster carers receiving training in de-escalation techniques, helps to support foster carers to manage children’s behaviours positively. On the rare occasion when children have been held, this has been to keep the child safe. Management oversight of these incidents is excellent, and foster carers and children are always provided with the opportunity to reflect and learn after the incident.

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outstanding

Each child receives a strong response from their foster carers when they go missing from home. Foster carers actively search for the child and work closely with the agency and external professionals, such as the police, to secure the child’s safe return. When children return home, they receive a warm response from their foster carers and support from the supervising social worker.

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outstanding

When there are concerns about a child’s safety relating to missing from home, self- harm, online safety or exploitation, the agency and foster carers are quick to ensure that children have access to specialist services. In addition, support workers will undertake direct pieces of work with the child. These conversations are informative for children, increase their understanding about particular issues and help children to make safer decisions and become increasingly safe.

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outstanding

The agency promotes and monitors the safety and well-being of children. This is through annual health and safety assessments of foster carers’ homes, unannounced visits by the supervising social workers and assessments of the adults within the fostering household and the foster carer’s support networks.

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outstanding

When there are allegations of harm or concerns about the care a foster carer provides, the agency takes appropriate action by involving relevant professionals to safeguard the child. At the same time, the agency ensures that foster carers are supported through this process. Following a concern being raised and at the conclusion of any investigation, foster carers return to the fostering panel where their continued suitability to foster is considered. The agency refers foster carers to the Disclosure and Barring Service when needed. This means that only those that are safe to care for children remain approved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

This agency is led by a team of leaders and managers who have a shared vision and work cohesively to promote excellent outcomes for children. Managers lead by Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 5 example and follow the values and ethos of the statement of purpose in their day-to- day practice with staff, foster carers and professionals. Foster carers have direct access to senior leaders and on one occasion, this led to the agency making a sizeable donation to help fund an event for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is inspirational. She is very child focused and has excellent oversight of the agency. The manager knows the foster carers and children very well and speaks about the children, foster carers and staff with immense pride. She is inclusive in her approach to improving the service and there are several examples where she has made changes following feedback from children and foster carers. For example, when a group of foster carers said they were not feeling well supported, the manager took decisive action to remedy this. In addition, when children provided feedback about wanting to turn one of the rooms in the office into a recording studio, she, alongside staff made this happen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Foster carers are proud to be a part of this agency and spoke very positively about the support they receive. Comments from foster carers include:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

 ‘[Name of agency] has made our journey into fostering incredible.’  ‘We feel supported as carers, well informed in our role, and confident that the agency places children’s welfare at the heart of its practice.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children and foster carers benefit from the support of a stable and highly committed staff team. Staff morale is high and staff are enthusiastic about making a positive difference to children’s lives. They feel valued and supported and have confidence in leaders and managers. Feedback from external professionals involved with the agency is overwhelmingly positive in respect of partnership working, communication and securing positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The chair and vice-chair of the fostering panel and agency decision maker are suitably qualified and experienced. They take their role in safeguarding children extremely seriously and as a result, exercise their quality assurance role with vigour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The quality of children’s case records is excellent and underpinned by research. The leaders and manager work alongside staff and foster carers to ensure that records are written with kindness and compassion and effectively capture the child’s journey and celebrate their achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations have been made. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 6

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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: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Swiis Foster Care Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Swiis Foster Care Ltd, 4th Floor, Prince House, 43- 51 Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4PS

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Inspectors

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: SWIIS Foster Care Limited 8 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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