New Life Fostering Agency

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 1 New Life Fostering Agency New Life Fostering Agency Limited Charter House, 848 Tyburn Road, Birmingham B24 9NT 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 registered with Ofsted in May 2012.

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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. It also provides foster carers who support brothers and sisters to remain together.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

At the time of this inspection, the fostering agency had 27 approved fostering households providing care for 29 children.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

From 28 July to 1 August 2025, Ofsted carried out a full inspection of the fostering agency. Serious and widespread concerns were identified in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management of the agency. As a result, Ofsted judged the agency to be inadequate and issued compliance notices under regulations 8, 11 and 17, along with 5 additional requirements. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 2 A monitoring visit was carried out on 7 November 2025. The purpose of the monitoring visit was to review the safety and wellbeing of children and to assess the provider’s progress in meeting the steps set out in the compliance notices.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

As a result of the visit, Ofsted has confirmed that all compliance notices and associated requirements have been met.

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Summary of findings

Children make positive progress because of the stable and nurturing care they receive from their foster carers. Care planning for children is careful and considered, and as a result, children develop secure relationships with their foster carers. Children’s health and educational needs are understood and well supported by their foster carers. Children enjoy a range activities and are supported to prepare for their independence. Overall safeguarding practice is effective and children feel safe. Leadership and management arrangements have been strengthened with an improved oversight of the agency. However, recording quality is inconsistent, and some safeguarding practice and training require further strengthening.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress living with their foster carers. Foster carers provide children with warm and nurturing care, which supports them to achieve positive outcomes and reach key milestones, such as improvements in their speech and language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for children moving to their foster carers’ homes is careful and considered. A lead social worker has been appointed to oversee family finding. The social worker takes a holistic approach to ensure that decisions for children moving to their foster carers’ homes are not completed in isolation. As a result, children have stability, and the number of unplanned endings has reduced. When there is an ending, the agency carries out lessons learned to identify what has worked well and how to improve practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Several children have lived with their foster carers for a significant period. Children have developed secure and strong relationships with their foster carers and feel part of their fostering families, demonstrating a sense of belonging. Many children use affectionate terms such as ‘auntie and uncle’ when referring to their foster carers. One child said, ‘I love my carer, she is my dream carer.’ Another child stated, 'I think my aunty and uncle that look after me are the best people in the universe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend education that meets their individual needs and are making progress. Foster carers understand the importance of children’s education and advocate for children to ensure they receive the right support. The agency Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 3 understands children’s educational journey, and a dedicated worker takes effective action to address any barriers to children’s learning. As a result, children are supported to achieve positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency understands children’s individual health needs. Supervising social workers provide support and guidance to foster carers, ensuring that children receive appropriate healthcare. Children attend all routine and specialist health appointments. Foster carers are equipped to meet children’s specific health needs, and additional support is provided when required to ensure that children maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers support children to engage in a range of activities and experiences, such as dance club, choir practice and being part of a football team. Children have also enjoyed holidays abroad and family events with their foster carers. In addition, the agency provides a variety of activities that children enjoy. Children’s views, wishes and feedback are sought to inform activity planning, ensuring that children’s ages and interests are reflected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers help children to prepare for independence. Children are supported to develop their confidence and the practical skills needed in the next stage of their journey. Foster carers listen to children’s views and support them to reach their goals for adulthood. Many foster carers maintain ongoing relationships with children, either through staying put arrangements or continued support when they have left home. Furthermore, the agency provides a structured ‘Next Steps’ programme that provides older children with necessary skills such as money management, education and employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and foster carers benefit from the support of the agency family support worker, who is experienced and skilled. They use creative ways to engage with children, ensuring that their wishes and views are heard. As a result, children feel listened to and part of the own care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of foster carers’ logs varies. Records do not always give a clear and detailed account of the children’s day-to-day lived experiences. The language used is not always child friendly, which limits how well the records reflect the child’s voice and experiences.

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

Children feel happy and safe. They have trusting relationships with their foster carers and can talk to them if they have any worries or concerns. Foster carers understand children’s needs and risks well. They provide appropriate care and support to help children feel safe. One child said, ‘Everyone in the house is kind and caring, they never let anything bad happen.’

