F5 Foster Care Limited

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 1 F5 Foster Care Limited F5 Foster Care Limited First Floor, Amington House, 95 Amington Road, Birmingham B25 8EP Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

A private company operates this fostering agency. The agency was registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025. He is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The fostering service provides short-term, long-term, emergency, and parent and child foster homes. At the time of inspection, the fostering service had 11 approved fostering households and 13 children placed with its foster carers. Seven of the children and 9 fostering households contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The independent fostering agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 December 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-considered care planning ensures that children are placed with foster families who understand their needs and how best to support them. As a result, children feel a strong sense of belonging and are fully integrated as part of their foster families. Careful consideration is given to children’s identity and cultural needs, which supports effective and sensitive matching. One child described her carers as ‘my family, my everything’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager maintains effective oversight of all children placed with the agency’s foster carers. Children receive a sensitive, well-planned welcome to their foster homes, and where possible, introductory visits are arranged to ensure placements are suitable prior to children moving in. Children are provided with a personalised memory box and a children’s guide before they move, which helps them to understand what to expect and supports a smooth transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to the small size of the agency, only a small number of children have moved on from their placements. Where children have moved on, the manager has worked closely with placing authorities to ensure a collaborative and well-coordinated approach. In one example, a child’s reunification with their birth family was supported effectively by the agency, which took the lead in coordinating return home visits. This resulted in a timely and detailed reunification plan, with regular opportunities to review the child’s progress before the move home. Comprehensive planning supports positive returns to family life and promotes stability for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where potential delays in progressing plans were identified, the manager appropriately challenged local authority decision-making. A solution-focused approach was taken, ensuring that the child’s needs remained central to care planning discussions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points because of the consistent and nurturing care they receive. Feedback from children about their foster carers is highly positive. During the inspection, 7 children were spoken to. One child said they loved living with their family and never wanted to move. Another child said that they loved living with their siblings and that the carers took them to nice places and bought them nice things. Foster carers demonstrate a strong commitment to children and provide stable, loving homes. Consequently, children feel secure and are able to make sustained progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are attending school. Foster carers recognise the importance of education and actively support children’s learning and wider social development. Children participate in a range of activities, trips and holidays. In one example, a child requested to attend tuition, as this was something the carers’ birth children accessed. This request was fully supported, demonstrating that children are provided with the same opportunities and experiences as other members of the household. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 3 Children’s health needs are well met, and foster carers understand how to support them effectively. A small number of children have additional needs, and these children are carefully matched with carers who have the skills, experience and training to meet their individual requirements. Foster carers report feeling well supported by the agency and work effectively with one another and professionals to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

