Foster care company is '˜good'

Excel Fostering Limited, in Clifton Drive South, St Annes, has been rated '˜good' by Ofsted.
OfstedOfsted
Ofsted

The privately-owned agency, which has approximately 89 families providing long and short-term placements for 162 youngsters, was inspected in April with a report by the education watchdog published later.

It said the overall experiences and progress of children and young people there is ‘good’. The service was also rated ‘good’ for how well children are ‘helped and protected’, though the effectiveness of leaders and managers was found to require improvement, Ofsted said.

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“Children say they feel part of their foster families, which gives them a sense of belonging,” the report added.

“Children feel safe in their families and believe their foster carers want the best for them. Many have a sense of permanence. The agency supports a range of permanence options. In particular, many young people have been able to remain with their foster carers under ‘staying put’ arrangements.”

It added: “Children enjoy a range of social and leisure opportunities. This enables them to learn new skills and improves their self-esteem.”

To improve, Excel should provide ‘continuity in relation to the safe recruitment of staff’, and improve the accuracy and quality of records it maintains, Ofsted added.