Family-run foster agency TheraParent Fostering 'honoured' and 'proud' following glowing first Ofsted

TheraParent Fostering, located in Waterlooville, has secured a good Ofsted rating in its first ever inspection after setting up last April. The agency is run by Mike Spencer, his daughter, Katie Gibson-Cook and his son-in-law, Mark Gibson-Cook, all of whom have years of experience in the industry.

As well as working in the industry for more than 30 years combined, the trio also have first hand experience in fostering children who need loving foster homes. After being open for a year, the team welcomed Ofsted for an inspection which took place on February 27, 28 and 29, 2024 - and the outcome has left the team feeling ‘humbled’. The agency received a good overall Ofsted rating with the governing body outlining that the family-run business provides children with ‘consistently good-quality care and there are elements of exceptional practice.’

The report said: “The therapeutic approach is fully embedded in the agency. As a result, children continue to make progress.

“The importance of the voice of the child is embedded throughout this agency. Children’s views are understood and routinely captured. Children say that they feel listened to by the staff team. The quality of children’s day-to-day experiences is good.

“The highly skilled staff team offers bespoke packages of support to foster carers and children. This additional layer of therapeutic input is valued by the children and foster carers. It helps build and maintain stability in the foster home, ensuring that the whole foster family feels supported and held by the agency.” Mark said: “It’s the three of us - Katie is my wife and Mike is my father in law. We have been in the industry for a long time and we have been working together for years.

“We opened our business a year ago and this is really nice gratification and this is exactly what we set out to do - We’ve had to sacrifice a lot to get here and we’ve put our blood, sweat and tears into making this happen.

“I think what we have done and what we have created is amazing and we have had so much support from our friends and family.”

The dedicated trio spent a year preparing to register as an independent fostering agency and they have worked tirelessly to ensure that every child they work with receives the best care and support to help them progress in a stable and caring environment. The agency prides itself on its theraputic ethos which allows children to work through any trauma they have been exposed to in their previous home settings.

He said that one of the unique elements of the agency is not only that it is family run, but that all of the directors have fostered children which gives them a clear insight to what the experience can be like. The Ofsted report found that the effectiveness of leaders and managers is outstanding and that despite the business being in its infancy, there is a clear path of development.

The report said: “The agency is in its infancy. However, staff have already arranged a variety of activities for children and their foster families to participate in. These positive experiences help foster carers to quickly build relationships with other foster families and agency staff.

“Unannounced visits are made to foster households. These are well planned and recorded. The agency staff see the children alone and obtain their views. The good-quality training and support provided to the carers means they are well prepared in advance to think about how to manage any safeguarding incidents. All foster carers have access to quick-reference working cards to guide them on the safeguarding procedures.

“The senior leadership team is made up of family members who together own the agency. They are alert to the inherent risks of this and have put systems in place to ensure continual external support and challenge.”

Mark added: “We have had to put the hours in but we have seen it come together - we never set out to be a national agency or to take over the world, but we want to remain true to our core and our ethos, and make a difference as a small, independent family run business.

“We have done a year already and we have now had the validation from our Ofsted outcome - it shows what we have done is right and we are really proud of ourselves and honoured - it validates everything we have been doing over the last year.

“We have got this really nice ability to grow at a nice natural pace.

“We have children from one to 17 and we get to make a difference - almost every child that we work with has been traumatised and we work to improve development.”

TheraParent Fostering also gives children and foster families the opportunity to get involved in activities including Ninja Warrior and picnics in order to give children the chance to have some fun whilst bonding with foster parents.

Mike added: “We have all fostered, Mike has adopted. We have been through this first hand so we can offer that level of understanding to people that are considering fostering.”

For more information about TheraParent Fostering, click here.

For more information about the Ofsted report for TheraParent Fostering, click here.