Lancaster foster care agency rated as outstanding provider

A Lancaster foster care agency has been rated as an outstanding provider in its latest Ofsted report.

Community Foster Care, with an office at The Barracks on White Cross, is operated by an independent, not-for-profit charity providing short-term and long-term fostering services. 

Their latest report from the education and children’s services regulator says they provide ‘highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good’, and their actions ‘contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.’

A spokesperson for the agency said: ‘’We’re unbelievably filled with not only pride, but also appreciation as we look back on the journey we’ve been on as an organisation to get to such a momentous point.

‘’It has us reflecting on our early days as an agency. When Community Foster Care was set up back in 1999, our founders had a simple mission statement: do fostering differently.

‘’It was a simple idea, but not necessarily an easy one to bring to life, but what worthwhile mission is ever easy?  In 1999, our social workers immersed themselves in the local communities and challenged prevalent ideas about who could foster.

‘’The aim was to support communities, provide local foster families for local children, working in areas of economic deprivation providing employment and improving skills.

‘’And we are still operating in this way over two decades later!

''The CFC philosophy is all about seeing hidden potential and bringing it to light. We do this by supporting our foster carers, helping them learn, grow, and exceed their own expectations for what they can achieve in the role.

‘’We take on staff who we know will do a wonderful job, even if they don’t have the exact experience you’d typically need for a role. It's all about taking care to learn about our people, seeing what makes them tick and what drives them, and seeing their true potential.

‘’We are incredibly proud of our Ofsted rating and are so pleased that the hard work and resilience of the community we’ve built has been recognised and appreciated.

‘’If you feel inspired by our mission and would like to find out more about how you can become a foster carer, please get in contact with us.’’