The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee met to discuss several key issues affecting children and young people in Manchester. The committee reviewed the progress of the Family First Partnership, the annual report of the Complex Safeguarding Service, and the progress and delivery of services for care leavers. They also approved the committee's work programme.

Family First Partnership

The committee received an update on the Family First Partnership (FFP), a programme designed to integrate early help, child in need, and multi-agency child protection services. The FFP programme is in response to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced into Parliament on 17 December 2024, which aims to reform children's social care and education. The bill includes key policy changes such as:

• Family group decision making
• Multi-agency child protection teams
• Strengthening the role of education in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
• Information sharing and consistent identifiers

The FFP programme intends to bring together services and workforces, such as family support workers, social workers and other specialist and alternatively qualified practitioners, to support families. The vision for the Family First Programme is:

'It Takes Our City to Raise a Child' In Manchester, our city and our services will work tenaciously to enable children to thrive in their families and where they are most connected, supported by strong and vibrant communities.

The report outlined how the implementation of the programme is aligned to the Our Manchester Strategy, for improving the lives of residents. It is underpinned by improving education opportunities for all children, strengthening early help and preventative services, helping families when they need it most and making sure children and families get the right support at the right time.

Annual Report of the Complex Safeguarding Service

The committee received the Annual Report of the Complex Safeguarding Service, which details the work of the multi-agency Complex Safeguarding Hub (CSH) in tackling exploitation impacting children in Manchester. The CSH uses trauma-informed practice, intelligence-led policing, and community engagement to support children's recovery and disrupt exploitation.

The report highlighted a 27% increase in active investigations and over 120 safeguarding care plans in place. It also outlined the demographic profile of children supported, with a focus on highlighting disproportionality in terms of ethnicity, gender and children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The report detailed the governance and quality assurance processes in place, including outcomes from the external scrutiny of the recent GMCA peer review and HMICFRS inspections. Priorities for the year ahead, informed by the GMCA peer review, will focus on enhancing education pathways, intelligence sharing, and inclusive practice, guided by eleven strategic priorities aligned with GMCA's Tackling Exploitation principles.

Some of the key findings of the report were:

• The greatest number of children referred were White British (116, 41%), followed by children of shared heritage (67, 23%) Black children (58, 20%) and Asian children (29, 10%).
• Boys remain disproportionately affected by Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), making up 63% of all referrals.
• 48% of the children open to CSH have been identified as having additional needs, representing 35% of the overall cohort.
• 28% of children are currently educated in specialist settings or Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).

The committee was asked to recognise the partnership activity undertaken by the CSH, comment on the effectiveness of governance arrangements, critically comment on disproportionality, and endorse the proposed priorities for 2025/26.

Progress and Delivery of Services for Care Leavers

The committee received an update on the current position of the Leaving Care Service, highlighting demographic trends, performance data, service developments, and emerging challenges. The update reflected the council's commitment to ensuring that care leavers are safe, happy, healthy, and successful, supported by trusted relationships, stable accommodation, meaningful education and employment opportunities, and access to health and wellbeing services.

As of the meeting date:

• There are 1,708 care leavers aged 16+ in Manchester.
• 1,046 young people aged between 16-25 are allocated to a Personal Advisor.
• 697 young people receive support via the Virtual Personal Advisor and/or drop-in services.
• 451 young people have an immigration status, making up 43% of allocations.
• 91.7% of care leavers in Manchester are in touch with the service.
• 96% of all young people are in suitable accommodation.
• 62% are in education, employment and training.
• 92% of all young people have an up-to-date health profile in place.
• 98% of all young people are aware of their entitlements and the Care Leaver Offer.

The report noted that audit outcomes confirm that the majority of cases are rated good, indicating consistent quality in service delivery, which was mirrored by the findings from the Peer Review and feedback from young people. The service's commitment to trauma-informed practice, cultural competence, and multi-agency collaboration is fostering resilience and long-term stability for care leavers.

Key challenges identified include:

• Improving the joint working protocol with adult social care for young people with mental health worries.
• Addressing housing sufficiency and avoiding moving young people before they are ready.
• Exploring career development opportunities for staff in Leaving Care.
• Ensuring good quality management oversight.

Next steps focus on:

• Strengthening the Staying Close offer and pathway planning.
• Enhancing equality and diversity through targeted recruitment and pledges.
• Expanding education, employment and training opportunities.
• Agreeing on a new building for the Leaving Care service.
• Developing the Community Hub offer linked with the Family Help offer.

The committee was asked to consider the strategy, governance and delivery of Manchester's Leaving Care Offer, comment on the work plans, and engage with the corporate family cooperative in meeting responsibilities to Manchester's cared for children and care leavers.

Overview Report

The committee received the Overview Report from the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit, which included the recommendations monitor, key decisions, items for information, and the work programme. The committee was invited to discuss the information provided and agree any necessary changes to the work programme.