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

Supervising social workers know the children well and understand their vulnerabilities. They work closely with children’s social workers, and regular communication ensures that emerging risks are known and understood. Supervising Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 4 social workers understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities and take action to keep children safe.

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

Allegations made by children are low. When they do occur, the agency responds accordingly to ensure that children’s safety and welfare are paramount. The registered manager takes suitable action, including making referrals to the local authority designated officer and the local authority. When required, foster carers are referred to a panel to reassess their suitability.

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

Supervising social workers carry out unannounced visits to foster carers’ homes. During the visits, they see and speak with children. Children have positive relationships with supervising social workers and value them as part of their support network.

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

The agency follows a safer recruitment process for foster carers, staff and panel members. This ensures that only suitable and safe adults are working with children.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in incidents of children going missing from home. Overall, when children go missing, foster carers and the agency respond accordingly. However, for one child, a lack of clear guidance has meant that their foster carer has not always ensured that appropriate action has been taken to keep the child safe.

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

Overall, children are supported by their foster carers to understand their feelings and emotions. Most carers have completed additional training such as the PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) model of care to help them respond appropriately to children’s needs. The agency promotes a non-physical intervention approach, with physical intervention used as the last resort when there is a risk of harm. However, on one occasion, a foster carer held a child during a period of distress. The foster carer had not received de-escalation training; therefore, they were not able to support the child effectively. In addition, the foster carer was not trained in physical intervention, meaning the hold was not approved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a registered manager has been appointed. This appointment, alongside the team manager, has strengthened the leadership and management within the agency. The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified and is committed to ensuring that children are safe and achieve positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has remained in post, further creating stability within the agency. They share the same ethos as the registered manager and have worked hard to improve practice across the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have strengthened systems for oversight and monitoring of the agency. New monitoring systems are in place, such as case management reviews, auditing and performance meetings. The systems are effective in identifying Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 5 shortfalls and developing improvements. These have included targeted and bespoke training for fosters carers to enhance their skills and knowledge and improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a skilled and stable staff team in place. Foster carers report feeling reassured by the increased stability in the agency. Supervising social workers enjoy their role and are committed to providing foster carers with support and improving outcomes for children. Supervising social workers speak positively about the support they receive from managers and the improvements that have been made since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and foster carers receive regular supervision sessions. This supports their professional development and promotes their wellbeing. The registered manager has has raised the expectations regarding mandatory training’. Most foster carers are up to date with their training, and where there are gaps, the registered manager has implemented action plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The fostering panel is quorate and benefits from a diverse membership. It is managed well by an experienced chair. Panel minutes are detailed and provide a clear rationale for the panel’s recommendations regarding the suitability of foster carers. This is further enhanced by a diligent agency decision-maker who provides additional scrutiny and challenge. Regular meetings between the panel chair, the agency decision-maker and leaders support continual development of the agency and panel.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers speak positively about the agency and the support they receive. They recognise the journey the agency has been on and welcome the changes. One foster carer said, ‘T h e team has always made me feel valued, respected, and supported in my role as a foster carer.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is also positive. Social workers have noted an improvement in communication from the agency, In addition, professionals report that children receive good-quality care and support from foster carers. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 6

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Statutory requirement

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 fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy on acceptable measures of control, restraint and discipline of children placed with foster parents.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

no child placed with a foster parent is subject to any measure of control, restraint or discipline which is excessive or unreasonable, and

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Requirement Due date

restraint is used on a child only where it is necessary to prevent injury to the child or other persons, or serious damage to property. (Regulation 13(1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any physical intervention is only used when necessary and in line with the agency's approved method.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that foster carers have the required training to support children when feeling upset. 12 August 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that foster carers know and implement what the fostering service and the responsible authority’s policy is in relation to children going missing. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards', page 15, 5.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that Information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards', page 52, 26.6) Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 7

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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: New Life Fostering Agency 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: New Life Fostering Agency Limited

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Charter House, 848 Tyburn Road, Birmingham B24 9NT

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: fostering@newlifeagency.co.uk

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Inspectors

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: New Life Fostering Agency 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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