Thrive Fostering Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 1 Thrive Fostering Ltd Thrive Fostering Limited 1-9 St Anns Road, Harrow, London HA1 1LQ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Thrive Fostering Limited is an independent fostering agency based in Harrow, north London. The fostering service provides foster care for individual children and sibling groups. It provides emergency, respite, short-term and long-term placements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This is the fostering agency’s first inspection. The agency and manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025. At the time of this inspection, the agency had 10 approved fostering households and was providing care for 9 children. The inspector spoke with 3 children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 2

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inadequate

Leadership and management of this fostering service are inadequate, and some systems to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children lack oversight and clarity. As a result, children’s progress and experiences are compromised.

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inadequate

Children have positive experiences, and there are early signs of progress. However, staff fail to obtain local authority care plans and do not devise agency support plans. This means that leaders do not have effective measures to consider children’s progress or highlight if children need additional support. The fostering agency’s assessment tool to consider whether carers can meet children’s specific needs does not consistently include why children are matched with selected foster carers or highlight how any gaps are to be addressed. This is not in children’s best interest.

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inadequate

Despite this shortfall, children benefit from careful introductions with their foster families, and the move to new homes is sensitively coordinated. Children settle quickly and feel well cared for and that they are a part of their new families.

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inadequate

Children feel listened to and meet with staff of the fostering service when they visit the foster home. Children complete the fostering agency’s questionnaires that seek their views and opinions about their experiences. These are positive and indicate that children are enjoying living with their foster families. Children are helped to know how to make a complaint if they need to.

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inadequate

The fostering service encourages children’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Children access primary healthcare services and receive advice and support from specialist services when appropriate.

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inadequate

Some children do not attend school or nursery. Staff and foster carers are strong advocates for children’s educational success and are involved in securing school and nursery placements. They regularly communicate with local authority staff and education professionals to help achieve this. Foster carers ensure that children participate in educational and leisure activities that support their general development.

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inadequate

Children have time with their parents, brothers and sisters and others who are important to children when it is safe for them to do so. Staff manage arrangements for these times carefully, ensuring there is a consistent focus on children’s best interests.

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

Staff complete risk assessments soon after children move in with their foster families. However, these risk assessments are incomplete and do not include guidance that helps to reduce risks posed to children and others. While there have Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 3 been no incidents of children being involved in exploitation or self-harming behaviour, the lack of specific guidance for carers in these areas leaves a significant potential gap in children’s care. There has been one occasion when a child was missing from their foster home. Despite the lack of guidance, the foster carer and staff managed this appropriately, promoting the child’s safe return home.

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

Foster carers and staff of the fostering service work hard to protect children from neglect, harm, abuse and bullying. Leaders, managers and staff make foster carers aware of children’s vulnerabilities and note there may be underlying causes of behaviours that children sometimes exhibit. Staff and foster carers adhere to the fostering service’s child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures but lack individual guidance in areas relevant to individual children.

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

There has been a recent allegation made against a foster carer; this investigation is ongoing. Managers and staff have taken appropriate action to safeguard the children in question.

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

Managers fail to ensure that all prospective foster carers are approved in line with robust approval processes. For example, the fostering agency’s former agency decision-maker failed to ratify the fostering panel’s recommendation that some foster carer applicants be approved. Managers were unaware of this, and children moved into those foster homes. When this was raised to leaders and the registered manager some months later, they failed to inform the children’s placing authorities or Ofsted about this shortfall. The situation was rectified retrospectively, but in the interim, children were living in foster care placements that were not secure.

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

Managers and leaders do not consistently obtain full vetting information for staff. For example, managers failed to evidence the formal qualifications of a staff member. They are also unable to accurately confirm all staff’s current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. This does not confirm that newly appointed staff are suitable to work with children.

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

Foster carers set clear and consistent boundaries for children, which promotes positive behaviour. Foster carers use effective strategies to help to manage children’s sometimes complex behaviour and to help children act differently.

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

The preparation, supervision and training of foster carers emphasise the protection of children. However, the quality of some foster carers’ assessments is poor, as they do not fully explore key safeguarding issues. This does not confirm that all prospective foster carers are suitable to care for children.

