Smile & Sunshine

Bfriends – Friends of Birmingham Children’s Trust – is the connected charity of Birmingham Children’s Trust. Bfriends was established in November 2021 as an independent charity, developed and designed by children in care and care leavers in Birmingham alongside local partners and Trust staff.

​

Bfriends is registered on the Charity Commission website, registered charity number: 1196813.

Bfriends works alongside the Trust to gain a close understanding of the ongoing and changing needs of children in care and care-experienced young people.

​

These needs range from access to sport and wellbeing programmes, to employment opportunities and help with important life-changing events such as moving into independent living.

​

Essentially Bfriends helps support the lives of children to give them access to the same opportunities and experiences that their peers, who have not grown up in the care system, have easily accessed or experienced.

​

Giving voice to the children in care in Birmingham is at the heart of the charity and Bfriends co-chair, Abba Loughran, grew up in care in Birmingham. Abba is an ambassador for children in care, care leavers and children known to the Trust.

​

Bfriends operates in partnership with city partners, businesses, other charities, and the community. We all work together as one team with a joint vision that friendship is at the heart of all we do.

We aspire to have friendships with each other and very importantly for our children and young adults to have at least one meaningful friendship in their life. Creating and sustaining friendships for those in care and care leavers is our guiding priority. The golden thread that binds us together.