The Corporate Parenting Board of Croydon Council met on Wednesday 09 September 2026 to discuss performance and practice relating to children in care, and to conduct a deep dive into housing provision for care leavers. The meeting's agenda focused on reviewing the current performance data and exploring strategies to improve housing outcomes for young people transitioning from care.

Performance and Practice

The Board was scheduled to review the July 2026 performance report for children in care and care-experienced young people. This report detailed key statistics, including the number of children in care (561), with a significant proportion being local children (475) and a smaller number being Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) (86). The report also provided data on health assessments, with 83% of children looked after having received their annual health assessment, compared to the England average of 90%. For care-experienced young people, the report indicated 640 were open to services, with 55% having had their dental checks up to date, falling below the England average of 81%.

The performance data also highlighted various indicators related to children in care, such as the number of children looked after (CLA), which stood at 561 in July 2026, and the rate of CLA per 10,000 under 18s, which was 60. Several indicators were flagged as amber or red, including the percentage of CLA with up-to-date care plans (75%), and the percentage of eligible CLA with up-to-date pathway plans (59%). Health indicators also showed areas for improvement, with only 55% of children in care having up-to-date dental checks. For care-experienced young people, the data indicated that 640 were on the system, with 73% having an up-to-date pathway plan, and 61% being in education, employment, or training (EET).

Deep Dive: Housing - Finding a Forever Home

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a Deep Dive into housing for care leavers, aiming to develop a Care Leavers Housing Strategy and an integrated care leavers housing pathway. The report presented to the Board outlined findings from recent investigations and analysis, identifying systemic issues affecting the Council's ability to provide a consistent and coordinated housing pathway for care-experienced young people. These issues included challenges related to housing and accommodation, placement sufficiency, financial pressures, governance, transition arrangements, health, partnership working, commissioning, and the development of an appropriate provider market.

The report recommended the establishment of a cross-council implementation subgroup, bringing together representatives from Children's Services, Housing, Adult Social Care, Health, Commissioning, and Finance, along with external partners. This subgroup would be tasked with developing the governance model, priorities, responsibilities, and a delivery plan for the integrated care leavers housing pathway. The proposed approach emphasised a One Council collaborative strategy to address the complex needs of care-experienced young people aged 16-25. The report highlighted that Croydon Council had responsibility for approximately 923 care-experienced young people, with a significant proportion being former Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC).

The recommendations put forward for the Corporate Parenting Board to consider included noting the findings of various reviews, recognising the cross-council nature of the challenges, endorsing the development of a borough-wide Care Leavers Housing Strategy and pathway, and supporting the convening of an initial cross-council implementation subgroup. The Board was also asked to request that this subgroup develop detailed governance arrangements, priorities, responsibilities, and a delivery plan, including a needs and gap analysis, and reviews of procurement and market development. The report also detailed six proposed workstreams for the subgroup, covering governance and leadership, housing sufficiency and provider development, UASC, NRPF and Home Office matters, finance, commissioning and performance, and needs, health, and complex needs. The importance of embedding the voice of care-experienced young people throughout this process was also stressed.