Compass Fostering Central Ltd

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 1 Compass Fostering Central Ltd Compass Fostering Central Ltd 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester, Leicestershire LE7 1PF Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency was established in 2005 and offers a wide range of fostering placements for children, including emergency, respite, short-term, long-term, and parent-and- child placements. At the time of the inspection, the agency was supporting 187 fostering households, providing care for 247 children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking whether this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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 outstanding

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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: 5 February 2024

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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: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 2

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Summary of findings

Foster carers are well prepared for the fostering task. Once approved, they are well supported by a stable and consistent staff team. Supervision is generally of good quality, although it can sometimes lack thoroughness in approach and recording. Foster carers understand the needs of the children they care for and are committed to supporting them. Children benefit from stable placements and say that they like living with their foster families. The agency is led by committed and ambitious managers. They have addressed the shortfalls identified at the last inspection and are supporting children to reach their potential. Staff say they love working for the agency and feel inspired by their managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers are well supported throughout the assessment process and report that they feel well prepared for the approval panel. The panel process and membership have been an area of recent focus and growth. The panel is led by a skilled and experienced panel chair, who has encouraged a review of the central list for panel membership. As a result, the panel is now appropriately diverse and quorate. Independent decision-making regarding the suitability of foster carers is therefore robust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers have access to good-quality training. They can usually access training that is most meaningful to them at the time it is required. Foster carers report that the training they receive prepares them well for the fostering task. One family benefited from training on exploitation that was provided in response to an identified risk. However, on one occasion, foster carers would have benefited from bespoke training, which was not offered in a timely way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carer retention is generally good, and the agency benefits from carers who remain committed to children for many years. When foster carers consider leaving the agency, managers take steps to understand their reasons and offer additional support to encourage them to remain with the agency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children generally benefit from planned moves to and from their foster carers. Supervising social workers know their foster carers well and advocate appropriately for them. Foster carers and supervising social workers report that they feel listened to when suitability decisions are being considered, and this is supported by a committed family-finding team. As a result, many children benefit from stability and longevity with their foster carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have unplanned moves from their foster carers, time is taken to reflect and learn from these incidents and adapt practice accordingly. When required, the agency takes decisive action to move children, where this disruption feels unavoidable to safeguard the child. Foster carers are committed to the children Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 3 they care for; they stick by children even when times are difficult, enabling transitions to new homes to feel as safe as possible for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with complex needs are sufficiently supported. Foster carers receive specific training to ensure that they can meet the needs of the children in their care. Robust multi-agency working ensures that children’s health needs are understood and responded to consistently. When children are in receipt of disability-related benefits, this is not consistently monitored during foster carer supervision. As a result, it is not always possible to determine how these benefits are being used to support children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school regularly and are making personalised progress. Where children experience difficulties in education, these are well understood by the agency and monitored effectively. When necessary, the agency advocates for children and escalates concerns with education providers and local authorities. This has led to improved learning outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are important to the fostering agency and have been an area of rapid development since the last inspection. Children are encouraged to attend council meetings, social events and contribute to the monthly newsletter. When more bespoke responses are required to engage children, social workers work hard to ensure that their views are heard. Children can influence the care they receive from their foster carers and report that they like living with their foster families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers receive effective ongoing support. They report that they have meaningful and trusting relationships with their social workers and feel that managers are accessible to them. Support mechanisms, such as the out-of-hours service and respite arrangements, are available and are used appropriately to support foster families during more challenging periods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supervision records do not always evidence reflective discussions between foster carers and their supervising social workers, particularly following challenging periods, such as when children go missing or make disclosures to their foster carers. As a result, it is not always possible to understand the continuity of support for children or how foster carers are encouraged to learn from significant incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers are careful to record in a child-focused and non-shaming way. However, children’s records are not always maintained consistently and information is spread across multiple documents. Foster carers’ logs do not always demonstrate the careful language and thoroughness needed when significant incidents occur. This may make it difficult for children to understand their records should they choose to access them in the future.

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

Any known risks to children are clearly reflected in their risk assessments. The agency recognises when risks are escalating and when additional safety planning or oversight are required. When incidents occur, foster carers know how to respond effectively and report to the agency as required. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 4 There have been a high number of allegations and standard of care concerns since the last inspection. The agency takes all allegations made by children seriously and places importance on both listening to and acting on the voice of the child. The agency works effectively with safeguarding partners to make considered and proportionate decisions. Managers have worked hard to understand the cumulative impact of ongoing concerns on children’s experiences and have taken appropriate action where necessary.

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

Leaders and managers have developed a robust system for overseeing safeguarding matters that require monitoring. This system has strengthened the analysis of safeguarding concerns and ensures that appropriate actions are identified to keep children safe. The agency does not make assumptions about children’s safety and takes appropriate steps to investigate matters of concern.

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

Serious incidents, such as children going missing from home, self-harming or being exposed to exploitation, are rare. The use of physical restraint with children is also reducing. Where foster carers use physical restraint, there is a focus on reflection and understanding children’s behaviour as a form of communication. However, learning from these incidents is not always documented by supervising social workers during their supervision sessions with carers.

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

Leaders and managers work in an open and transparent way with safeguarding partners. Where required, they appropriately challenge and take steps to assure themselves of children’s safety, especially where delays may have occurred with children being seen by local authority social workers.

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

Leaders and managers do not prioritise the retention of foster carers over ensuring a consistent quality of care for all children. The robustness in this decision-making is evidenced by cases referred to the Independent Reviewing Mechanism, which has not recommended any reviews of the decisions made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency benefits from an experienced, committed and ambitious management team. Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the service’s strengths and areas for development. Since the last inspection, they have made some difficult decisions to assure themselves of the competence of all foster carers working for the agency. This prioritises the safety and experiences of children being cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers lead by example. They have a thorough understanding of the experiences of children and foster carers and maintain strong oversight to inform practice decisions. They listen to staff and have streamlined systems to ensure that social workers have the time to carry out high-quality work with foster carers. This is highly valued by staff. One social worker said, ‘At this agency, they can be the sort of social worker they have always wanted to be.’ Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 5 Staff enjoy working for the agency. They said that managers are approachable and work alongside them when making difficult decisions. Staff trust their managers and enjoy working with them. Staff and foster carers benefit from a stable and permanent team that is proud to work for the agency. Consequently, staff are ambitious in their roles, and several staff members have progressed to senior

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

positions through the support provided by the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are offered excellent support systems. They receive regular supervision, and records are clear and detailed for staff to refer to. Where concerns about practice have arisen, staff have been well supported to address these issues, with practical advice and guidance provided to promote improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular opportunities to reflect on their practice with their team. Managers maintain a strong focus on staff development and upskilling, ensuring that staff have the knowledge, skills and confidence to continue providing effective support to foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel able to grow and develop in their roles. They value opportunities to lead on areas of interest, such as independence skills or child participation. As a result, this approach is helping to strengthen practice across the service. The agency is a learning organisation and demonstrates a willingness to embrace change in order to better support foster families in meeting the complex needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central 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 fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with them. (Regulation 17 (1)) 15 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, where a child is eligible for benefits as a result of a disability, foster carers are encouraged to apply for those benefits. There should be regular recorded discussions about how any additional benefits are being used to promote the child’s best interests. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 28.9)  The registered person should ensure that information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way that will be helpful to the child if they choose to access their files now or in the future. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 26.6) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 7

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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: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Compass Fostering Central Ltd

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester, Leicestershire LE7 1PF

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Responsible individual:

Email address: admin@compasschildren.co.uk

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Inspectors

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Compass Fostering Central Ltd 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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