Sandwell Children's Trust Fostering
Oldbury · Local AuthorityLocally run
Sandwell Children's Trust Fostering is the not-for-profit fostering service run by Sandwell Children's Trust, caring for children who live in the Sandwell borough.
What sets Sandwell Children's Trust apart
Sandwell Children's Trust is a not-for-profit fostering service responsible for all children in care in the Sandwell borough. They only place children who live in Sandwell, which means carers are far more likely to be matched with a local child or sibling group — with local schools, professionals and family connections all close at hand.
fostersandwell.co.ukSupport at a glance
Your own supervising social worker visits regularly to offer support and guidance in your fostering role.
A duty social worker during office hours, plus 24/7 telephone support.
Regular groups to meet other carers and the fostering team, plus informal coffee mornings with an open agenda.
Preparation training and ongoing training, for mainstream and connected carers alike.
Automatic membership of FosterTalk, the national independent support service for foster carers.
Sandwell Children's Trust is accredited as a Fostering Friendly employer through The Fostering Network.
Types of fostering offered
Sandwell Children's Trust offers short-term and long-term fostering, alongside parent and child placements, short breaks, emergency care, specialist fostering and PACE (one-night beds when requested by the police). They also assess and approve connected (kinship) carers for children who can stay within their wider family network.
Fostering allowances
Each child brings two payments: a weekly allowance set by the child's age, and a carer fee set by your skill level, from Level 1 to Level 5. You move up the levels as your skills grow. Allowance per child:
On top of that, you're paid a carer fee for each child, set by your skill level:
Where new carers start.
The level Sandwell's calculator uses for experienced carers.
Figures checked October 2026. These are Sandwell's 2025/26 rates, the latest they've published, so 2026/27 rates may be a little higher. Allowances depend on the child's age and the carer's skill level. Pocket money and savings for each child come out of the weekly allowance.
Shortlist to confirm what you'd be paid
Areas covered
B: B64–71
What Ofsted say
The agency was judged Good overall, including for the experiences and progress of children, and how well children are helped and protected. Leadership and management was judged requires improvement to be good, reflecting periods without a permanent registered manager. Inspectors highlighted strong safeguarding, thorough assessments of prospective foster carers, and a proactive approach to supporting carers to apply for Special Guardianship Orders.
"Foster carers and staff are strong advocates and have high aspirations for the children they care for. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points."
"Children form positive relationships with their foster carers and are valued members of their foster family."
"Safeguarding is a high priority in this agency. Managers have an operational overview of all issues that affect the safety and well-being of children…"
"Assessments of potential foster carers are thorough and analytical. Preparation training and ongoing training support both potential mainstream carers and connected persons to understand the fostering role and meet the needs of their child."