Together for Children Fostering Sunderland rated Good by Ofsted following recent inspection
Friday 18 November 2022
Fostering services in Sunderland - delivered by Together for Children on behalf of Sunderland City Council - have been rated 'Good' by Ofsted, following an inspection which took place between 12 and 16 September.
Registered as an independent fostering agency in March 2017, Together for Children Fostering Sunderland has improved to a 'Good' rating across all areas inspected:
- Overall experiences and progress of children and young people
- How well children and young people are helped and protected
- The effectiveness of leaders and managers
Together for Children Fostering Sunderland offers a range of foster homes providing short, long-term and permanent homes, connected carers arrangements and short breaks, also known as respite care. At the time of the inspection, the agency had 209 fostering households that were caring for 275 children and young people.
Following conversations with children, young people and their foster carers, as well as an inspection of the work undertaken by the fostering team, Ofsted reported that: "Children enjoy trusted and stable relationships with their foster carers and connected carers, who know them well. Adults have a clear understanding of the children's needs, and this helps the children to settle and feel part of family life."
Ofsted stated that "Children feel listened too and their views are understood and taken into account." One child, who shared their experiences of living in a foster home with Ofsted, said: "This is my family. I love living here. I'm doing really well, and they help me with everything."
For prospective foster carers, opportunities to engage with Together for Children Fostering Sunderland were met positively, with one foster carer saying they felt welcomed and valued during their initial contact with the team. The process in place for assessments of prospective foster carers were said to be undertaken in a timely way and are of good quality.
Following assessment, Ofsted noted that 'Effective matching of children with their foster families leads to stability for children and the matching process is informed by a clear understanding of the child's individual needs, alongside the skills and experience of the foster carer' and reported that children and foster carers alike benefit from continued support from the fostering team.
Further in the report, Ofsted commented that children are well protected and safeguarding procedures are consistently followed, ensuring children's safety and welfare. Ofsted also recognised the ambitious vision that managers and leaders have for the service to support ongoing improvements.
Daniel Kenny, Fostering Manager at Together for Children Fostering Sunderland, said: "Our foster carers and fostering social workers work incredibly hard to meet the needs of children and young people who need foster care. This inspection report validates that hard work and our ongoing commitment to providing the very best care to those who need it."
In the report, Ofsted makes a short list of recommendations to Together for Children Fostering Sunderland for future improvements.
Majella McCarthy, Director of Children's Social Care at Together for Children, said: "I am delighted with the outcome of the inspection. The report evidences the fantastic work that our foster carers and fostering team do and the difference this makes to children, young people and their families."
To read the full report, visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/4/1254786.
Find out more about fostering and becoming a foster carer with Together for Children.
