The Children's Services Scrutiny Panel of Ealing Council was scheduled to discuss a range of important topics concerning the welfare and development of children in the borough. Key areas of focus included the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the council's early help and intervention offer, and updates on adoption and permanence planning. The panel was also set to review its work programme and consider recommendations from previous meetings.

Adoption and Permanence

The panel was scheduled to receive an update report on the progress of adoption and permanence services for children in the care of Ealing Council. The report highlighted that while Ealing's performance in adoption and adoption orders was lower than statistical neighbours in 2023/24, it had improved in 2024/25. The council's performance regarding Special Guardianship Orders, an outcome for children who were formerly looked after, was noted as strong, exceeding the national average. The report also detailed the work of the Adopt London West Regional Adoption Agency and outlined challenges in achieving permanence for children, such as lengthy court proceedings. Plans to strengthen permanence planning in 2025 were also to be discussed.

Progress of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

A report was scheduled to provide an overview of the academic progress and outcomes for children and young people with SEND between 2022 and 2024. It was noted that the proportion of pupils with special educational needs in Ealing's state-funded schools had risen slightly, with a significant increase in the number of Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) issued since 2020. The report detailed strategies to support schools in mobilising the right support for these children and young people, including training programmes and the establishment of SENCo cluster groups. Data presented indicated that Ealing's pupils with SEND performed in line with or better than national averages in early years and primary school phonics screening, and outperformed national averages at Key Stage 2 across all subjects.

Early Help and Early Intervention Offer

The panel was due to consider a report on the borough's Early Help and Early Intervention offer. This report followed a decision in January 2025 to consult the public on proposed changes to improve the Early Help offer, including potential changes to children's centre provision. The proposed changes aimed to deliver the Early Help offer from 12 children's centres and community venues, with the remaining 13 children's centres to be repurposed. The report detailed the extensive promotional activity undertaken for the public consultation, including face-to-face and online events, and provided an overview of the feedback received, with a significant number of responses from parents and carers. The timeline for implementing any proposals arising from the consultation was also to be discussed.

Panel Recommendations and Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to review its work programme and consider the responses received to recommendations made at previous meetings. A tracker document was to be presented, detailing the recommendations made by the panel, the responses from officers, and whether these recommendations were accepted or rejected. This included a recommendation for data on domestic violence to be broken down by ward or town, which was accepted. The panel was also to review its work programme for the remainder of the municipal year, as outlined in the Work Programme Covering Report.