Children in care ‘want to stay forever’ as FCA Yorks and Lincs is rated Outstanding
FCA Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is celebrating its Ofsted report after achieving Outstanding in all areas, improving its formerly ‘Good’ rating, following its assessment in April and May this year.
The agency was commended on helping children develop a strong sense of belonging and said that children were ‘cherished’ by foster parents.
Children and young people being cared for by the agency were asked for feedback on their foster parents, comments from them include: “‘It is like having a really nice, big family. I would change nothing; I really like it here and want to stay forever,” and “They are genuine people and listen when you have any problems.”
Over the last few years, the national rate of foster parents has been dropping, leaving a shortage of almost 7,000 foster parents, but FCA Yorks and Lincs has continued to grow its team of dedicated foster parents.
According to the report, an ‘overwhelming majority’ of foster parents had an extremely positive relationship with the agency, one foster parent said: “The agency has reignited and rejuvenated my passion for fostering and my faith in policy, procedure and protocol. They have filled my cup back up.”
Ofsted described the registered manager as having ‘exceptional oversight of the service, understanding what is working well and areas for improvement’ and said the team was ‘relentless in wanting to do the right thing for the children.’
Melanie Murphy, registered manager since 2021, said: “Delivering outstanding services to children and young people requires a lot of strength, compassion and unity from our entire team across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
“Every single foster parent and member of staff should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved and the difference they make to children who’ve been through so much in their lives.
“To all our young people, it is a privilege to provide this service for you, and you too should be so proud of all that you achieve everyday – team FCA will support you every step of the way.”
At the time of the inspection, the agency had 243 fostering households caring for 321 children, 33 young people are living with foster parents under ‘staying put’ arrangements which enable young people over the age of 18 years to remain living with their foster parents.
If you’d love to join FCA and help us to transform the lives of children up and down the country, call us on 0800 098 4156 or fill in our enquiry form to become part of the difference which lasts a lifetime.
