The Wokingham Borough Health and Wellbeing Board met on Thursday 10 September 2026 to discuss the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the forward programme. The Board noted progress on the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, which is nearing publication and aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the needs of children and young people in the borough to inform strategic planning and commissioning. The Board also reviewed its forward programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

The Board received an update on the development of the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), a significant piece of work involving multiple partners across education, health, and care sectors. Emma Cockerell, Director of Children's Services, explained that the JSNA is intended to provide crucial insights into local needs and emerging trends, supporting evidence-based decision-making and collaborative partnership working to tackle inequalities. Jamie Conran provided further detail, highlighting that the JSNA comprises 49 sections and has undergone extensive quality assurance over the summer to ensure consistency, strengthen data usage, and improve accessibility. The document is expected to be published in the autumn, around November.

Councillor Prue Bray, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Children's Services, inquired about public access to the data once it is published on the Wokingham Borough Observatory¹. Emma Cockerell confirmed that the JSNA is intended to be a publicly available document, designed to be accessible for organisations, particularly those in the voluntary and community sector, to inform their own strategic planning and funding bids.

Councillor Bray also asked about any early findings of interest. Emma Cockerell noted that the work has already informed a strategic response to inequity in the education system, specifically concerning children eligible for free school meals. This has led to a focus on auto-enrolment for parents and families accessing Universal Credit, aiming to ensure children receive a hot meal and that appropriate funding reaches schools to address the disadvantage gap. She explained that while Wokingham appears to be a healthy, wealthy and thriving borough on the surface, the data analysis reveals that not everyone benefits equally, and the JSNA helps to surface these hidden inequalities.

Concerns were raised about potential gaps in data quality, particularly regarding breakdowns by ethnicity, which Jamie Conran stated would be explicitly noted in the JSNA. This highlights a need for improved data collection and analysis, which is also part of the council's priority action plan in response to the SEND improvement plan.

Forward Programme

The Board discussed its forward programme for the remainder of the municipal year. It was noted that an update on the Wokingham Borough Area SEND Inspection progress would be presented at the January 2027 meeting. The Gambling Needs Assessment is scheduled for the March 2027 meeting. An update on Neighbourhood Health planning is expected in November 2026, with the full plan to be presented in March 2027. Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, from Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, requested an update on maternity services, following national reviews.