Five Rivers Fostering - North

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 1 Five Rivers Fostering – North Five Rivers Child Care Limited Five Rivers Child Care, Unit 1 Heather Court, Shaw Wood Way, Doncaster DN2 5YL Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Five Rivers Fostering – North is an independent fostering agency run as a social enterprise.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency provides short-term, emergency, long-term and respite placements. The agency also supports children on ‘staying put’ arrangements.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of the inspection, the agency had 105 approved fostering households and 121 children living with foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager has been in post from April 2026 and is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

There is no responsible individual currently in post.

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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: n/a

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 2

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Summary of findings

Children receive care from foster carers and staff who are committed to helping them feel safe, valued and part of a family. Children experience stable relationships, are encouraged to participate in decisions about their lives and supported to make progress.

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Summary of findings

Children are in stable homes with carers who can meet their needs. Staff provide support to carers and build trusting relationships with children. Feedback from carers and children is positive. One carer said that the support from the staff is ‘amazing’ and carers described being able to always contact staff.

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Summary of findings

Where possible children leaving fostering homes do so in a planned and considered way. Where endings are unplanned, the staff work to ensure the child has the most positive experience possible.

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Summary of findings

There has been a notable period of change, which resulted in staff and manager vacancies. The management posts have recently been recruited to. However, the service manager is yet to register with Ofsted. Further staffing changes are known, which are being actively recruited to now to prevent any gaps in the service. Senior managers have provided support during this period to ensure stability of the service and reduce the impact on children and carers.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have maintained a good-quality service during a period of notable change. They understand the agency’s strengths and areas for development and demonstrate a commitment to improvement. The identified shortfalls have not had a significant impact on the experiences of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and nurturing relationships with their carers. Carers demonstrate a strong commitment to children, providing homes where children feel safe, secure and valued. Children benefit from care where their welfare, stability and sense of belonging are central to the care provided. Children can identify trusted and secure relationships, positive family life experiences and opportunities that support their progress and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel part of families. They develop meaningful relationships with their carers and maintain relationships with those who are important to them where safe to do so. Children’s views are valued and actively sought. Children said that they feel listened to by staff and carers, and they can identify trusted adults with whom they can raise any worries or concerns. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 3 Children are seen within required timescales and often more frequently. Children said that staff regularly visit them, spend time talking with them and take an interest in their lives. There are arrangements in place to ensure that the views of children who are non-speaking or who have communication barriers are captured.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Respite arrangements are available when needed and carefully planned to support placement stability. This approach helps to prevent avoidable placement endings and helps children to continue to live in a stable home environment wherever possible. Children are supported to maintain important relationships when they move on from placements, helping them to sustain valuable lifelong connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency has developed a strong participation culture. Children are encouraged to influence the development of the service through a range of groups and participation projects. These opportunities help children develop confidence, make friendships and contribute to decisions that affect them. Children can choose their level of involvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children make good educational progress from their starting points. Education and learning are promoted; carers work proactively with schools to support attendance and achievement. Carers attend school events, parents’ evenings and important educational meetings, providing children with experiences that mirror those of their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where there are barriers to education, staff and carers advocate for children. Carers challenge delays or gaps in education provisions. Children are encouraged to aspire for their futures and are supported to pursue their ambitions. One child is taking part in school productions. They child said they want to be an actor: to be rich and famous when they leave school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of social, recreational and leisure opportunities. Carers and staff actively support children to develop hobbies and interests, participate in community activities and access new experiences. Agency activity days and residential events provide opportunities for children to spend time together and build friendships and memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the therapeutic offer that is embedded across the agency. The therapeutic model helps carers understand children’s experiences, promoting consistent, nurturing responses to their needs. Therapeutic support is available to all children universally with no limitations to accessing it. Regular review processes ensure any emerging needs are identified and responded to promptly. This promotes stability and positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency has been successful in recruiting and retaining carers. High levels of support and positive relationships with staff mean carers feel valued and listened to. This contributes to the availability of fostering homes and increases opportunities for children to live in family environments that meet their needs. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 4 Children know how to raise concerns or make complaints and can identify people they would speak to if they felt unhappy. However, some information available to children relies heavily on literacy skills and a good understanding of the English language. Opportunities to improve accessibility, providing key information in a wider range of formats and languages at an earlier stage are not embedded in the agency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency’s children’s guides demonstrate consideration for children’s individual needs. However, the range of formats available is limited and does not yet fully reflect the diversity of communication needs and ages of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Matching processes support placement decisions and contribute to stable placements for children. However, the quality of matching assessments is variable. Assessments lack depth and curiosity, particularly in relation to identity, culture and a child’s wider sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records are child focused and written in language that helps children understand their experiences. Most recording reflects children’s views, wishes and feelings well. However, some inconsistencies were identified in the quality of recording. A small number of records contained language that could be perceived as blameful.

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

Children said they feel safe. Carers place the safety and welfare of children at the centre of their care. Children can identify trusted adults within their fostering families and within the agency, providing them with a range of safe support networks.

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

Children and carers have support from the agency to provide safe and stable family environments. Children who are experiencing difficulties are identified promptly. Managers and staff use regular monitoring arrangements to identify emerging concerns and ensure that additional support is provided when required. This support includes increased visits, more frequent contact with supervising social workers, clinical consultation and updates to safer care plans.

