Birmingham Children's Trust Fostering Agency

Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company 1 Avenue Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 4DU Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency registered with Ofsted on 19 March 2018. It was formerly part of Birmingham City Council and, since April 2018, has been part of Birmingham Children’s Trust.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency offers short- and long-term foster placements for children, as well as kinship carer placements. A small number of foster carers provide emergency placements. Increased numbers of children are supported by early permanency planning through Foster for Adopt. Children continue to move from residential care through the expanding ‘step-up’ enhanced fostering scheme.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency supports 596 approved fostering households, of which 277 are kinship carers and 319 are mainstream foster carers. There are 815 children placed with the agency.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

Since the last inspection, the agency has supported 13 step-up placements and 8 Foster for Adopt placements. It also supports 117 children remaining with their former foster carers under ‘staying put’ arrangements. The agency continues to develop its support foster carer scheme and has expanded its therapeutic support offer to foster carers.

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Information about this independent fostering agency

The agency has a new manager. They submitted their application to register with Ofsted on 25 June 2026.

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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 requires improvement to be good Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency 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: 28 October 2024

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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: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency

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Summary of findings

Children experience stable family environments. Children’s views are strongly evident in every aspect of the agency’s function. Children know the agency and the staff well. Foster carers provide children with care that is supportive and nurturing. As a result, children make progress and are having positive experiences with their foster carers.

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Summary of findings

Overall, the agency responds appropriately to concerns when children are unsafe. However, the quality of children’s risk assessments and safety plans is inconsistent. Some foster carers do not share important information about children’s safety. It is unclear what action the agency is taking to address this. There are also concerns about the agency’s recording systems, specifically how historical information is accessible for staff and leaders to consider alongside arising safeguarding concerns.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the agency’s development and future. The agency has restructured the management arrangements for the service, and these changes are improving the general oversight of assessment and support for foster carers. The agency has appointed a new manager, although their suitability for registration is yet to be determined. There are plans for the agency’s previous manager to become the responsible individual. These changes have been well planned and managed, promoting continued stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live with foster carers who provide them with safety and stability. Most children have lived with their foster carers for over 2 years, and many children live alongside their brothers and sisters whenever possible. This supports children’s emotional growth and promotes a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency has a dedicated team to support children who move from residential care to foster care. Children experience positive moves, and this initiative supports and enables them to live in a family home and to feel safe and that they belong. These children are making very good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children love their foster carers and view them as their family members. They refer to them using terms of endearment such as ‘forever family’ and ‘mum and dad’. Children say that their foster carers are the ‘best thing ever’ and one child said, ‘I have nice things, and I am warm.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s participation is a strength in the agency’s practice. Their views are highly valued and heard. Children contribute to their individual care planning and help to influence and shape the care they receive in a variety of ways. For example, the agency facilitates a range of participation and co-production groups, and children share their views and experiences with other children who have similar lived Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency experiences. Children also have opportunities to spend time with children who have similar heritages and cultures; they enjoy sharing and celebrating their unique differences. In addition, children contribute to the function of the fostering panel and create questions for prospective foster carers. The fostering panel considers prospective foster carers’ responses when deliberating about their suitability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel comfortable exploring their identity. Foster carers make good use of the support available from external sources identified by the agency, which helps them to feel confident when responding to sensitive issues. In turn, foster carers help children to feel safe and well supported during times of uncertainty and curiosity. They support and validate children’s feelings when they are considering their gender or sexuality and help children to feel confident about who they are and who they want to be.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel safe, settled and happy living with their foster carers. Children have fun and create new friendships through a range of activities. They are members of football teams, martial arts clubs, swimming clubs and youth clubs. Children enjoy experiences they have never had before, which help to build their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers who live at a distance from the agency provided mixed views about the support they receive. One foster carer has felt isolated when caring for a child with complex needs. The foster carer has used restrictive practice, which was unnecessary and not agreed by professionals. However, there has since been a strong, direct response from the agency, and the child’s care is now reviewed regularly. Another foster carer who lives at a distance feels well supported. They reported that their supervising social worker is readily available when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The agency reflects on endings for children well, no matter what the circumstances. When children experience unplanned endings, managers identify learning quickly to enable them to strengthen practice and take prompt action to improve children’s experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend school or alternative education. The agency quickly identifies when children’s educational needs require intervention, and there are plans in place for the new school term for those children who are not in education. The agency maintains good communication with virtual schools. This has strengthened leaders’ oversight of children’s education, and they intervene promptly to help support children’s education when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Foster carers ensure that children are healthy and attend relevant medical appointments. The agency is proactive in ensuring that children receive their statutory health assessments. The agency now has designated health professionals who staff liaise with and who escalate any delays on their behalf. This has led to children receiving their health assessments in a timelier manner. Foster carers are also receiving more detailed information about children’s health needs and guidance about how to meet them. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency All foster carers have access to extensive multidisciplinary therapeutic support. Foster carers have safe spaces to reflect on their own experiences, helping them to consider how to positively respond to and care for children. This equips foster carers with the knowledge and skills to provide trauma-informed care. It also promotes

