My Foster Carer

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: My Foster Carer 1 My Foster Carer My Foster Carer Limited 180 Silver Lonnen, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2HE Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

My Foster Carer is an independent fostering agency, which registered in August 2025. This is the agency’s first inspection.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency assesses and supports foster carers to provide a range of placements for children. The agency provides long-term and short-term care, emergency placements and respite placements for children with a range of needs. Placements are provided by recruited foster carers. The agency currently has 9 fostering households who provide care for 17 children.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

This is a small agency comprising of the responsible individual, one senior supervising social worker, a holistic support worker, an administrator and a registered manager. The manager was registered in August 2025.

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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: My Foster Carer 2

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from stable, nurturing and individualised care from committed foster carers who know them well. They make good progress in education, health, emotional wellbeing and independence, and they report feeling safe, listened to and valued.

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Summary of findings

Foster carers receive strong leadership, supervision, training and specialist support, particularly when caring for children with complex needs. Safeguarding practice is largely effective, although there are some shortfalls in recording and management oversight on occasion.

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Summary of findings

Leaders are ambitious for children and have established a strong child-centred service, while recognising the need to strengthen governance, compliance, oversight and participation arrangements as the agency develops.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from stable, nurturing care where their individual needs are understood and responded to well. Children speak warmly about their foster families and consistently describe feeling safe, supported and happy. One child said, ‘I am happy; I love it.’ Children also value the support they receive from carers, with one child stating, ‘[Name of foster carer] has got my back.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The high standards of care that children receive from their foster carers help them to make meaningful progress, achieve important developmental milestones and access opportunities that improve their overall quality of life. In particular, children with complex needs make significant progress. For example, one child with profound disabilities has made significant physical progress, including improved head control, increased standing tolerance, greater engagement in physiotherapy and successful preparation for starting school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make notable educational progress because of the support, encouragement and advocacy provided by their foster carers. Children who previously struggled to engage in education have increased their attendance, attainment and confidence. For example, one child who was previously non-verbal now communicates verbally, another has developed reading skills, one child’s predicted GCSE grades improved from 1s to 4s, while another progressed into employment and secured a college placement. This demonstrates that children are overcoming barriers to learning and developing positive aspirations for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s aspirations are encouraged. Older children are supported to access employment, further education, work experience and community opportunities. Foster carers actively promote children’s hobbies, interests and talents. The ‘My Friends’ initiative helps children to build friendships between fostering households Inspection report for independent fostering agency: My Foster Carer 3 and reduce social isolation. Children enjoy shared activities and opportunities that help them to develop confidence and support networks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s participation arrangements are still developing. Some children are consulted about service development, but this is not extended to all children, particularly those who experience communication difficulties. The current children’s guide is not sufficiently engaging or accessible for all children. The manager and staff are taking steps to address this and are currently considering a digital format which is more accessible and engaging for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders recognise some of the language used in children’s records is not always child friendly. This is particularly important because children may choose to read these records to understand their life experiences, relationships and journey through care. Child-friendly language reduces the risk of children feeling stigmatised or defined by difficulties they experienced.

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

Children report feeling safe. Foster carers understand children’s vulnerabilities and respond appropriately to emerging risks. Safeguarding practice is child focused and responsive.

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

Foster carers demonstrate good professional curiosity. Examples include seeking immediate medical attention when concerns arose regarding one child’s health and advocating for further assessment where needed for another child. Carers respond appropriately to incidents involving alcohol misuse, emotional distress and complex health conditions.

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

The manager generally responds appropriately to concerns raised by children about their foster carers. Appropriate action was taken to safeguard a child who made an allegation against their carer. The manager addressed concerns about foster carer practice and notified Ofsted. On another occasion, while the manager liaised promptly with the children’s social worker about a concern, who then visited the children and sought assurances, information was not shared with all relevant safeguarding professionals. In addition, records about what happened do not clearly evidence enquiries made or the rationale for decisions and actions taken. Consequently, on this occasion, opportunities for independent safeguarding oversight may have been missed, and the lack of clear recording limits assurance that all appropriate safeguarding procedures were followed.

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

Risk assessments and safer caring plans are generally detailed, individualised and responsive to children’s needs but do not always fully reflect all known risks. In one case, a known concern was not analysed or linked to specific safeguarding strategies. In addition, records do not consistently reflect that carers have an awareness of this concern and are managing them in practice, which they do. This recording issue reduces effective management oversight and limits assurance that everyone involved in the child’s care has access to clear and current safeguarding information. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: My Foster Carer 4 Respite provision is a particular strength of the agency. The appointment of a respite carer with specialist occupational therapy expertise enhances the agency’s ability to support children with disabilities and complex health needs. Respite care is both highly skilled and tailored to children’s individual needs. This not only provides carers

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

with valuable opportunities to rest and recharge, reducing the risk of carer burnout, but also helps to maintain placement stability and positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have successfully established the agency while maintaining stability for children who transferred into the service. They promote a strong child- centred culture, with a clear focus on ensuring that children are safe, happy, achieve well in education and maintain important relationships. Leaders know children, foster carers and placements well and remain highly visible and involved in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is a significant strength. Social workers, foster carers and staff consistently describe leaders as approachable, responsive and supportive. Feedback reflects confidence in the agency’s ability to put children’s needs at the centre of decision-making and provide support to foster carers. One social worker said, ‘They have been brilliant; there’s nothing I would change. I hope it continues,’ while a foster carer said, ‘We feel for the first time that an agency actually listens to us and the young person in our care and is totally transparent.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel and agency decision-maker provide effective independent scrutiny. Panel members bring a broad range of professional expertise and provide appropriate challenge, while the experienced agency decision-maker ensures that decisions are analytical, transparent and focused on children’s best interests. Together, these arrangements strengthen governance and support safe decision- making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of foster carer assessments is good. Assessments are thorough, balanced and analytical, providing a clear evaluation of applicants’ strengths, vulnerabilities and capacity to meet children’s needs. Risks are explored appropriately, enabling informed decisions about suitability to foster.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have strengthened capacity through the appointment of a senior supervising social worker and have introduced contingency arrangements for management cover. The registered manager continues to undertake supervising social worker responsibilities, and current supervision arrangements for her do not fully meet the expectations of the national minimum standards. Leaders have recognised this vulnerability and have taken steps to secure appropriate supervision and strengthen management capacity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance systems are developing, and leaders are identifying areas for improvement. The staff and manager are inconsistent in applying the agency’s escalation policy when they do not receive statutory documentation for children from local authorities. This prevents the manager from holding others to account. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: My Foster Carer 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they report concerns raised against people that work with children or members of the fostering household to the local authority designated officer. This includes allegations that on the face of it may appear relatively insignificant or that have also been reported directly to the police or Children and Family Services. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 22.6)  The registered person should ensure that risk assessments and safer caring plans consistently identify, analyse and respond to all known risks and provide clear guidance regarding safeguarding strategies. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that suitable arrangements exist for professional supervision of the agency’s registered person. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 24.3)  The registered person should ensure that systems for obtaining, escalating and

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Recommendations

recording requests for outstanding local authority documentation are consistently implemented and clearly evidenced. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)  The registered person should ensure that agency participation arrangements for children are inclusive, so children can influence service development in ways that are meaningful and accessible to them, including children with communication needs and disabilities. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 1.3)

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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: My Foster Carer 6

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: My Foster Carer Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 180 Silver Lonnen, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2HE

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Inspector

Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: My Foster Carer 7 and inspects 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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