Councillor Karen Grinsell, Cabinet Portfolio Holder (Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Children and Education) (CPH) reviewed the Annual Complaints and Compliments Report for Solihull's Children’s Services and approved the Children’s Social Care Sufficiency Strategy. The strategy aims to ensure sufficient accommodation for children looked after and care experienced young people.

Annual Complaints and Compliments Report

Councillor Karen Grinsell reviewed and endorsed the Annual Complaints & Compliments Report – 2024/25 for the Children’s & Education Directorate. The report fulfils the requirements of the Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006¹ by providing information and analysis of complaints, compliments, and related performance data for Solihull’s Children’s Services.

Key points from the report:

• There was a slight decrease of 7% in complaints across Children's Social Care Services.
• There was a decrease of 6.5% in complaints for the Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) Team compared to the previous year.
• The report included the content of compliments received.

The report noted that learning forms are sent to investigating managers in both Childrens Social Care Services and Learning & Achievement for each complaint responded to, to highlight and implement learning.

The Executive Summary of the report noted that there were 29 new complaints for the EHCP (Education, Health & Care) Team which is a 6.5% decrease compared to 31 in 2023/24. The report stated that:

To support the SEND improvement journey staff are actively encouraging of parents submitting formal complaints, so that issues can be clearly understood, looked at and addressed; and learning monitored at senior levels.

The report also noted that 113 compliments were received for Children's Services during 2024/25, which is an increase of 30% compared with the 87 received in 2023/24.

Children's Social Care Sufficiency Strategy

Councillor Karen Grinsell approved the Children’s Social Care Sufficiency Strategy 2025 - 2029 and noted the development of an action plan to monitor the strategy's progress.

Section 22G of the Children Act 1989² requires local authorities to ensure sufficient accommodation within their area for children they are looking after, where it aligns with the children's welfare to be accommodated within the local authority's area. The strategy outlines how Solihull Council will meet this duty.

The strategy reflects the need to:

• Support children and young people to remain within a family setting
• Ensure that children and young people that are looked after are placed in local (Solihull or immediate neighbouring local authorities) and family-based placements whenever this is their plan
• Ensure continuous improvement in outcomes for children and young people
• Promote the council's permanency offer to ensure timely achievement of permanent placements and secure placement stability – through adoptions, special guardianship, child arrangement orders and permanent and long-term foster care
• Maintain stable placements, as stability is the basis for improving outcomes so that continuity of relationships, community links, education and health provision provides the right conditions for maximising potential
• Deliver value for money which is more than just the financial cost, it's about making sure that children and young people feel safe, are really cared about and are supported to achieve good outcomes.

The strategy was approved at Children's Directorate Leadership Team on 2 July 2025. The action plan will outline how the strategy will be delivered and how the outcomes will be measured. Progress will be reported quarterly to the Directorate Leadership Team, with an annual update shared with the Cabinet Portfolio Holder and Scrutiny Board.

The strategy is informed by the voices of children and young people through OVOS (Our Voice Our Services)³, Solihull's Children in Care Council.

The strategy aligns with the council's priorities to be a good corporate parent, as outlined in the Corporate Parenting Strategy. It also supports the delivery of the five main priorities within the Corporate Parenting Strategy and the achievement of the council's vision for young people.

The strategy contributes to the council's ambitions, as outlined in the Council Plan, including:

• Creating the right conditions for everyone to thrive by addressing the quality and sustainability of appropriate provision, ensuring children are placed in the right home to meet their needs and support their development.
• Providing services that people need in the right time at the right place by ensuring a range of quality provision local to Solihull.
• Ensuring children and young people have the best possible outcomes by addressing the quality, sustainability, and sufficiency of appropriate homes, supporting cultural diversity, and meeting individual needs while seeking value for money.

The strategy also supports collaborative work with the Birmingham & Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS)⁴ to improve outcomes for children and young people with complex health needs, enhancing the capacity and capability of local placements. It also supports the work of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)⁵, promoting integrated, place-based solutions that support both health and social care needs.