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

Foster carers’ homes are safe and secure. Staff conduct checks to ensure that homes are well maintained and comfortable and that there are no health and safety concerns. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of this fostering service are inadequate. Leaders’ governance of the fostering service is poor, and monitoring systems, including some safeguarding systems, are ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have poor insight into the appropriate functioning of key aspects of the fostering service. For example, since its registration with Ofsted, the provider has moved to new office premises and failed to inform Ofsted or the host local authority of the move. Managers sought local authority planning permission for the new office only after being advised by the inspector that this was required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that checks and actions identified for prospective foster carers to complete as a condition of their approval are achieved. In one case, a foster care applicant was recommended for approval by the fostering panel prior to the completion of key checks. This included staff failing to obtain a DBS check for the applicant’s relative, who was a frequent visitor to the home. The information and guidance provided to the panel were inadequate, and the carer was approved by the agency despite these shortfalls. This does not ensure the safety and wellbeing of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all foster carer assessments are of a good standard. In one case, the assessment of a prospective foster carer was deemed by the fostering panel to be of such poor quality that the presented assessment was not considered and was returned for significant amendments. This caused an unnecessary delay. Managers do not provide formal supervision for assessing social workers, and there is no system for managers to review the progress of assessments or to confirm that they are good quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff comment that managers provide them with good support and guidance. The supervision of staff, however, requires improvement. Gaps are noted in the frequency of staff supervision, including that of the registered manager. This does not support the registered manager’s professional development. The registered manager has failed to enrol to complete the required qualification for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers’ audit and monitoring of essential case records are ineffective. Too many records are incomplete, inaccurate or are not included as required in children’s files. This relates to children’s placement plans, risk assessments, some foster carers’ assessments and suitability/matching documents. This does not ensure that there are clear records of, for example, children’s progress or any known risks posed to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The fostering agency’s statement of purpose contains inaccurate information. The 2 children’s guides are also poor quality. One contains inaccurate information while the other contains language that is not appropriate for the age of the children the guide is intended for. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 5 Training and development activities for foster carers are wide ranging and relevant to the fostering task. Some foster carers receive bespoke training to help them meet the specific needs of children, for example training in autism.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Foster carers are supported by their supervising social workers. They receive regular supervision that is child focused, with attention also paid to foster families’ wellbeing. Foster carers identify their support from staff as being the primary strength of the fostering service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children benefit from the good partnership working between their foster carers, fostering service staff and other professionals. Communication is regular and effective. This supports the good coordination of children’s care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 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 registered provider and the registered manager must, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency,

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Requirement Due date

carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake from time to time such training as is appropriate to ensure that they have the experience and skills necessary for managing the fostering agency. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b) (3)) 31 May 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

improving the quality of foster care provided by the fostering agency. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)) 31 May 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, the registered manager must ensure that staff and carers have access to comprehensive, up-to-date risk assessments relating to the children in their care that give guidance so they can mitigate known risks. 1 May 2026 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 7 For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work for the purposes of a fostering service unless that person—

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Requirement Due date

has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for the work they are to perform,

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Requirement Due date

and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to that person in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 1. (Regulation 20 (3)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all required recruitment information is received, all required checks are completed and that this can be clearly evidenced. 1 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and children’s guide,

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Requirement Due date

notify the Chief Inspector of any such revision within 28 days. (Regulation 4 (a)(b)) 1 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that all persons employed by them—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 21 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff, including the registered manager and assessing social workers, receive regular supervision. 1 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

Where the fostering service provider have obtained all the information set out in paragraph (1A) and have not given the notification in paragraph (1B) within 10 working days of doing so, the fostering service provider must, subject to paragraph (3)—

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Requirement Due date

obtain the information specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 relating to X and other members of X’s household and any other information they consider relevant,

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Requirement Due date

consider whether X is suitable to be a foster parent and whether X’s household is suitable for any child,

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Requirement Due date

prepare a written report on X which includes the following matters— 1 May 2026 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 8 the information required by Schedule 3 and any other information the fostering service provider consider relevant,

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Requirement Due date

the fostering service provider’s assessment of X’s suitability to be a foster parent, and

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Requirement Due date

the fostering service provider’s proposals about any terms of approval, and

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Requirement Due date

notify X that the case is to be referred to the fostering panel, and give X a copy of the report prepared under subparagraph (c) inviting X to send any observations in writing to the fostering service provider within 10 working days beginning with the date on which the notification is sent. (Regulation 26 (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all relevant information is shared with the fostering panel so that it is aware when pre-set conditions for carer approval are met or not met so it can make fully informed recommendations. The registered provider must also ensure that assessments presented to panel are good quality.

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Requirement Due date

If a fostering service provider decide to approve X as a foster parent they must—

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Requirement Due date

give X notice in writing specifying any terms on which the approval is given, and

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Requirement Due date

enter into a written agreement with X covering the matters specified in Schedule 5 (the “foster care agreement”). (Regulation 27 (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must have a system in place so that they know when carers are notified in writing when they are approved to care for children, the conditions of those approvals and confirmation these are included in foster care agreements. 1 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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, Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 9 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: Thrive Fostering Ltd 10

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Thrive Fostering Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 111 Watlingate Unit 1, 297-303 Edgware Road, London NW9 6NB

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: sarahokae@thrivefostering.com

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Thrive Fostering Ltd 11 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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