Local fostering agency celebrate five years with 'Outstanding' Ofsted report

March 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Romsey based independent fostering agency Blue Sky Fostering are celebrating their 5th anniversary with an Outstanding Ofsted report. This is the second successive report where the agency has achieved the highest possible accreditation praising the support given to foster carers and improving outcomes for looked after children and young people. The agency was awarded outstanding in every category of the report including Helping Children To Be Healthy, Protecting Children From Harm and Helping Children Make a Positive Contribution.

Across the UK there are an estimated 64,000 children in the care system. Over 44,000 of these children and young people are in foster care. The majority are aged between 10 and 15 with the need for foster carers increasing each year. There is currently a shortage of 10,000 foster carers nationwide.

Blue Sky Fostering was established in 2005 to address this need in the south of England. Since then they have built a reputation for excellence providing extensive training and support throughout the challenges of being a professional foster carer. Working together with foster carers across the region, Blue Sky believe they can help every child reach their full potential regardless of their previous life experiences.

Simon Lockyer, CEO at Blue Sky Fostering enthuses, "We are delighted to have achieved an Outstanding rating from Ofsted again. It is particularly pleasing to be acknowledged for our child-centred approach and our continued determination to improve outcomes for looked after children by empowering our foster carers to give them the life skills needed to lead a healthy and happy adult life. It is also very satisfying to hear that our existing foster carers feel very well supported by our staff through their fortnightly meetings and 24 hour support and advice if required."

Blue Sky Fostering is looking for foster carers to join their team across the south of England. Those interested need to have the desire to make a difference to a young person's life, a spare bedroom, patience, optimism and the willingness to include the young person in their own family lives.

In return for making this commitment to young people in the area, Blue Sky foster carers receive a weekly allowance, ongoing training and support (including one-to-one sessions with social workers and meetings with other foster carers) and 14 days’ paid holiday.

If you would like to make a difference to a young person's life in your area, get in touch with the team at Blue Sky Fostering to find out if a career in fostering is for you. For more information, take a look at our website at http://www.blueskyfostering.com/, or to speak with us directly, call 0845 6076697.


About foster care
Across England, there are an estimated 64,000 children in the care system. Over 44,000 of these children and young people – the majority of whom are aged between 10 and 15 – are in foster care. The need for foster carers is increasing each year, with a shortfall of around 10,000 foster carers nationwide.

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About Blue Sky Fostering
Blue Sky Fostering was established in 2005, with the aim of addressing the need for more foster carers in the south of England. Since then, we have built a reputation for excellence, providing extensive training and support during the challenges that come with being a professional foster carer. Working together with our foster carers, we believe we can help every child reach his or her full potential, regardless of previous life experiences.
Based in Romsey, Hampshire, but operating across the south of England, Blue Sky supports over 70 foster carers, caring for around 80 children across the region. Blue Sky was deemed 'outstanding' as a fostering provider following an inspection by Ofsted in 2011.




For more information about Blue Sky Fostering and our work, and for information regarding fostering a child, please contact Katrina McDuff at katrina@blueskyfostering.co.uk or on 01794 590003.