The Children and Young People Scrutiny Subcommittee met on Tuesday 21 October 2025 to discuss the transformation of children's services, the provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport, and performance dashboards. Key discussions included the ongoing development of new children's homes and a commitment to further investigate the impact of domestic abuse on children's services.

CYPE Transformation Update

The committee received an update on the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Directorate's transformation efforts, now consolidated under the Helping Families Thrive plan. This plan aims to improve practice, manage demand, increase effectiveness, and enhance efficiency within children's services. The transformation is structured around five workstreams: Early Intervention & Prevention, Sufficiency, Workforce Culture & Leadership, Data & Digital, and the Families First Partnership.

Significant progress is being made in developing sufficiency for children in care. The council is developing two new children's homes: Precious House, which will provide short to medium-term support and aims to re-integrate children with their families or local foster care, and a second home in South Norwood designed for children with complex needs, trauma, and neurodivergence. Precious House, managed by St Christopher's Fellowship, is awaiting Ofsted registration, with an expected opening in mid-November 2025. The South Norwood home is in the process of redevelopment, with an anticipated opening in late November 2026. These initiatives are expected to lead to substantial cost savings compared to current private placements. The council is also working to increase its in-house fostering capacity, with plans to expand the Fostering Hubs model.

The Early Intervention & Prevention workstream is focused on strengthening universal early help and embedding Family Hubs. The second Family Hub, the Samuel Coleridge Taylor Centre, is now operational, and the council is consulting on the wider locality model. The Data & Digital workstream is piloting AI transcription services, with over 280 active users, and is exploring predictive analytics to become a more data-driven directorate. The Families First Partnership programme, launched in March 2025, aims to transform children's social care by focusing on early intervention and family-led decision-making, with a project team in place and initial data analysis underway.

The committee discussed the termination of the contract with former strategic delivery partner IMPOWER, which had provided valuable analysis but was no longer deemed to be adding significant additional value. The £2 million saved from this contract termination has been reinvested into the transformation programme.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Transport

The committee reviewed the ongoing challenges and transformation efforts related to SEND transport. Demand for this service has continued to rise, with a 30% increase in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and a 28% increase in students requiring transport between 2023 and 2025. The council is working to increase the number of in-borough SEND placements and Enhanced Learning Provisions (ELPs) within mainstream schools to reduce the need for out-of-borough transport, which is often more costly. For example, one school's move to an in-borough provision resulted in a transport saving of £325,000 for the academic year. The council is also optimising transport routes and working with schools to achieve further savings. Discussions also touched upon the complexities of placing children from outside the borough and the impact on universal services.

Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education Dashboard and Health Visiting KPIs

The committee reviewed the performance dashboards for Early Help, Children's Social Care, and Education, as well as Health Visiting KPIs. While mandated Health Visiting KPIs were largely green, there were concerns regarding targeted specialist services, particularly the percentage of new births receiving a visit within 14 days, which stood at 67% against a target of 90%. The committee requested that this be included in a future update from the Health Visiting team. The dashboard also highlighted ongoing challenges with the duration of Child Protection Plans (CPPs) and the percentage of children subject to a second or subsequent CPP, although actions are in place to address these. The rate of looked-after children per 10,000 population remained slightly above target. The committee noted the static rate of first-time young entrants to the criminal justice system, which has been impacted by changes in police policy and prosecution delays.

Work Programme 2025-26

The committee considered the draft work programme for the upcoming year. A key addition discussed was the potential to scrutinise the impact of domestic abuse on children's services, aligning with existing work on the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the Families First Partnership Programme. The committee also agreed to request updates on the progress of the new children's homes, particularly regarding Ofsted registration, and to monitor the South Norwood home development.

Other Discussions

The committee also discussed the Youth Justice Plan, noting the importance of early intervention and diversionary projects. They were informed about the Shift project, an early intervention model aimed at preventing young people from entering the criminal justice system, which has shown promising cost-benefit analysis. The council is also piloting a national referral mechanism for local decisions on child exploitation, which can be used as a defence in criminal proceedings.

The committee expressed appreciation for the additional £5,000 funding received from the police for the Youth Justice Board, noting that this was a doubling of previous contributions and a positive development in addressing financial pressures.

Finally, the committee discussed the challenges of increasing SEND provision within the borough, including the difficulty in finding suitable buildings and the ongoing impact of the SEND White Paper. They were assured that the council is actively pursuing options for increasing provision, including Enhanced Learning Provisions and potential annexes to special schools, and is not waiting for the White Paper to implement changes.