The Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission met to discuss support for vulnerable parents, the Hackney Education Strategy, and contraceptive and sexual health services for young people. The meeting also included a review of the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

Support for Vulnerable Parents

The commission was scheduled to review the support available to vulnerable parents in Hackney, with a focus on young parents. This followed work on disproportionalities in perinatal mental health and emotional wellbeing. The report pack included a Public Health Report Vulnerable Parents and several appendices:

• A draft Young Parents Needs Assessment for Hackney and the City of London.
• Information on the Vulnerable Women's Pathway.
• Case Studies.
• The Personal Support Package for Enhanced Health Visiting Intensive Families.
• Enhanced Health Visiting Vulnerability Criteria.

The report noted that Hackney's Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission had previously discussed the needs and experiences of young parents in Hackney in March 2023¹. The report pack stated that between February and October 2025, the City and Hackney Public Health Team undertook an in-depth needs assessment focused on the experiences of young parents, defined as individuals who were under the age of 25 at the time of their baby's birth. The report pack stated that a key finding from the report was that there are discrepancies in the health needs and outcomes for mothers aged under 18 compared to those aged 18 to 24. Those ages under were more likely to report mental health challenges, more likely to experience pre-term births and antenatal complications, less likely to 'book' for antenatal care on time, have a current / history of substance use, and were less likely to intend to breastfeed at the point of delivery.

The report pack stated that young maternal age is a risk factor for children's involvement with child protection systems, as young parents often require additional support. It noted that a single-month snapshot from May 2025 on safeguarding proceedings for young parents aged 16-22 revealed that safeguarding proceedings were initiated for 13 children, involving 16 young parents, and that the majority of these cases involved parents aged under 20.

The report pack also provided information on services that support young parents, including:

• The Vulnerable Women's Pathway.
• Mental Health Services, including the Perinatal Navigator Pilot, Perinatal Mental Health and Parent Infant Psychotherapy, and Baby and You.
• Children and Family Hubs², Children's Centres and the Early Help Offer.
• Public Health Commissioned Services, including the Enhanced Health Visiting Service, the PAUSE Service, and the Community-Based Peer Mentoring and Advice Signposting Service.
• Children and Families Service (Children's Social Care Services).

The report pack stated that the Enhanced Health Visiting (EHV) service is delivered by Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It includes five levels of provision (community, universal, targeted, specialist and intensive) and it is open to all pregnant women from 28 weeks, as well as any families with children aged 0 to 5. When the service was recommissioned in September 2023, a new intensive level of provision was introduced for vulnerable pregnant women and mothers, including young mothers.

The report pack stated that the Pause programme started in 2013 as a pilot in Hackney and is now a national charity. Within Hackney, the programme is delivered from within the Public Health Team. The programme works with women who have experienced, or are at risk of, having multiple children removed from their care.

The report pack stated that the new Care Leaver Hub opened in Bocking Street, in the London Fields area, in June 2025. This is a space where Care Leavers, including young parents, can come together and access both peer and professional support.

The report pack stated that in March 2025, the Leaving Care Service reviewed the format of Pathway Plans to ensure that they prompt discussions and lead to comprehensive reportable data regarding the experiences of young people who are also young parents.

Hackney Education Strategy 2025-2028

The commission was scheduled to review the draft Hackney Education Strategy 2025-2028, along with a summary of consultation responses. The Hackney Education Strategic Plan 2025-2028 sets out five education priority areas for development within Hackney. A 12-week public consultation on the plan closed on 22 September 2025.

The five priorities outlined in the plan are:

1. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion.
2. Additional and Alternative Learning Provision.
3. Strength and sustainability.
4. Sustainable school improvement.
5. Equity for children and families.

The report pack stated that Hackney's Children and Education Directorate is committed to eradicating systemic racism, discrimination, injustice, and making anti-racism a foundation of our practice.

The report pack stated that Hackney Council knows the vital role parents and carers play and consider parental engagement in every aspect of their work.

Contraceptive & Sexual Health Services for Young People

The commission was scheduled to note the commission's letter to Councillor Christopher Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture, and Deputy Mayor Anntionette Bramble, Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Young People. The letter Cllr Kennedy DM Bramble SRH E 1 concerned sexual and reproductive health services for young people.

The letter noted that in September 2023, the commission reviewed sexual and reproductive health services for young people, and that following this meeting, the commission made a number of recommendations to Public Health commissioners which reflected its concerns around under 18 year olds future access to services, the integration of local sexual and reproductive health services and the quality and consistency relationship and sex education (RSE) in local schools.

The letter welcomed developments to support the accessibility of local sexual and reproductive health services to young people, in particular the establishment of a daily walk-in clinic for young people at the Clifden Centre (Homerton Hospital) and wider efforts to ensure that this service is both welcoming and appropriate to young people's needs.

The letter stated that the landscape of sexual and reproductive health services remains complex with numerous providers offering different services, all of which are commissioned by a range of local authority, NHS and partnership bodies.

The letter stated that ensuring that all children and young people have access to high quality relationship and sex education (RSE), irrespective of which education setting they attend, remains an area of concern to the Commission.

The letter noted that the recent publication of new guidance for the teaching of RSE in schools provides a significant opportunity for local engagement with schools and children and young people to better understand the strengths of local SRE provision and priorities for improvement, and how more effective delivery of RSE in schools can be supported through Public Health, Hackney Education and other local partners.

Work Programme

The commission was scheduled to note and agree the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year. The October 2025 Work Programme included a list of meeting dates, agenda items, and responsible officers.