Child Action North West charity told to improve by Ofsted

Child Action North West said this relates specifically to CANW's fostering service and is not a judgement on all services delivered by Child Action North West.

At the time of the inspection, the agency was supporting 41 fostering households, caring for 58 children.

Inspectors found that the agency "is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people".

However, they noted that "there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted".

The report highlighted that the agency has created a "strong fostering community" where children and carers feel valued and supported.

However, it also identified weaknesses in safeguarding oversight, risk management, quality assurance, and leadership arrangements.

These shortcomings have reduced the agency's effectiveness in safeguarding children and promoting their wellbeing.

The report noted that the overall experiences and progress of children are affected by these shortfalls.

The agency was praised for its robust support for foster carers and children, with monthly carer support groups and enhanced levels of support for those who need it.

The agency was also found to be lacking in its management of children's records. Some key documents, including documents relating to children’s plans and health, were missing, according to inspectors. 

The report stated that "escalation processes are not always effective in obtaining the required documents".

In terms of how well children and young people are helped and protected, the report found that the agency "requires improvement to be good".

While risk assessments are carried out promptly, they were not regularly reviewed or updated following significant incidents.

The report also noted that an allegation made by a child was not appropriately managed, "which left the child with an unexplored risk of harm".

The effectiveness of leaders and managers was also rated as "requires improvement to be good".

The report highlighted instability in the agency's leadership arrangements, with the registered manager currently absent and there was a significant period without a chief executive officer.

The report said: "These changes in senior leadership have
affected the consistency of practice and contributed to reduced staff morale."

The report concluded that the agency needs to improve in several areas, including ensuring continuity of leadership, maintaining comprehensive and current risk assessments, and regularly reviewing and revising the statement of purpose and children's guide.

The report also highlighted some positives of the organisation, including the support given to children who speak English as an additional language. The agency is said to " ensure that children’s cultural needs are understood and supported in their foster homes".

Foster carers are also said to "understand the importance of children’s identity and receive appropriate support to develop positive relationships with children’s birth families".

A spokesperson for CANW said: “We acknowledge the findings of Ofsted's recent inspection of our fostering service and fully accept the areas identified for improvement. Whilst we are disappointed with the overall judgement, the inspection also highlighted several important strengths within the service.

"Ofsted recognised that Child Action North West has created and sustained a strong fostering community in which children and carers feel valued and supported, and that children and carers benefit from robust support from staff who know them well. Inspectors found that children and carers feel involved, valued and well known by the service.

"The report also recognised the meaningful ways in which children are consulted through CANW's Youth Council and wider participation activities, and the effective support provided to foster carers to help them meet children's needs and provide the best possible care.  We were particularly pleased that Ofsted highlighted the enhanced support available to children and fostering families, which promotes children's wellbeing and stability, as well as the strength of our out-of-hours support service for foster carers.

"Importantly, Ofsted stated that there were no serious or widespread failures that resulted in children's welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

"We would like to thank our foster carers, staff, children and partners for their ongoing commitment and support. We remain fully focused on delivering the improvements identified by Ofsted whilst continuing to build on the many strengths recognised within the inspection report”.