A fostering agency which placed a child at risk of harm with inappropriate carers has been closed down.

Whistleblowers contacted regulator Ofsted about Attachments Fostering Ltd, an independent agency based in Snodland, and this led to inspectors carrying out a series of investigations into the operation.

The watchdog visited in February and found "significant shortfalls in the leadership and management" at the agency, with registered manager Dorothy King found to have been absent for a substantial amount of time between April and December last year.

Poor management had led to one case where a child at risk of harm was placed with foster carers who Ofsted found did not have the right skills or experience to protect the child.

A full inspection followed in March, which found Attachments to be "inadequate" across the board, with evidence of serious or widespread failures that meant children and young people were not protected or their welfare was not promoted or safeguarded.

The report stated: "The absence of basic written plans and risk assessments means that foster carers must use their own initiative when managing difficult situations. In some cases, this had resulted in internal policies and procedures not being followed.

"Examples of this include foster carers bypassing the agency and reporting incidents straight to the police or using the on-call system to seek basic advice before taking any action.

"KCC takes its responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of children in its care very seriously..."

"Significant gaps and shortfalls were identified with regards to children’s case records. For all 14 children currently placed by the agency, there was an absence of many, and in some cases all, up-to-date documents such as local authority plans, essential information, risk assessments and safe care strategies."

Yet another inspection took place in April, when it was discovered insufficient action has been taken to remedy issues with the management of the agency.

As a result, Ofsted took the decision to cancel the agency's registration last month.

Kent County Council (KCC) says that following the closure of the agency steps were taken to ensure proper care continued for children placed through it.

A council spokesman said: "KCC takes its responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of children in its care very seriously.

"The foster carers and the children placed with them, who were with the Attachments Fostering Ltd agency, transferred to another independent fostering agency.

"The KCC social workers allocated to those children placed with Attachments Fostering Ltd were consistently kept informed of events to ensure the needs and stability of the children was maintained.

"All children remained with their foster carers, minimising disruption and providing consistency of care and stability."

It has not been possible to reach Attachments Fostering Ltd for comment.

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