Significant improvements made as Ofsted praises Sandwell Children’s Trust
Published 8th September 2021
Significant improvements have been made to Sandwell Children's Trust Fostering Service and it is now rated as 'Good' by Ofsted.
Ofsted inspectors visited Sandwell Children's Trust last month and have today (Wednesday 8 September) issued a report to confirm that all areas within the Fostering Service are now rated as 'Good'. Previously the service was rated 'Requires Improvement'.
The report praises Sandwell Children's Trust for the positive experiences children are now getting from the service, how well children are protected and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.
It also complimented the team of foster carers who work with Sandwell's children in care to provide loving and stable homes for vulnerable children.
Chair of Sandwell Children’s Trust Rt Hon Jacqui Smith said: “We are really pleased Ofsted now recognises that we have made significant improvements in all areas of the Fostering Service at Sandwell Children's Trust.
"These improvements couldn't have been made without a team of really hardworking and dedicated staff who work tirelessly to give our children and their foster families the support they need.
"We also add to the praise given by Ofsted to our wonderful family of foster carers who dedicate their lives to making sure that our children achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives."
Emma Taylor, Chief Executive of Sandwell Children’s Trust added: "This is a fantastic result for our Fostering Service, which recognises the hard work of our staff across the whole Trust, plus our partners, especially our foster carers. As we take forward the recommendations to continue improving the service, this shows that by working together we can make significant progress, deliver good services and have a positive impact on our vulnerable children.
“There is an ambition here to improve all our services across Sandwell Children’s Trust and this outcome motivates us further to build on this and make further progress in order to make a difference to children in Sandwell.”
Leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Rajbir Singh has praised Sandwell Children’s Trust. He said: "Sandwell Children's Trust has made significant improvements to the Fostering Service and I am very pleased this service is now graded as 'Good' by Ofsted.
"These improvements have been made under very challenging circumstances in the face of the pandemic and praise should be given to the staff at the trust for their dedication and hard work.
"Foster carers do an incredible job for some of Sandwell's most vulnerable children and I want to thank them for this and for their contributions to Sandwell Children's Trust’s improvements."
Sandwell's Fostering Service was previously rated 'requires improvement to be good' following an inspection in November 2019. At the time of this inspection, there were 146 children living in 103 approved connected carer households and 138 children living in 102 approved mainstream carers.
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