Behind the Rating: Fostering service inspires carers

There are no magic wands at Bradford Council’s fostering service. Its latest Ofsted inspection ranks every aspect of its work as good, but the reality is that this thumbs-up is the fruit of years of hard work and service refinement.

Take its approach to foster carer recruitment as an example. Years ago, the council advertised heavily to attract carers. Today, says service manager Sarah Patrick, it does "very little advertising". "We’re very fortunate as people in Bradford do come forward to foster and that includes a large number from the Asian population," she says.

But this success isn’t just about the mindset of Bradford’s residents – it is also a reflection of how the service treats people once they become foster carers. "It’s not just about initial recruitment – it’s about retaining them and treating people well once they are in the system so that they feel comfortable and confident and then spread the word to other people," Patrick explains. "It’s word of mouth after that. We’ve had a lot of carers who have been with us a long time now who have spread the word."

Promotional focus

As a result, the service’s promotional efforts now focus on the areas where the need is most pressing – usually carers for teenagers or children with disabilities but more recently children under two. These promotional activities, which often use methods other than advertising, are guided by the service’s own marketing officer. "The marketing officer is essential as part of the team," says Patrick. "They make sure that we’re not using social work jargon and assist with getting the tone right. It’s invaluable really as we can also do other types of promotions such as leaflets or a video or a profile of a child whose particular needs gets across information we want to convey."

That said, Bradford still faces similar challenges to the rest of the country as demand for care rises. "We’re fortunate compared to a lot of authorities, but the challenge for us is assessing and processing people through the system quickly enough," says Patrick.

The Ofsted inspection did, however, praise how "equality and diversity are at the heart of the service". It provides foster carer training in Urdu and Punjabi but is careful to avoid segregating people as a result, especially given the changing nature of Bradford’s Asian population.

"We’ve run Asian language groups for many years but we do less of that now because there are more people coming forward that have been brought up here and feel confident with English," says Patrick. "So while there may still be some cultural differences that they might not feel as comfortable discussing in a mixed group, you’re talking about a second generation and it’s a different situation so we’ve changed. We don’t exclude anyone from coming to the general training, the Asian language training is there for those who feel less confident with their English although that’s happening less and less."

Ofsted did have suggestions for how the service could improve, including ensuring that all young people get personal education plans in future. While the inspector noted that this isn’t having a detrimental effect on the children, Patrick says the council is already at work on the issue in conjunction with other parts of the local authority.

FACTFILE

• Location Bradford, West Yorkshire
• Description Bradford’s fostering service provides a range of fostering and short break care placements for children and young people in the city. Its services include two short break schemes with 79 carers – one for families with disabled children and one for non-disabled children. The service also has a few crisis carers who take children in overnight during emergencies.
• Number of children Bradford has 344 children in mainstream foster care and its short break placements cater for 170 children and young people.
• Ofsted inspection unique reference number SC051085

HELPFUL HINTS

• Impress the importance of evidence on staff. "I think most of our workers are proud of what we’re doing but it is important to get it over to them that we’ve got to be able to evidence that to Ofsted’s inspectors," says service manager Sarah Patrick. Staff talking about what they are doing is great but the evidence needs to be put in writing too, she adds. "You’ve got to be able to demonstrate what you’re doing well."
• Pay attention to what Ofsted inspectors are saying about other fostering agencies. "It’s important to be in touch with what’s going on in other inspections and what issues inspectors picked up on and to think ‘what are we doing on that?’," says Patrick.
• Managers should know their service, including its flaws. "It’s important to be aware of what isn’t going so well as well as what is," says Patrick. "You need to know your service so that even if something’s not going right you know what that is and what you are doing about it to make it better."