The Croydon Council's Corporate Parenting Board met on 17 September 2025, receiving updates on the Children's Participation Team, health services, and performance, while also discussing the experiences of children in care and care leavers. The board agreed to receive an update on transitioning work and deferred discussion of the Care Leaver Offer 2025-27 to a later meeting.

Health and Transitions for Children in Care

The Corporate Parenting Board had a thematic focus on health and transitions for children in care and care experienced young people.

The board received verbal updates, presentations, and reports on several key areas:

• Transitions work and developments subgroup discussions, covering the NHS App and Health Passports, experiences of transition to Adult Social Care, and the development of a Transitions Protocol.
• Health, with a deep dive into Initial Health Assessments.

Young people shared their experiences of transitioning to adulthood, covering independent visitors, neurodiversity, and physical disability.

Independent Visitors

The board heard about the Independent Visitor Service, where young people are matched with a mentor from the community. One young person, JD, shared how their independent visitor helped them to connect in different areas, such as going to the theatre and using public transport, which took JD out of their comfort zone. Another young person, K, felt that their independent visitor helped them to express themselves and encouraged them to try new things.

Neurodiversity

The board also heard about the challenges faced by neurodiverse young people in care. One young person, DJ, spoke about their experiences with ADHD and the difficulties they faced in making friends and communicating with others. DJ highlighted the need for better support for neurodiverse needs within the care environment.

Physical Disability

The board also heard about the challenges faced by young people with physical disabilities whilst in care. One young person, S, shared their difficult experience in an emergency foster placement which did not meet their needs. S had to manage three flights of stairs and long-distance travel to and from school, which caused swelling in their legs, joints, back and muscles. S felt that their physical disability had been neglected and not discussed.

The Director of Adult Social Care Operations, Simon Robson, shared that there was joint work between children's and adult services to fill gaps in transitioning from a young person to an adult.

The board agreed to receive an update on the transitioning work.

NHS App: Health Passport

Diana Korczynska, the Named Nurse for Children Looked After Team, shared an update on the NHS App project relating to the Health Passport, now called Health for Life. The project welcomed ambassadors to attend meetings and provide ideas for changes to the review health assessment template. The Co-Chair added that Health for Life was clarified as a book that documented everything from birth (similar to a red book). Charity Kanotangudza, the Designated Nurse for Children Looked After, informed the Board that the Health for Life document was a summary of children's health from birth to when they leave care.

Initial Health Assessment Deep Dive

The Corporate Parenting Board received an overview of the Initial Health Assessment deep dive and key issues regarding the development and recording of Initial Health Assessments for Children's Social Care and Health Teams.

Dr Julia Simpson, the Children Looked After Professional, and Charity Kanotangudza, informed the Board of the statutory guidance, which stated that all children looked after should have an initial assessment within twenty working days or twenty-eight calendar days of becoming looked after.

The Head of Service for Family Assessment Team, Amanda Andrews, explained that the Family and Assessment Team were the first responders who brought children into care and worked within a forty-five-day framework time to complete their assessment.

The board agreed to receive an update and review on the health assessments at the next board meeting.

Performance Report

The Corporate Parenting Board received the Performance report for the May data. The Director of Education, Shelley Davies, introduced the item.

The board heard that the data presented was positive, and there had been continued improvement in pathway plans¹. The data stood at 83%, reflecting the additional work with partner teams and feedback from audits on how positively young people felt about the engagement and support they had received from the service.

Care Plans were also showing strong results. Officers informed the Board that a regular internal report reviewed all plans, highlighting where plans were approaching or had exceeded timescales, so action could be taken. This process had helped improve the timeliness of care plans, as reflected in the performance data.

In response to a question about adoption timeframes remaining persistently high, officers explained that although the service relied on the regional adoption agency, there was a national shortage of adopters, which impacted timescales for children being adopted.