The Corporate Parenting Panel is scheduled to meet to discuss performance data, placement sufficiency, adoption services, fostering, private fostering, the virtual school, care experienced young people in custody and kinship care. The panel will receive annual reports and updates on key issues affecting children in care and care leavers in Milton Keynes.

Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2030

The panel is scheduled to discuss the Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2030. The report pack states that the current strategy ends in 2025 and needs to be refreshed. The report notes that changes in working practices have prompted an increase in children entering care, and that the expansion of Milton Keynes will result in more children living locally, leading to more entrants to care.

The report pack highlights that in August, 79 children were in residential placements, most of which were out of area, and that there was an £11.4m overspend on external placements last financial year.

The strategy focuses on:

• Understanding current needs and future demand forecasts
• Analysis of placement types to shape commissioning intentions to 2030
• Maintaining focus on residential care while looking at preventative approaches
• Alignment with the Regional Care Cooperative and Changing Because We Have To workstreams
• Ensuring service design and development embeds young people's voices and reflects their lived experience

The report pack notes that AECOM, an infrastructure consulting firm, have been engaged to embed future sufficiency needs in the new City Plan and levy Section 106 contributions¹. The council is also looking at how to commission internal foster care and Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) more effectively, and has commissioned a 2-bed children's home at Fenny House. The council has also won Department for Education (DfE) grant funding to develop 2 more homes in Neath Hill and Emerson Valley.

Adoption Connects Annual Report 2024/25

The panel is scheduled to discuss the Adoption Connects Annual Report 2024/25. Adoption Connects is the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) that undertakes the adoption functions on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council, and also provides Adoption Panel services for Bedford Borough Council.

The report pack notes that Adoption Connects has responsibility for:

• Recruiting, assessing, and supporting prospective adopters
• Non-agency adoption work including partner adoptions and intercountry adoptions
• Family finding for all children with a plan of adoption from the region
• Support to all parties affected by adoption, including adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth relatives of adopted people

The report pack states that Adoption Connects has two teams of social work and non-social work staff: The Recruitment and Family Finding Team (RaFFT) and the Post Adoption Support team (PAS).

The report pack notes that the national trend shows a decline in the number of adopters, but that adopters aged 30 – 39 continue to account for the largest proportion of registrations, approvals, matches, placements, and those not yet approved.

The report pack states that in alignment with the Adoption England Strategy 2024 – 27 and the Adopter Journey Practice Standards, Adoption Connects recognises that the landscape of national adoption has and is evolving, and that many children with a plan for adoption today have experienced early trauma and loss, and most have multiple and unique needs.

The report pack notes that during 2024 - 2025 there were a total of 17,000 visits to the Adoption Connects website, compared to 8,000 the previous year, and that there were 189 form submissions, compared to 97 the previous year.

The report pack states that the year ended with a –65% 'adopter gap' of families needed for children with a plan for adoption, based on 10 approved families being available at the end of the year with 29 needed.

The report pack notes that during the year 32 children were placed with a family, of which 31 were placed with prospective adopters assessed and approved by Adoption Connects, meaning that 96.8% of children from the AC region were matched with AC approved adopters.

The report pack states that Adoption Connects commission intercountry adoption advice to The Centre for International Adoption (IAC), who provide specialist advice and services for those considering adopting a child from another country.

The report pack notes that Adoption Connects have continued to be members of organisations including New Family Social², Adoption UK³, Linkmaker⁴, CoramBaaf⁵ and SEPAN⁶.

Fostering and Permanency Panel Annual Report 2024/25

The panel is scheduled to discuss the Fostering and Permanency Panel Annual Report 2024/25. The report pack notes that the panel plays an important quality assurance role, providing objectivity and having the ability to challenge practice which is felt to fall short of the Regulations or National Minimum Standards, or not to be in the interests of children.

The report pack states that panel membership has been quite stable this year, with two new Panel Members joining within the year, but that there is still a need to recruit another two Independent Panel Members and another two Social Worker Panel Members in order to achieve sufficiency on the central list.

The report pack notes that data shows an increase of almost 25% in the number of cases heard at panel this year, in comparison to last year, and that there is a significant increase in Kinship Approvals.

The report pack identifies four main issues which are a common theme of quality assurance by Panel Members:

1. Not hearing the voice of the child
2. Lack of feedback from other professionals
3. Annual reviews being out of timescale
4. Recording of ethnicity

Private Fostering Annual Report 2024/25

The panel is scheduled to discuss the Private Fostering Annual Report 2024/25. The report provides an overview of activities related to privately fostered children in Milton Keynes from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The report pack defines private fostering as occurring when a child under 16 (or under 18 if the child has a disability) is cared for, and provided with accommodation, for 28 days or more by someone other than a close relative, guardian, or someone with parental responsibility.