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

stability and positive outcomes for children.

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improvement to be good

The fostering service does not have sufficient access to legacy recording systems to ensure that the details of historical allegations against foster carers are fully considered when new allegations arise. New allegations are risk assessed in isolation, which impairs decision-making and scrutiny. The agency has a plan in place, albeit delayed, to review, identify and mitigate any further risk to children relating to the storage of and access to historical information about foster carers. However, when allegations and serious incidents occur, the agency responds to ensure children’s safety. The agency does not hesitate to scrutinise a foster carer’s suitability, when necessary. Subsequently, their suitability is appropriately reconsidered by the fostering panel.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s risk assessments and safety plans varies. Emerging safeguarding concerns about children who are missing, online safety, risks in relation to partners of foster carers or their family members are not always sufficiently considered. Significant concerns do not consistently translate into clear expectations and guidance for foster carers. One child sustained an unexplained injury and subsequently made an allegation against their foster carer’s partner. Known safeguarding concerns about the partner had not been explored sufficiently.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, foster carers generally take appropriate action. They search for them, contact relevant professionals, and report them missing to the police. When children return, an independent person meets with them. This helps to identify and reduce further missing-from-home incidents. However, on one occasion, a child was missing for over 6 days. The child was not reported missing to the police until the sixth day. This delay meant that safeguarding procedures were not followed promptly. This reduced opportunities to locate and protect the child sooner.

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improvement to be good

Some children are helped to maintain relationships with people who are important to them, when safe to do so. Their foster carers feel well supported by the agency to ensure that they feel confident to support this. The agency listens to and considers children’s views about family time. Children feel that their views are understood and that they matter. The agency works closely with the family group programme, which supports family arrangements. This helps to manage any conflicts through mediation and further promotes stability. However, some kinship foster carers do not always adhere to family time agreements when children see their family. This increases risk to children, and it is unclear what action the agency takes to address this at the time. Some kinship foster carers also delay sharing significant safeguarding information about children. The agency is taking action to provide foster carers with

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improvement to be good

new guidance about this; however, this is not yet embedded. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency Assessments of foster carers are detailed and thorough. Assessment reports provide clear analysis of foster carers’ strengths and areas for development. They largely consider the complexity of family dynamics when assessing kinship care. Realistic measures are identified to mitigate vulnerability and areas of concern. For example, how foster carers will manage family time arrangements with family members is included as needed. In addition, assessments usually consider background information that may affect emotional wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

