A fostering agency placed a child at risk of harm with carers without the right skills and is the subject of financial misconduct allegations.

Whistleblowers contacted regulator Ofsted about Attachments Fostering Ltd, an independent fostering agency based in Snodland.

The watchdog visited in in February and found "significant shortfalls in the leadership and management" of the operation.

They discovered the registered manager Dorothy King had been absent for a substantial amount of time between April and December last year, with unsatisfactory arrangements put in place during this time.

As a result, staff were left to carry out tasks for which they were not suitably qualified, in one case leading to a child at risk of harm being placed with foster carers lacking necessary skills, knowledge or experience to protect the child.

Ofsted also uncovered allegations relating to financial misconduct at board level, which has led, in the words of the report, "to questions being raised about the honesty, trust and integrity of those involved".

Attachments Fostering currently has nine approved foster homes supporting 13 children and young people across a small area of Kent. The agency offers emergency, short-term, long-term and bridging placements, as well as parent and child placements.

The report into the latest inspection, which was published this week, states: "This monitoring visit was conducted in response to several complaints from various anonymous sources about the management dynamics at the agency and the negative impact this was having on staff, carers and ultimately children.

"Information received said that staff and foster carers do not feel supported, the training on offer does not help them to develop, the behaviour of the registered manager is unprofessional and leads to both staff and foster carers leaving, and that foster carers are pressured into keeping children whose needs they feel they cannot meet."

Inspectors also found the recruitment, induction and supervision of new staff to be unsatisfactory.

The registered manager had not carried out all the relevant pre-employment checks for new employees, and those joining often lacked proper induction plans and supervision.

Ofsted will now consider the findings of this monitoring visit to determine any further action to take.

KentOnline has approached Attachments Fostering Ltd for a comment on the findings of the report.

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