A fostering agency which operates in Weymouth has been awarded the highest possible rating in an Ofsted report.

The ‘outstanding’ rating was given to the South and South East branch of Five Rivers Child Care, a social enterprise which matches foster carers with more than 85 vulnerable children and young people across the region.

In Ofsted’s national report on children’s social care in England 2017, only 37 independent fostering agencies were judged to be ‘outstanding’, of 313 inspected.

Five Rivers is responsible for more than 340 fostering households across England, with more than 440 children and young people under its care.

The Ofsted report read: “[Five Rivers] is outstanding because children and young people, some of whom have very complex needs, make exceptional progress in many areas of their lives, and this progress is sustained over time.”

It added “Children’s and young people’s participation is excellent. They have a real voice in how the agency is run. Their contributions are valued and they effect change. Children and young people who find it more difficult to communicate verbally are enabled to give their views because the agency is creative in ensuring that they have the opportunity to contribute.”

Staff, foster carers, children and young people in care all took part in Ofsted’s evaluation process. They were asked a series of questions around the overall experiences of children and young people in Five Rivers’ care, how well they are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers at the agency.

Commenting on the report, Martin Leitch, head of fostering operations for Five Rivers, said: “The Ofsted inspections are thorough, and we are only given two days’ notice to prepare for them – to receive an ‘outstanding’ rating is testament to the fantastic work our team is doing every day across the region, and reflects positively on the young lives being changed for the better by our carers.”

Five Rivers Child Care was established in 1989 by Pam McConnell and currently employs 17 people at its Salisbury headquarters and an additional 106 within the fostering service across its 10 UK offices.

Five Rivers is currently on the look-out for foster carers across Dorset, as the industry faces a shortage of 480 carers in the south west and more than 7,000 across the UK.

The agency provides extensive training and support to its foster carers – also reflected in Ofsted’s report.

It states: “Foster carers experience an exceptionally high standard of training and support, [which has] a direct influence on the quality of care and support, and therefore has an effect on children’s and young people’s outcomes.”