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

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improvement to be good

The agency works closely with a specialist safeguarding service that aims to support and protect children who are at risk of going missing and exploitation. Foster carers contribute vital information about children that helps professionals to assess the risks they may be exposed to in the community, particularly when children go missing. Foster carers also receive advice and support to strengthen safety planning. As a result of this support, risks for some children have reduced, including the frequency that some children go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has a new manager, who is yet to register with Ofsted. Leaders have restructured the management arrangements for the service. These changes have improved the general oversight of the agency, including the assessment of and support for foster carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency benefits from a stable and skilled staff team. There is a breadth of experience between social workers, managers and leaders. Overall, staff speak positively about the recent changes in the leadership team. Staff receive regular supervision and opportunities for therapeutic reflection to process challenges they may experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are passionate and committed to their roles. They have a good understanding of the needs of children and foster carers. Foster carers feel well supported and speak extremely positively about the support they receive from supervising social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Skilled and experienced practitioners chair the fostering panel. Panel members bring a wealth of experience and diversity, and the panel provides an appropriate level of scrutiny. Panel minutes reflect detailed discussions and deliberations that have taken place. This provides an additional layer of scrutiny when considering foster carers’ approval. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency The agency has 9 suitably experienced, skilled and qualified agency decision-makers. They consider all relevant information when assessing the suitability of foster carers and make timely, well-informed decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency actively promotes Foster to Adopt placements. They collaborate with other agencies well to achieve early permanence for children. This minimises delays in securing permanency for children. Children and foster carers receive appropriate support throughout the process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency has a clear recruitment strategy in place and a dedicated recruitment team. It places a strong emphasis on face-to-face events and engaging with different communities. The agency’s recruitment approach reflects the demographic area of the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers receive a wealth of training to ensure that they can meet the needs of the children they care for. Supervising social workers ensure that carers complete necessary training within required timescales. Foster carers’ feedback about the quality of training available to them is variable. Some foster carers report that training is beneficial, while others report that training is generic and does not meet their children’s needs, particularly for those caring for children with complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency recognises that applications to the independent reviewing mechanism are an important safeguard for foster carers as they provide independent scrutiny of the fostering service’s decision-making. The outcomes achieved since the last inspection are positive. They demonstrate that assessments and panel recommendations are evidence based and proportionate, as are the agency decision- maker’s decisions. Leaders and staff have a focus on ensuring safe decisions regarding foster carer suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carer annual review reports detail children’s experiences and outcomes. They also provide a clear overview of foster carers’ progress, practice and experiences. Leaders and managers maintain oversight of reviews that fall outside of timescales and take action to prevent delays. However, the agency decision-maker does not have oversight of foster carer annual reviews. This reduces the effectiveness of the quality assurance of continued approval and suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Foster carers receive regular supervision; however, the quality of supervision records varies. Supervision sessions are often reflective and explore the care provided to children. They demonstrate that children are seen and their views are heard. However, some supervision records do not demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity. They do not consistently consider the impact of the care children receive or how foster carers are keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer staff recruitment practices are in place. However, there is a disclosure on one staff member’s Disclosure and Barring Service check where records do not illustrate that this was explored and risk assessed. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency Professionals comment on good communication. They say that foster carers care for children well and meet their needs. They also report joint reflection and learning following significant incidents. Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency

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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 provider and the registered manager must, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency,

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Requirement Due date

carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must carry out a review of the agency’s legacy recording systems. They must ensure that any information stored in relation to currently approved foster carers is considered alongside their approval. This includes safeguarding information, such as any allegations against foster carers. In addition, the registered person must consider and review the effectiveness of their recording systems in general and ensure that they are accessible in line with legislation. 13 October 2026

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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

the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. (Regulation 11 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that managers, staff and foster carers understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. This includes the reporting and recording of information and incidents that could indicate concerns about children’s safety. 13 October 2026 Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency The registered person should ensure that risk assessments and safer care plans identify risk to children and the measures in place to keep them safe. There must be clear arrangements for monitoring and reviewing these measures to ensure that they are effective.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the agency decision-maker has oversight of the annual review of all foster carers’ suitability. (‘Assessment and approval of foster carers: Amendments to the Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations, Volume 4: Fostering Services’, pages 19 and 20)  The registered person should ensure that supervising social workers consistently demonstrate professional curiosity during supervision with foster carers. This includes being curious about the quality of the care children receive and the monitoring of any safeguarding measures to ensure that they are being adhered to. This must be reflected consistently in foster carer supervision records. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 21.8)  The registered person should ensure that foster carers who are caring for children with complex needs and disabilities receive good-quality training. In addition, they

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Recommendations

should ensure that the voices of these children are ascertained and heard. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 4.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff recruitment records illustrate exploration of historical concerns as disclosed by the Disclosure and Barring Service. (‘Fostering services: national minimum standards’, 19.2)

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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: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: 1 Avenue Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 4DU

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Independent fostering agency details

Email address: David.Stringfellow@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for independent fostering agency: Birmingham Children’s Trust Fostering Agency 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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