Lancashire foster agency praised by Ofsted for outstanding leadership

Ofsted rated Foster Care Matters in Lancashire as 'good' and singled out its leadership as outstanding.

Foster Care Matters, a Lancashire-based foster care agency, was rated 'good' after a recent Ofsted inspection. Ofsted noted the agency's child-focused approach and praised its leadership, therapeutic support and support for foster parents. The agency's registered manager thanked staff, families and professionals who spoke to inspectors. Foster Care Matters is part of the children's charity Adoption Matters. Key findings: - Ofsted rated Foster Care Matters as 'good' and described its leadership as outstanding. - Inspectors noted the agency is child- and family-focused and uses therapeutic parenting techniques to provide individualised care. - The agency's in-house therapeutic support was highlighted as a key strength for helping foster families address children's individual needs. - Supervising social workers were praised for their in-depth knowledge of children and foster carers and for maintaining regular supportive contact. - Feedback from foster parents was reported as overwhelmingly positive, with one carer describing the support as "absolutely brilliant." - Foster Care Matters is part of Adoption Matters; the full Ofsted report is available at reports.ofsted.gov.uk and further information about the agency is at fostercarematters.org.uk. Summary: The rating recognises the agency's leadership, therapeutic support and regular contact from supervising social workers as strengths. Undetermined at this time.