ensure that high-quality care is consistently provided to all children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Children are provided with clear information about how to make a complaint when they move into their foster home and understand how to raise concerns if needed. In addition, a high number of ‘children-seen visits’ are completed during visits to foster households. The agency also organises activities, such as a summer event, to further capture children’s wishes and feelings. These opportunities allow children to share their views away from their homes and help to ensure that children feel listened to and able to speak openly.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Foster carers demonstrate a clear understanding of how to keep children safe. They are knowledgeable about children’s individual risks and know how to respond appropriately. The agency provides a high level of support to carers, and when incidents occur, staff offer timely, high-quality therapeutic guidance. This ensures carers’ responses are consistent with the agency’s therapeutic approach, which builds resilience in children and promotes stability in their placements.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children have strong, trusting relationships with their foster carers. During the inspection, children said they felt safe and able to talk to their carers about any worries or concerns. Children also spoke positively about their relationships with agency staff. Despite changes within the staff team since the last inspection, children know the manager and their supervising social worker well and identify them as adults they trust.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Incidents of children going missing from home are rare. Since the last inspection, there has only been one child who experienced missing episodes. The manager worked closely with the placing authority to ensure a well-coordinated and appropriate response. Strategy meetings were convened to consider the child’s safety and welfare, and return home interviews were arranged by the placing authority. This ensured that risks were understood and informed ongoing planning.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The agency has a clear, robust missing-from-home policy and protocol, which provides carers with clear guidance on the actions required when a child is missing. This offers reassurance to carers and supports consistent decision-making. The provision of out-of-hours support further ensures that carers feel well supported and confident that appropriate steps are taken when children are absent from the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Allegations are infrequent. When concerns are raised, effective partnership working ensures that care planning decisions remain firmly child centred. Careful Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 4 consideration is given to children’s safety and emotional wellbeing, and children are not moved unless this is necessary to protect them. The agency works closely with placing authorities to ensure thorough investigations are completed. Where required, foster carers return to panel to enable independent scrutiny of their continued approval.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Foster carers are well supported by their supervising social workers and also have access to independent advocacy, which is funded by the agency. This provides additional assurance that carers are supported to reflect on practice and raise concerns when needed.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children live in safe, comfortable and welcoming homes. Annual health and safety assessments of foster homes are completed, and where any issues are identified, these are promptly addressed. Professionals visiting children in their foster homes consistently report that children are living in ‘lovely, well-presented properties’, which supports children’s wellbeing and sense of security.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There is a strong focus on the careful recruitment and assessment of foster carers. The manager maintains effective oversight of all assessments, completes midpoint reviews and, where necessary, arranges second-opinion visits. This robust approach ensures that only applicants with the appropriate skills, understanding and capacity to meet the needs of fostered children are approved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency is led by a recently appointed manager who is highly committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for children. He demonstrates ambition and high aspirations for children, which are clearly embedded across the agency’s culture, practice and expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been a number of staffing changes. Due to the small size of the agency, this has resulted in changes across the whole staff team. Foster carers report that the overall quality of leadership remains very strong, although they understandably expressed concern at the time the previous manager, who was in post during the last inspection, left the organisation. During this period of transition, 3 children were placed with foster carers. Senior leaders responded promptly by putting effective interim management arrangements in place. There was no adverse impact on children as a result of these changes; all children remain in stable, long ‑ term placements and continue to thrive in the care of their foster families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, high ‑ quality supervision on a monthly basis. Supervision provides opportunities for reflective practice and the setting of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) targets to support professional development. Progress against these targets is consistently reviewed, ensuring accountability and ongoing learning. Appropriate arrangements are in place for the Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 5 supervision of the manager, which is provided by an experienced social work consultant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carer training is well planned and responsive to individual needs. Carers are actively consulted about their learning and development requirements, and where specific needs are identified, the manager sources specialist training. Training is delivered through a blend of virtual and face ‑ to ‑ face sessions. In addition, quarterly workshops are scheduled until spring 2026, with bespoke sessions tailored to themes emerging from supervision and foster carer support groups. This approach strengthens carers’ skills and confidence and supports high ‑ quality care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the agency has remained small in size since the last inspection, it has experienced significant growth following the appointment of the new manager. The number of approved foster carers is now at its highest, which has improved capacity and ensured the agency’s financial viability. The agency is owned by a larger organisation that is clearly invested in the delivery of a high ‑ quality fostering service. The organisation provides strong financial backing, enabling the agency to grow and develop without compromising the quality of care, support for carers or outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is well established and is chaired by an independent and experienced chair who has a strong understanding of the agency. Panel members have appropriate qualifications, skills and experience. The panel fulfils its quality assurance role effectively, providing robust scrutiny of assessments and promoting high standards in the recruitment, preparation, training and ongoing support of foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Panel recommendations are clearly child focused and supported by sound, evidence ‑ based analysis. The agency decision ‑ maker carefully considers panel recommendations and makes timely and appropriate decisions that promote the welfare of children. The rationale for all decisions is clearly recorded and consistently places children’s needs at the centre of decision ‑ making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are in place; however, aspects of these systems are not yet fully effective. The current monitoring arrangements require further development to ensure that key documents are promptly updated following changes to carers’ approval. Additionally, processes for the recording and escalation of outstanding local authority documentation need to be further embedded. The manager has identified these areas for improvement and has begun to strengthen systems to provide more effective oversight and assurance. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

If a fostering service provider decides to approve X as a foster parent they must—

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Requirement Due date

give notice in writing specifying any terms on which the approval is given, and—

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Requirement Due date

enter into a written agreement with X covering the matters specified in Schedule 5 (the “foster care agreement”).

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (5)(a)(b)) 31 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the manager regularly monitors all records kept by the service to ensure compliance with the service’s policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Immediate action should taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 25.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 7

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: F5 Foster Care Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: First Floor, 95 Amington Road, Amington House, Birmingham B25 8EP

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: Zulekha.ali@f5fostercare.co.uk

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Inspector

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: F5 Foster Care Limited 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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