The Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the progress of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Area Partnership, the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, and the council's performance and budget monitoring. The panel also reviewed and updated its work programme for the upcoming year.

SEND Local Area Partnership Priority Action and Improvement Plan

The panel received an update on the progress against the SEND Local Area Partnership Priority Action and Improvement Plan, a standing item on the agenda following an inspection in April 2024 that resulted in a level three outcome¹. Waiting Times: Jade Brooks, the Director of Operations and Delivery at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB), reported on Priority Action Plan Number 1, which addresses waiting times for community paediatricians, neurodivergence assessments, and therapies. While the total number of children waiting continues to increase, steps have been taken to increase capacity for neurodivergent assessments, with 50 families contacted to transfer assessments to an independent provider. The ICB is investing an additional £1.2 million this financial year to support 900 children in getting assessed. Waiting times for therapies are improving, with speech and language therapy waiting times already good and physiotherapy and occupational therapy expected to recover by December and March, respectively. Therapists are being linked to every school to provide earlier interventions.

Co-production with Children and Young People: Daniela Carson, the Assistant Director for All-Age Disability, discussed Priority Action 2, focusing on co-production with children and young people. Two co-production officers have been appointed to build relationships with children and young people and ensure their voices are heard. A children and young people's forum, Voices United Forum, has been developed, with 17 members signed up. The forum has its own logo and a Facebook page. Children and young people are now attending the executive board meetings to contribute to discussions.

Data and Tracking: Sarah Wilkins, the Assistant Director for Education, Inclusion, Early Years and Pupil Place Planning, summarised Improvement Area 1, which focuses on gathering accurate data to identify gaps in provision. Attendance data for children attending independent settings has been strengthened, and deep dives into children's experiences who were severely absent have been conducted. Attendance for children with SEND and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) improved across the last year. Work continues with alternative provision schools to ensure children move into specialist provision when needed. Worcestershire is part of the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) change programme, piloting evidence-based programmes to support children and families with SEND.

EHCP Timeliness and Quality: Improvement Area 2 focuses on the timeliness and quality of EHCPs. Timeliness has improved, with over 70% of EHCP decisions made within 16 weeks since January and 77% completed within 20 weeks in August. The service restructured during the summer, splitting pre- and post-14 services. Workshops with parent carers, health, social care, and SEND colleagues are underway to improve the Quality Assurance Framework.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS): Improvement Area 3 addresses long waiting times at CAMHS. Vacancy rates have decreased, and the percentage of children seen for their first appointment within 18 weeks has increased from 52% to 87%. An audit into CAMHS is being conducted, and a new service around emotional well-being called Mellow has been launched.

Councillor Stephen Bowen, Cabinet Member, noted the improvements in SEND metrics and the plans to improve waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments. He also acknowledged the significant improvements in CAMHS.

During questions from the panel, Hazel Shaw, the co-chair of the Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum, noted that some families find that their children's SEND needs are not picked up until late in their journey, particularly where their disabilities are less visible.

Councillor Matt Jenkins, Green And Independent Alliance Group Leader, asked about the Partnership for Neurodiversity in Schools (PINs) and independent assessors. The Partnership for Neurodiversity in Schools is an NHS England-funded programme being rolled out across primary schools. The council intends to expand the programme to secondary schools as soon as possible. The ICB is accrediting independent providers to deliver autism and ADHD assessments to NHS standards, offering families a choice of assessor.

Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene, LIberal Democrat Group Leader, raised concerns about a graph in the report that did not clearly show the number of people being assessed. He requested that future reports include a clearer visual representation of the number of people on the waiting list, the number of referrals, and the number of people being assessed.

Councillor Seb James, Chair of the Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel, asked for clarification on the 900 children being prioritised for assessments. Jade Brooks clarified that the 900 slots were prioritised for children waiting over two years as of 31 March.

Debbie Lamont from Health Watch asked about plans to prevent the backlog from growing again, given the increasing wait list. Jade Brooks responded that the ICB is planning for continued transfers of children into 2026-2028 and is redesigning services to support children with complex needs and those needing medication.

Councillor Mel Fordington asked why the PINs project, the Milo plan, and Voices United could not be introduced to each school simultaneously. Sarah Wilkins responded that the ability to accelerate the programme is complicated by resources and capacity, and it is better to start in a structured way and show success in solid steps.