The report pack notes that during the reporting period, a total of 16 children were privately fostered in Milton Keynes, a noticeable decrease compared to the previous year, which recorded 23 arrangements.

The report pack states that of the 16 private fostering arrangements recorded this year, 12 ended within the period, leaving only 4 remaining open at the year-end (31st March 2025).

The report pack notes that assessments and Regulation 8⁷ home visits are often completed with the support of interpreters to ensure that children and their parents' voices are heard in their native language. The report pack states that the most common reason for children being placed in private fostering arrangements was children living with an unmarried stepparent or ex-partner, accounting for 31.25% of cases.

The report pack notes that the Fostering Team works closely with the School Admissions Team, who alert the Fostering Duty if a school application is submitted for a child under 16 by someone other than a parent or close relative.

Performance Data

The panel is scheduled to consider performance data relating to children in care and young people with care experience up to August 2025.

The report pack notes that the number of children in care peaked in November and has begun to decline since, but that it is anticipated that the children in care population will continue to rise over the next 5 years in line with city growth.

The report pack states that on average around 16% of children in care have had 3+ placement moves, which is above the national average of 10%.

The report pack notes that the majority of children in care are placed in foster care, currently at 66.9% of total in care population, which is in line with national average of 70%, but that the number of children placed in residential provision remains high at 15.5%.

The report pack states that of the children placed, 47% are placed out of borough, some of which are at a distance.

The report pack notes that:

• 95.2% of young people are in touch with the service, in line with the national rate of 95%
• 96.2% of young people are in suitable accommodation, compared to a national rate of 88%
• 62.9% of young people are accessing education, employment, or training, compared to a national rate 54%

Care Experienced Young People in Custody

The panel is scheduled to note a briefing note on care experienced young people in custody. The report provides a brief overview of young people with care experience who are currently in custody and supported by the 16-25 Team.

The report pack notes that nationally, 3% of care leavers up to the age of 21 are in custody, and that locally 2.76% (6) of care leavers up to the age of 21 are in custody.

The report pack states that the council is supporting 2 young people in custody who are 22 years old, and that in total 3.4% young people the council works with are in custody.

The report pack notes that when a young person is remanded or sentenced to custody, a personal advisor arranges a visit to the young person as soon as possible, and that every prison in England has a specific point of contact for care experienced young people.

The report pack states that on release from custody a young person is supported financially by the team until they receive their first Universal Credit⁸ payment, and that the PA will support the young person to apply for Universal Credit on the day of release.

Kinship Care

The panel is scheduled to note a report on Kinship Care. The report pack notes that Kinship Care is when a child lives with a relative or family friend when they are unable to live with their birth parents, and that Milton Keynes City Council continues to be committed to exploring and assessing family and friends when a child is on the edge of care or in care.

The report pack states that Milton Keynes City Council is re-designing early help and support services in line with national Government transformation to ensure all children receive even stronger preventative support early on to enable them to remain with families, but where children cannot remain with parents, in the first instance Milton Keynes City Council will explore and consider if children can live with other family or friends (Kinship carer).

The report pack notes that Milton Keynes City Council recognises and values kinship carers, and that kinship care has shown to provide good outcomes for children in care, enabling them to be raised by their family or people familiar to them, making kinship care a preferred alternative to mainstream or independent foster care.

The report pack states that Milton Keynes City Council reviewed and revised their offer to Kinship carers in 2022 and aligned Special Guardianship allowances with the national fostering allowances to provide parity for Kinship carers, and that currently, the council financially supports over 300 Special Guardians, with almost 90% receiving the full allowance for the children for whom they care.

The report pack notes that all kinship carers have access to the fostering training programme, and that the role of virtual school has been expanded to offer advice, support, and guidance to kinship carers for all previously looked after children to promote educational outcomes.

The report pack states that in Autumn 2025, Royal Assent is likely to be given to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is proposed to define kinship carers in law and plans to legislate to:

• Ensure every local authority offers family group decision at a preproceedings stage.
• Provide a statutory basic for the expansion of the role of Virtual school heads to cover children in kinship care.
• Place a statutory duty on local authority arrangements to promote the educational achievement of children in kinship arrangements.

Other items

The agenda also includes:

• Apologies for absence
• Declarations of interest
• Approval of the minutes of the meeting held on 4 June 2025
• An update on participation and engagement
• An update on Children in Care and Care Experienced Pledges
• Date of the next meeting