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

Risks to children are understood. Safer care plans identify known risks and vulnerabilities and provide foster carers with clear guidance. Plans are reviewed regularly and updated when circumstances change, so carers have current information to support safe care. This provides a consistent approach to safeguarding children and enables challenge when needed.

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

Allegations and concerns regarding standards of care are managed. Safeguarding concerns are shared promptly with relevant agencies and investigations are conducted in line with established procedures. The welfare and protection of children remain the focus throughout these processes. Where necessary, action is taken to safeguard children, while concerns are investigated.

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

The therapeutic model of care underpins safeguarding practice in the agency. Carers can access clinical support and consultation when needed. This helps carers Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 5 understand children’s experiences and behaviours through a trauma-informed lens. The approach supports carers to respond to children with empathy and understanding. Where care falls below expectations, the agency responds appropriately. There is a commitment to reflective practice, learning and improvement.

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

Panel arrangements meet the requirements. The panel members are led by an experienced and knowledgeable chair. Discussions in the panel have a clear child- focused approach and demonstrate the curiosity of the panel. The recommendations and minutes provide clarity to the agency decision-maker to promote informed and safe decision-making.

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

Incidents of children going missing from home are uncommon. When children do go missing, carers and staff respond in line with children’s safer care plans. Managers take appropriate action to reduce the likelihood of recurrence and act to safeguard the child when plans have not been followed.

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

The agency advocates effectively for children and appropriately challenges placing authorities when return home interviews are not provided following missing-from- home incidents. However, despite these efforts, return home interviews are not consistently taking place. This is a missed opportunity to identify factors that strengthen future safety planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency is led by managers who are committed to providing safe care for children. In a period of organisational change, leaders have maintained a strong focus on children’s welfare and ensured that children continue to experience stable, supportive care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been notable changes within the management and leadership structure. Changes have created uncertainty for some staff; leaders have taken appropriate action to minimise disruption and maintain continuity of service. Staff spoke positively about the support available during this period and noted that effective communication helped reduce uncertainty.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an established and experienced staff team. Long-serving staff have provided valuable continuity during a period of transition and have played a significant role in maintaining standards of care. Experienced team managers have provided additional support to staff and leaders to sustain effective practice while new management arrangements become established. This has helped ensure that changes in leadership have not adversely affected children’s day-to-day care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager is suitably experienced and brings extensive fostering knowledge to the role. As a manager new to the agency, they have worked with established team members to understand the service and identify opportunities for further Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 6 development. The new manager demonstrates a reflective approach to leadership and understands the agency’s strengths and areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have systems to monitor the quality of services provided to children. These include audits and performance monitoring. Leaders promote a culture of reflection and learning. Feedback from children, carers, staff and external professionals is used to inform service development and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has responded to the challenges created by management changes. However, some aspects of regulatory monitoring and oversight were not completed during periods when management oversight was reduced. Although the monitoring and review processes eventually highlight when actions are overdue, by this point a delay has already occurred. This reactive approach limits the agency’s ability to respond promptly and prevent issues from recurring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers maintain oversight of practice within the agency. However, managerial scrutiny is not always sufficiently visible within case records. Opportunities are missed to provide evidence of reflective evaluation, professional challenge and learning. This does not appear to have affected the quality of leadership; however, the agency could take steps to strengthen the manager oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are thorough, preventing unsuitable people from having contact with children. The training offered in the recruitment and preparation for fostering focuses on child safety. Unannounced visits are completed regularly and in addition to regulatory expectations when needed. This promotes best practice and monitors the safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work alongside professionals to promote outcomes for children. Where professional differences occur, managers advocate strongly for children and remain focused on safeguarding, stability and the welfare of all children living within fostering households.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly. Staff receive consistent oversight that supports effective practice. The frequency of supervision provides staff with the guidance they need to fulfil their roles confidently. Supervision offers staff opportunities for reflection, to consider recent practice and evaluate decision-making. This reflective approach helps staff to maintain a clear focus on children’s needs and promotes professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and development needs are regularly discussed in supervision. This supports the development of a skilled and knowledgeable staff team. This approach promotes self-reflection and continuous improvement across the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended. The regularity of the meetings ensures that all staff remain informed, engaged and aligned with the agency’s priorities. Meetings provide an additional space for shared reflection. Staff use this time to explore practice issues and discuss learning. This reflective focus promotes a culture of improvement and supports team cohesion. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only suggest foster carers to local authorities as a potential match for a child if the foster carer can reasonably be expected to meet the child’s assessed needs. Where gaps are identified, the fostering service should work with the responsible authority to ensure the placement sets out any additional training, resource or support required. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 15.1)  The registered person should ensure the children’s guide is available, where appropriate, through suitable alternative methods of communication, e.g. Makaton, pictures, tape recording, translation into another language. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 16.6)  The registered person should regularly monitor all records kept by the service to ensure compliance with policies regarding children missing from home. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have clear arrangements in place to identify the person in charge when the registered manager, or local authority fostering service manager, is absent. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.5)  The registered person should have a system in place to notify, within 24 hours, persons, and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events in accordance with regulation 36. The system includes what to do where a notifiable event arises at the weekend. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 29.1)

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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: Five Rivers Fostering – North 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3UT

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Responsible individual:

Email address: fpsdoncaster@five-rivers.org

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Inspector

Kate Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Five Rivers Fostering – North 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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