Anthony Upton asked about the co-production officers and how they gather and use information from children. Daniela Carson explained that the co-production officers work with children of all ages and abilities, using various communication methods to gather their views on the vision for children and young people in Worcestershire and the outcomes that are important to them.

Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene asked Hazel Shaw if parents are beginning to trust the co-production process. Hazel Shaw responded that some parents have had good experiences, but there is still a long way to go to build trust.

Councillor Seb James asked for assurance that funds for services are ring-fenced and secure, given the ICB's financial strains. Jade Brooks assured the panel that the services are commissioned for the next three years and that the ICB is committed to prioritising children and young people.

Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership Review

Superintendent Gareth Moore, chair of the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Executive Group, presented the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership annual report for the year ending March 2025. The report highlighted the work of the partnership in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including the implementation of updated statutory guidance and responses to national reports. Key priorities included addressing inter-familial sexual abuse, race and racism in safeguarding children, disabilities, and serious safeguarding incidents.

The report detailed the work of various groups within the partnership, including:

• GET SAFE: Focused on multi-agency support and protection for children at risk of exploitation, with a realigned focus on serious youth violence and violence outside the home.
• Quality Assurance Practice and Procedures Group: Supported the improvement and development of services by delivering multi-agency programs of quality assurance, responding to the Alfie Steele child safeguarding practice review, and strengthening links with schools and the voluntary sector.
• Child Safeguarding Practice Review Group: Oversaw the management of rapid review processes and the commissioning of child safeguarding practice reviews, embedding learning through various programs and conducting audits across health providers.
• Education Head Teachers Safeguarding Steering Group: Provided quality assurance in the safeguarding work of the education sector, improved threshold decisions at the family front door, and strengthened responses to bullying and peer-on-peer harm.

The partnership is jointly funded by the council, the NHS, and West Mercia Police, with contributions rising in line with inflation. Key funded priorities include business support, Operation Encompass², and the family front door. Councillor Matt Jenkins raised concerns about tackling online issues such as far-right extremism and misogynistic influencers. Superintendent Gareth Moore responded that the partnership works to educate organisations and highlight children at risk, enabling interventions and education.

Emma Brissane, an assistant director in children's social care, added that the council conducts community outreach work and trains the multi-agency workforce to recognise and report concerns.

Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene raised concerns about knife crime and violence among young people and asked how to make the get safe strategy clearer to parents and residents. Emma Brissane responded that the council conducts community outreach work and trains the multi-agency workforce to recognise and report concerns.

Anthony Upton shared an incident where a seven-year-old child was bullied, but the parents were more concerned with posting about it on Facebook than reporting it to the police.

Councillor Justin Foster made a point about the importance of politicians being part of the solution and being careful about how they talk about sensitive issues.

A question was raised about the partnership's relationship with the family courts in terms of safeguarding. It was clarified that the council advocates for access to support and protection for victims of domestic abuse and children at risk.

Performance and 2025/26 In-Year Budget Monitoring

Emma Brissane introduced the performance element, highlighting a significant rise in safeguarding incidents reported to the family front door. Despite the increase, the service maintained a good response time in decision-making. She noted that West Mercia Police have a backlog in referrals, which is being addressed.

Holly Hancocks, the senior finance business partner for children's services, presented the financial information. She noted that the council is forecasting a breakeven position after using £11.6 million of reserves and £33.6 million of exceptional financial support. The forecast overspends are in demand-led areas of adult and children's social care. The council is working to mitigate these overspends.

Councillor Matt Jenkins asked about the impact of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) deficit. Holly Hancocks responded that carrying the deficit reduces the council's ability to generate investment income and increases the need for external borrowing.

Councillor Seb James asked about the £3 million cut to education and social care projects. It was clarified that the reduction is in borrowing for projects still in the feasibility stage, not specific projects.

Refresh of the Scrutiny Work Programme 2025/26

The panel reviewed and updated its work programme for the upcoming year. Councillor Matt Jenkins asked about budget scrutiny in November. It was agreed to check with the chief financial officer.

Councillor Seb James suggested exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the production of EHCPs.