Children's services at Birmingham City Council to be run by voluntary trust

Children's services at one of the country's biggest councils is to be run by a voluntary trust following years of criticism.

The department at Birmingham City Council has previously been labelled a "national disgrace" by Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw.

Previous high-profile cases of child deaths in the Midlands city, including those of two-year-old Keanu Williams in 2011 and seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq in 2008, had led to the department and other agencies coming under fire.

Now the authority has announced a voluntary trust will run the department under a "new model" which will put "social workers at its centre".

The Government appointed Lord Norman Warner to drive a three-year improvement plan at the council's children's services in 2014, and the authority said "expected progress has been made".

In a statement, the council said: "This is something we have been discussing for some time with the Department for Education and this is the next logical step on our improvement journey."

A final decision on the plans will be taken by the cabinet at Birmingham City Council at a future date.