The Children's Services and Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss strengthening the voice of children and young people in SEND services, receiving an update on the Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report, and reviewing the Youth Justice Strategic Plan. Key decisions included noting the progress made in engaging young people with SEND, acknowledging the ongoing work of Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. in safeguarding, and reviewing the Youth Justice Strategic Plan's progress and future priorities.

Strengthening the Voice of Children and Young People in SEND Services

The committee received an update on efforts to strengthen the voice of children and young people within SEND services, following an area for improvement identified in the December 2023 SEND inspection. A dedicated SEND Participation and Engagement Officer has been instrumental in establishing various engagement opportunities. The Time to Talk youth forum, which meets fortnightly and includes young people aged 13-20 with SEND, has been actively involved in co-producing documents, meeting with council leaders, and developing a work plan for the upcoming academic year. This forum has already influenced changes within schools, contributed to the SEND Improvement strategy, and led to initiatives such as a wheelchair accessibility audit of Danson Park and measures to reduce dog fouling outside special schools. Surveys conducted with young people indicated high satisfaction with their Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and annual reviews, though access to good quality information and advice was identified as an area for improvement. Future plans include engaging harder-to-reach young people, strengthening engagement with primary school-aged children, and working with health services to ensure the voices of children with SEND are heard.

Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report 2024-25

The committee reviewed the Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report for 2024-25, which details the safeguarding partnership's activities and compliance with the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 guidance. The report highlights the partnership's priorities for the year, which included Getting our collective response to vulnerable adolescents right with a focus on transitional safeguarding and children who go missing, and Getting basic child safeguarding right with an emphasis on information-sharing and neurodiversity. The report also outlines the revised partnership arrangements, including new Lead Safeguarding Partner (LSP) and Delegated Safeguarding Partner (DSP) groups, and the work of the Learning Hubs. Independent scrutiny by Jenny Pearce has been integrated into the partnership's activities, focusing on leadership, outcomes for children, quality assurance, and training. Future priorities for Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. include a focus on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), embedding the partnership dataset, and addressing Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) in relation to children and young people who go missing. The report also detailed the partnership's budget and training programmes, noting positive feedback on the effectiveness of the training provided.

Youth Justice Strategic Plan

An overview of Bexley's Youth Justice Strategic Plan for 2024-27 was presented, emphasizing a child first approach. The plan aims to reduce offending and create safer communities by treating children fairly and supporting their strengths. Key findings highlighted that while the number of females engaging with the service has increased, particularly for violent offences, the majority of children involved are male and aged 17. A significant proportion of children referred to the Youth Justice Service have SEND or neurodevelopmental conditions, and many have experienced educational difficulties, substance misuse, or exploitation. The plan's eight strategic priorities include improving outcomes for children affected by exploitation, strengthening prevention efforts, reducing the overrepresentation of global majority children and those in care, improving outcomes for children with SEND, increasing engagement in education, training, and employment (ETE), improving services to victims, maintaining strong performance, and delivering high-quality services. Progress has been made in reducing reoffending rates and increasing ETE outcomes for children involved with the service. The report also detailed efforts to address the overrepresentation of certain ethnic groups and the ongoing work to support children with SEND.

Six Month Update on the Recommendations of the Safety Valve Intervention and Support Programme Scrutiny Project Sub-Group

The committee received a six-month update on the implementation of recommendations from the Safety Valve Early Intervention and Support Programme Scrutiny Project Sub-Group. Progress has been made in flagging supported internships as a pathway for young people with SEND, with information now available on the Local Offer website and providers actively engaging with case officers. Efforts have been made to ensure consistency with job coaches and to enhance communication with parents and young people regarding the programme's outcomes and aftercare support. The service has also worked to streamline paperwork for schools and parents, moving towards digital solutions while retaining paper options. Schools are now notified of planned interventions with increased advance notice, and pre-meetings are offered to support identification of children and consent processes. Communication with parents has been improved through videos explaining interventions and online parent/carer sessions. Furthermore, the service is exploring ways to taper off support for schools post-intervention, with training provided to school staff to help maintain progress.

Work Programme

The committee reviewed its annual work programme for 2025/26, which includes scrutiny of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Annual Report, the Youth Justice Strategic Plan, and the Strengthening the Voice of Children and Young People in SEND Services report. The committee also considered the Bexley Status Report for Quarter 1 (April-June 2025) and the latest Budget Monitoring Report for July 2025. A visit to the new Shenstone School was confirmed for 20 October. The committee also noted the ongoing work of the Standing Joint Sub-Group on the Delivery of the SEND Priority Action Plan. Future items for the work programme include a review of the SEND Inspection outcomes and a report on the Joint SEND Priority Action Plan Sub-Group's findings. Other areas of interest for potential future scrutiny include the impact of vaping and NO2 canisters on public health and the national reform agenda for children's services and education.

Budget Monitoring Report

The committee reviewed the budget monitoring report for July 2025. Children's Services are forecasting an overspend of £1.822m, largely due to increased costs for children's social care placements, specialist assessments, and agency staff. There is also a forecast overspend in education, primarily due to agency costs for the Educational Psychology service and additional staffing for the government's reform agenda, as well as SEN transport costs. Short breaks expenditure for children with disabilities has increased to avoid residential placements, and a deep dive into Children with Disabilities services is underway. The report noted that recruitment for permanent social work posts remains challenging, leading to continued reliance on agency staff.