The Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a range of important issues concerning the welfare and development of children and young people in Gloucestershire. Key topics included updates on inspection recommendations, the regionalisation of children's care, and the implementation of SEND reforms. The committee also reviewed performance reports and the annual childcare sufficiency assessment.

Inspection Updates

The committee was scheduled to consider a progress update against recommendations arising from the 2025 Ofsted Focused Visit and ILACS Inspection. The report indicated that Gloucestershire Children's Social Care had made strong and sustained progress in addressing these recommendations, with improvement activity becoming increasingly embedded within routine operational practice. The service's journey from an Inadequate judgement in 2017 to a Good rating in June 2025 was highlighted, with particular praise for leadership and children in care. Key areas for the next phase of improvement were identified as Family Help and Families First transformation, reducing repeat interventions, improving practice consistency, placement sufficiency and stability, supporting care leavers into education, employment and training (EET), and workforce sustainability.

Regionalisation of Children's Care Arrangements

A report was presented to provide members with information about the Government's proposals for Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) and regional fostering arrangements. The intention behind these proposals is to address fragmented commissioning, insufficient local provision, and market weaknesses. The report assessed the potential benefits and risks of regionalisation for Gloucestershire's children in care and care leavers, and appraised the options available to the county, taking into account developments in the South West. The committee was asked to note the national direction of travel, support Gloucestershire's participation in regional arrangements where they demonstrably improve outcomes, and endorse Option 3 – participating in the development of a Regional Fostering Hub subject to future approval – as the preferred direction at this stage. This option aims to retain local accountability and the strengths of Gloucestershire's fostering service.

SEND Reform Implementation Plan and SEND Inspection Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the SEND Reform Implementation Plan and progress following the SEND Inspection. The report detailed the progress made against the recommendations from the December 2023 Ofsted-CQC Local Area SEND Inspection, noting that greatest progress is evident in partnership governance, reform mobilisation, sufficiency planning, Local Offer improvement, statutory timeliness improvement work and co-production arrangements. However, significant challenges remain, including high demand for statutory assessment and specialist support, pressure on the High Needs Budget, and specialist sufficiency being a key strategic risk. The report also outlined the current position on Year One implementation of the Local SEND Reform Plan, focusing on governance, funding, the Experts at Hand model, sufficiency planning, Local Offer improvement, and strengthened partnership governance.

Local Government Reorganisation and Children's Services

An early outline of the development of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans for Children's Services was presented for consideration. Following the Government's decision to establish a single unitary council for Gloucestershire from 1 April 2028, the report highlighted that this creates materially less disruption for Children's Services compared to a two-unitary model. The proposed design principles for the transition include putting children and families first, ensuring services are safe and legal, maintaining continuity and stability, and fostering locality responsiveness within countywide coherence. The report also outlined the risks associated with transition, such as safeguarding continuity, workforce stability, and systems and data management, along with proposed controls to mitigate these risks.

Quarter 1 2026/27 Performance Report

The committee was scheduled to note the Quarter 1 2026/27 Performance Report, which provides a strategic overview for monitoring the council's performance. The report covers five key themes: Children and Young People Thrive, SEND Opportunities, Excellent Education, Outstanding Corporate Parents, and Highly Skilled Children's Workforce. Performance data was presented for various measures, including rates of child protection plans, children entering care, social care referrals, and the percentage of early years settings meeting expected standards. For SEND, data on the rate of children with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and persistent absence was included. The report also detailed performance related to children in care, care leavers in suitable accommodation and EET, and the workforce.

Annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment Report

The committee was scheduled to note the findings of the 2026 Childcare Sufficiency Duty Assessment. The report concluded that Gloucestershire continues to maintain a predominantly sufficient, high-quality and diverse childcare market, with an increase in provider numbers and childcare places. However, emerging pressures were identified, including localised shortages of places for babies and younger children, workforce recruitment and retention challenges, increasing numbers of children with SEND requiring specialist support, and concerns regarding access to suitable childcare for children with SEND. The report also highlighted the successful implementation of government childcare reforms and the expansion of wraparound childcare.

Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to review the Committee work plan and suggest items for consideration at future meetings. Members were reminded that a dedicated work planning session was scheduled for 29 July 2026. The agenda also included a note about a government-supported Finding Family model operating elsewhere in the country, which seeks to provide children in care and care leavers with access to long-term supportive family relationships. The committee was to consider whether this approach, or elements of it, could contribute to future support arrangements in Gloucestershire.

The meeting also included standard agenda items such as apologies for absence, minutes of the previous meeting, and declarations of interest.