Fostering To Inspire

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering to Inspire 1 Fostering to Inspire Homes 2 Inspire Limited Office 26 and 27, The Rear Walled Garden, The Estate Office, Nostell, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF4 1AB Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency registered with Ofsted in October 2017 and is owned by a national charity. It provides short- and long-term placements, short breaks, and parent and child placements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the agency had 15 fostering households, providing care for 17 children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: Fostering to Inspire 2

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Summary of findings

From their starting points, children make positive progress in all areas of their lives. Placement stability is good and provides them with new opportunities and experiences.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have created a family-orientated service.

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Summary of findings

Foster carers demonstrate a detailed awareness and understanding of the known histories of children placed with them. They strive to ensure that children feel part of their carer families and have positive contact with their birth families and friends.

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Summary of findings

Agency staff and foster carers consistently report satisfaction in their roles, as well as with the support, supervision and training they receive.

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Summary of findings

The agency has established a strong and experienced fostering panel. The chairperson is highly skilled and brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role. Panel membership is both diverse and knowledgeable, contributing to well-informed discussions.

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Summary of findings

The agency decision-maker shows thorough and careful consideration of all documentation when making decisions.

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Summary of findings

Not all foster carer assessments consider cumulative risk sufficiently, particularly where complex and interrelated factors are present.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency has established a family-oriented service that promotes a strong sense of belonging. Most foster carers feel well supported by their supervising social workers and the wider agency. This support enables carers to provide high-quality, individualised care. As a result, most children make good progress and benefit from stable and nurturing foster placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their friends and family members. These relationships are recognised as central to children’s identity and cultural heritage. The agency takes a proactive approach to promoting time with birth families. Foster carers are encouraged to maintain contact with children when they move on. This helps children to sustain meaningful, long-term relationships and strengthens their support networks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend school regularly. Foster carers work effectively with education providers to support children’s learning. This contributes to good attendance and positive educational outcomes for most children. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering to Inspire 3 Children’s health needs are generally met well. Foster carers are attentive and responsive to children’s health needs and act on advice from specialist health professionals to ensure that appropriate support is in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel a strong sense of connection to the agency. They report that they are listened to and that their views are valued. As a result, children feel confident that their voices are heard and taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a range of recreational, social and learning opportunities. These experiences enable children and foster carers to enjoy shared activities and develop supportive relationships with others in the fostering community.

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improvement to be good

Not all foster carer assessments consider cumulative risk sufficiently, particularly where complex and interrelated factors are present. Professional curiosity is not consistently demonstrated, which limits the depth of analysis and the level of appropriate challenge in assessments. As a result, recommendations are not always as robust as they need to be to ensure children’s safety. The management team has recognised these shortfalls and is taking appropriate steps to address them.

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improvement to be good

All children have individual safe care plans and risk assessments in place. They are detailed and clearly outline children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They are regularly reviewed by supervising social workers and updated promptly when new risks emerge. This ensures that foster carers are well informed and supported to manage risks effectively and keep children safe. Foster carers respond effectively to incidents of children going missing from home and follow agreed protocols.

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improvement to be good

There are few allegations made against carers in the agency. When concerns arise, the registered manager takes prompt and effective action to ensure children’s safety. Foster carers are appropriately supported throughout these processes.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that each fostering household receives a minimum of 2 unannounced visits annually. In addition, supervising social workers undertake annual health and safety checks to confirm that foster homes remain safe and suitable environments. All these measures help keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes for foster carers, staff and panel members are robust. There is clear and effective management oversight, ensuring that only safe and suitable adults are approved to provide care and support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant change in the agency’s leadership. The previous manager and responsible individual have left their roles. Despite this, staff and foster carers remain positively engaged and speak highly of Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering to Inspire 4 the current management team’s commitment to delivering good-quality care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, foster carers are skilled in meeting children’s identified needs. Regular training and supervision provide valuable opportunities for carers to reflect on their practice and continually enhance the care they provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have established appropriate systems to monitor the quality of care children receive. Information is stored securely, and the standard of recording is good, supporting an accurate understanding of the day-to-day running of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel members are experienced, and the panel operates effectively. Its membership reflects a good level of diversity, with individuals bringing relevant skills and knowledge to inform recommendations regarding the suitability and continued suitability of foster carers. Panel members carefully scrutinise the information presented and are confident in challenging the agency when recommendations do not sufficiently promote children’s safety. Similarly, the agency decision-maker is effective, making clear, timely and well-reasoned decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular training, team meetings and supervision. However, not all supervision sessions are sufficiently reflective, which can make it difficult to fully understand the rationale behind decisions and to assess the quality of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is mixed. Some speak positively about the agency, highlighting strong and collaborative working relationships. However, some commissioners have expressed concerns about communication, indicating that this is an area requiring improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency does not consistently escalate issues with local authorities in a timely manner. As a result, there have been missed opportunities to address matters promptly for children. This is not in children’s best interests. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering to Inspire 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 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, carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b)) 31 July 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)) 31 July 2026

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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: Fostering to Inspire 6

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire 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

Email address: admin@fosteringtoinspire.co.uk

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Fostering to Inspire 7 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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