Mosaic Foster Care has once again been rated Outstanding by Ofsted. We take pride in the rating we receive year-on-year and use the reports to reflect on our existing processes to ensure we continue to provide considered and hands-on support to the children in our care.
In short, Ofsted, which stands for ‘Office of Standards in Education’, is a governing body that inspects child-centred institutions to make sure that they are conducting themselves in line with standards set by the government. They ensure each child is protected and thriving in a safe environment in which they can learn and grow.
An Ofsted inspector will inspect an institution on a regular basis, for Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) this is usually every 3 years, and the inspector will make judgements on two key areas. Firstly, 'how well children are helped and protected', and secondly the 'effectiveness of leaders and managers'. An institution will receive a rating for each of these categories separately and then an overall rating on the 'overall experiences and progress of children and young people'. As a prospective or existing foster parent, this is the score you will see when researching fostering agencies.
During the inspection, staff, foster parents, foster children, and local authority staff will be interviewed, and all documentation will be thoroughly reviewed. Once an inspection has been conducted, a report is written with marks awarded to each of the three categories. From best to worst, the ratings are entitled ’Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’, and ‘Inadequate'. Institutions will then use the suggestions made in the report to better themselves, their services, and their teams with a varying amount of oversight from Ofsted, based on the overall mark. Ofsted does have the ability to shut institutions down should they deem them to be a danger to those that they serve.
We are thrilled to have once again received Ofsted Outstanding in our inspection this year, covering the period from January 2019 to January 2022. We are incredible proud of our team for their hard work and dedication that ultimately lead to Mosaic achieving this Outstanding rating. An ‘Outstanding’ result itself is wonderful, but we have also received no requirements or recommendations for improvements.
View our 2022 Ofsted Report here.
"The report was line after line of praise for the difference we make to the lives of children and young people.”
Fostering Manager, Greg de Smidt
Firstly, our Outstanding rating allows you to rest assured that everything we say we do… we do. As Ofsted are an external organisation, they take a completely unbiased view of the service we offer and are required to be critical to ensure the best for the children and young people.
Our Outstanding rating, with no organisational improvements recommended by Ofsted, also validates our view that we are industry-leaders, working hard to provide the highest level of support. The result also provides our foster parents with reassurance that the children we support will make extraordinary progress from day one.
The therapy we provide to both foster parents and children is second to none. You will have the support needed to be the best foster parent you can be, while working with us to protect and nurture children who have faced a difficult start in life. Both the Ofsted Report and the glowing feedback we receive from our approved foster parents demonstrate the success of our model.
As Mosaic Director, Andre, often says, we are our own biggest critics, and we won't stop here. Although we are incredibly proud of our Ofsted Report and the feedback provided, we will use this to guide us and ensure we maintain the highest standards.
Do you want to be part of our Ofsted Outstanding agency? Contact us today to find out more about the opportunities available.