'Serious and widespread failures' were found by Ofsted when they inspected a Wigan borough fostering agency

An independent fostering agency supporting young people and carers in the borough has been rated as “inadequate”, after Ofsted found “serious and widespread failures”.

Atherton-based CFS Care Ltd has been told to make many improvements, a number of which are statutory requirements, after a damning report from inspectors.

After judging the agency to be “inadequate” in all areas, they wrote: “Serious and widespread failures in leadership and management, safeguarding practice, quality assurance and support arrangements significantly undermine the agency’s ability to meet the needs of children consistently.

“Although individual foster carers and practitioners secure positive outcomes for some children, these outcomes occur despite shortcomings in leadership and oversight rather than because of effective organisational systems.

“Extensive improvements are required to ensure that children receive safe, well-planned and consistently high-quality care.”

The agency, which currently supports 29 children in 17 fostering households, was rated as “good” when it was inspected in December 2023.

But Ofsted discovered standards had dropped when inspectors paid a visit recently.

They found children’s experiences were “inconsistent”, with some having “secure and stable foster placements” and others receiving “poor standards of care, which is badly managed by the agency”.

The inspectors found leaders and managers failed to ensure all children moving into foster homes benefitted from effective planning and preparation, with some having “poorly managed moves, resulting in placement instability and breakdown”.

There was “limited evidence” that children’s needs and foster carers’ skills, experience and capacity were carefully considered when determining placement suitability, and the agency did not consistently ensure foster carers received all relevant information.

Some foster carers received “highly effective support from supervising social workers”, but others felt “unsupported, marginalised or subject to inappropriate treatment”.

Ofsted found leaders and managers did not respond effectively to complaints from carers and in one case no record of a complaint could be found.

Safeguarding practice was described as “inconsistent”, oversight of children’s welfare was “ineffective” and risk assessments were “poor quality”.

The report said foster carers reported when children went missing from home, but records relating to incidents were “poor”.

One foster carer was deregistered after “inappropriate use of restraint”, but CFS failed to review the circumstances effectively and a learning exercise only took place 12 months later.

The inspectors wrote: “Leaders and managers do not manage allegations and concerns about harm effectively. Investigations are often poor quality and the agency’s response to allegations is delayed. Internal procedures and statutory guidance are not consistently followed.”

While most children lived in “safe, comfortable and welcoming homes”, Ofsted reported two fostering households had “a significant deterioration in home conditions over an extended period” and leaders and managers were “ineffective” in identifying concerns and ensuring improvements.

Previous leadership and management arrangements were described as “exceptionally poor”, they did not address “long-standing tensions” among staff and reports about placement disruptions “frequently identify staffing changes and leadership issues as factors contributing to instability”.

However, Ofsted said a new manager had recently been appointed and had an action plan for change.

After the inspection, a case review meeting was held due to the seriousness of the concerns raised and compliance notices were issued, with the agency told it must make changes by October 18.

CFS Care Ltd has been contacted for a response.