Homes and Horizons Fostering

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 1 Homes and Horizons Fostering Homes2Inspire Limited Somerset County Council, County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This agency is part of a partnership with a local authority to provide specialist foster care for children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides a range of fostering services, including long-term and emergency care for children who may have complex needs.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This was the agency’s first inspection since it was registered in March 2025.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, there were 4 registered foster carers. Two children were placed in the care of foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A new manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care that children receive has supported them to make progress. Foster carers provide children with the care that they need to feel settled and safe in their homes. Children are showing increased confidence and a better ability to express their emotions, thoughts and feelings. Additionally, children are provided with well- planned, appropriate and consistent respite care with foster carers who know them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop skills essential for independence. For example, one child enjoys cooking and is encouraged to complete tasks around the home. Another child is building on their self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a wide range of experiences. Foster carers nurture children’s hobbies and talents, building their self-esteem and sense of worth. Children are provided with opportunities to go on family outings and enjoy activities such as being in local productions and attending dance lessons. One child spoke positively about caring for the family dog and going on local walks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency supports children to maintain and navigate relationships with their family and other people who are important to them. Foster carers work with children’s family members to establish positive relationships. This has had a positive impact for one child. The agency works proactively with other professionals to plan how they can help children to make sense of their family, culture and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency works collaboratively with external professionals to ensure that children’s education and training needs are met. They advocate for what is believed to be in their best interests. This has resulted in a child attending a work placement and education professionals supporting the child at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency is proactive in working with the embedded child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) team. Joint working begins before a child is placed with a family. This enables a holistic view of both the child and foster carer’s needs and abilities and aims to support better matching. Foster carers and staff benefit from training and drop-in sessions. This directly contributes to positive outcomes for children.

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

Staff and foster carers understand the risks that children experience. Staff receive training that they use to support foster carers to increase their knowledge about risks and keeping children safe.

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

Foster carers attend a wealth of relevant and useful training and learning opportunities. When necessary, the agency adapts this to meet the specific needs of Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 3 foster carers. Staff support them to reflect on this learning and consider how it can benefit children.

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

When concerns for children’s wellbeing are raised, there is a good response from the agency. They work alongside partner agencies to inform appropriate decision-making and care planning. Foster carers have access to a well-managed and responsive out- of-hours system. They report that it is accessible and meets their overall needs.

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

Foster carers have access to detailed risk assessments. These provide them with guidance on the actions that they need to take to support and educate children and to reduce risk. However, when there is a known risk of a child going missing, there is no individualised planning for foster carers to follow. This does not help foster carers to support children to return home quickly.

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

The agency has provided one emergency placement for a child. Meetings with external professionals who shared essential information are not documented. Risks were discussed with the foster carers in advance of the child moving to the home. However, no formal assessment of risk was made and documented by the agency to guide foster carers on the action they should take to respond to and reduce risks. However, there was no negative impact for the foster carer or the child.

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

Through the support of staff and the CAMHS team, foster carers are helped to understand and respond to children’s behaviours that challenge them. In reflective and therapeutic-based supervision sessions, foster carers are supported to embed therapeutic practice in their daily interactions with children.

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

Staff carry out visits to see foster carers and children. These are regular and are a mix of arranged and unannounced visits. Staff spend time talking to children. They build relationships with children, which allows them to gain a sense of children’s safety and a view of their life and their experiences living in the foster home. Information gained from visits is used to inform care planning and to advocate for children.

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

There are no concerns about staff recruitment. Effective systems are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with foster carers and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since being registered, the agency has had changes in the leadership and management team. This has had no negative impact on staff, foster carers or children. The new manager has developed a good knowledge of the overall service. The agency benefits from a full, suitably qualified staff team. Managers are committed to developing this service and to achieving positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The process of recruiting foster carers to the service is ongoing. Due to the specialism and aims of the agency, leaders and managers are focusing on developing the skills of foster carers rather than numbers. There is a clear strategy for Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 4 recruitment. This includes having a specific staff member to organise, carry out and oversee the process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers have regular supervision sessions. Records of supervision provide ample information about foster carers and children’s experiences. They show reflection and document how staff help foster carers to consider how they do meet and will meet the needs of children. Records demonstrate the high level of support that foster carers receive. Foster carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from the agency and how this impacts positively on the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular case supervision and personal supervision and also attend team meetings. However, staff supervision records lack reflection and professional challenge to fully understand children’s experiences and the quality of staff’s guidance and support to foster carers. However, these sessions do result in clear action plans that set out the steps staff should take to ensure that foster carers and children get the right support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the agency’s records do not provide sufficient detail to fully document managers’ oversight of staff practice, and the care of children. In addition, decision- making for children is not always documented This reduces opportunities to identify any gaps in foster carer or staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to relevant training. Managers support the continuing professional development of staff for them to progress in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers build and maintain positive relationships with external professionals. Feedback highlights positive communication, a therapeutic approach and a clear focus on meeting the needs of children. This positive multi-agency working informs ongoing care planning for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel provides an effective quality assurance function. This includes challenge from the agency decision-maker when required. The quality of analysis and the highlighting of strengths and vulnerabilities in assessments of potential foster carers, and transfers to the agency, ensures that the right registration decisions can be made. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 5

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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 policy, which is agreed with the local police, setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the procedure to be followed when a child is missing from a foster parent’s home without permission. (Regulation 13 (3)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the agency must ensure that when there are concerns that a child has gone missing or may go missing, individualised guidance and actions are set out for foster carers to follow to support the child’s safe return. 26 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of staff supervision provide sufficient detail. They should include how managers support and challenge staff to reflect on their practice and the support that they provide to foster carers in order to meet the needs of children. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 24.4)  The registered person should ensure that there is clear and effective monitoring of the agency. They should ensure that their decision-making about all aspects of foster carers and children’s lives shows reflection, is clearly documented and is completed in a timely manner. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that a risk assessment is made and is available to staff and foster carers before any child moves into a foster home. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.1) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 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: Homes and Horizons Fostering 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Homes2Inspire Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Black Country House, Rounds Green Road, Oldbury B69 2DG

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Independent fostering agency details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: fostering@homesandhorizons.org

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Homes and Horizons Fostering 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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