The Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel of Greenwich Council met on Wednesday 09 September 2026 to review performance data, consider annual reports on engagement and complaints, and discuss the council's approach to supporting children and young people. The meeting focused on understanding how services are performing and how feedback from children, young people, and their families is being used to drive improvements.

Performance Monitoring Report (Q1 2026-2027)

The panel was scheduled to consider a report on the performance of Children's Services for the first quarter of the 2026-2027 financial year. This report aimed to provide an update on key performance areas, including how children achieve throughout their education, the support provided to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and measures related to children missing education or at risk of falling out of education, employment, and training (NEET). It was also set to cover risks outside the home and the welfare of children at risk, suffering harm, or in the council's care. The report included a RAG rating system to highlight areas of concern and provided contextual data on the demographics of children and young people in Greenwich.

Insight and Influence Annual Update 2025/26

This agenda item was to consider the annual update on the participation, engagement, and co-production activities undertaken by the Insight & Influence Team during the 2025-26 period. The report was expected to detail key themes emerging from discussions with children, young people, parents, and carers, and outline the impact this feedback has had on service development, commissioning, and strategic decision-making. Priorities for the Insight & Influence Team for 2026-27 were also scheduled to be discussed. The report highlighted that over 6,500 children, young people, and families contributed their views, influencing strategic priorities and service improvements. Key achievements included the strengthening of strategic participation through bodies like the Greenwich Young People's Council (GYPC) and the ACE Network for children and young people with SEND. The report also detailed the work of the Families First Parent and Carer Forum and the role of Young Commissioners in shaping services.

Complaints, Compliments and Representations Annual Report 2025-26

The panel was scheduled to review the annual report on complaints, compliments, and representations received by Children's Services for the 2025-26 financial year. This report fulfils the statutory requirement to publish an annual report on complaints managed under the Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure, as well as considering complaints under the corporate complaints procedure. The report indicated an increase in complaint activity, particularly at Stage 2 investigations, with key themes including SEND services, school transport, communication, and timeliness of decision-making. The report also noted the receipt of 84 compliments, recognising the positive impact of staff. The report highlighted that learning from complaints had informed service improvements, but also identified challenges related to the increasing volume and complexity of Stage 2 complaints, recommending actions to strengthen early resolution, improve timeliness, and enhance investigation capacity.

Other Scheduled Items

The meeting also included standard procedural items such as receiving apologies for absence, announcing any urgent business, and members declaring any interests. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 March 2026 were also scheduled for confirmation.