Northamptonshire's foster care service is downgraded to inadequate

Northamptonshire's child fostering service has been downgraded by Ofsted inspectors to inadequate

A fostering service rated inadequate focused too much on carers rather than children and took months to resolve some problems, Ofsted inspectors found.

Northamptonshire Children's Trust (NCT), which runs fostering for the county, said it accepted the watchdog's findings and recommendations.

It saw its rating fall from requires improvement since Ofsted's last inspection in October 2021.

Inspectors found multiple problems with NCT, which cares for 500 children.

These included infrequent contact with children and staff struggling with "relatively high" workloads, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In one case, inspectors could find no record of a social worker having a conversation with a child for over a year.

In another, a child took an overdose but there was "no evidence" of them being visited by a social worker.

Ofsted's report found that when children were seen visits were "usually very brief" and they were not routinely seen alone.

The leaders of West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire councils, Conservatives Jonathan Nunn and Jason Smithers, said they were "not happy at all" with Ofsted's findings.

They said there is "clearly much work needed to improve" the service and will hold an emergency meeting with NCT's senior leaders.

Carers and foster children as well as social work staff were not fully supported by senior management at the fostering agency, Ofsted found

Ofsted said children's views were "scarcely asked for or recorded" by social workers.

When some children joined a foster family, social workers would not routinely visit them to find out how they had settled in or if the placement was suitable.

The regulator found NCT's staff retention and stability remained a "huge challenge" and that managers did not supply "regular, good quality supervision" to more junior members of staff.

Ofsted found staff were often "hard-working and committed" but that there were "significant shortfalls in safeguarding and basic social work practice".

In a statement, Julian Wooster, the trust's chair, said: "This is not the outcome that we anticipated, and we fully accept the findings and recommendations that Ofsted have made for the independent fostering agency.

"Action in relation to this service area has already been taken following the initial feedback from Ofsted."

In a statement, council leaders Mr Nunn and Mr Smithers said: "We're looking to the trust's senior leaders to work openly and collaboratively with us to turn this service around as quickly as possible.

"Nothing short of that is acceptable."