The Corporate Parenting Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss several reports and strategies relating to children in care, including the annual virtual head teacher's report, the fostering annual report, and an update on the corporate parenting strategy. They were also scheduled to discuss a report on substance misuse among children in care, and an update on the employability pathway for care leavers.

Fostering Annual Report 2024-25

The committee was scheduled to note the annual report of the Southwark Fostering Service for 2024-25. The report stated that the purpose of the annual report was to fulfil obligations in the Fostering Services Regulations 2011 to review and improve the quality of care, and National Minimum Standards 2011 to report to the executive side of the local authority.

The report stated that the Southwark Fostering Service continues to provide good quality care for a significant proportion of children and young people in care to the council. The Fostering Annual Report for 2024-2025 sets out in the Appendix the key areas for consideration.

The report also stated that the Southwark 2030 Strategy sets out the council's aim to ensure that all children have a good start in life, and that the Southwark Fostering Service is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in the care of foster carers who live in Southwark.

The report included data on:

• Children in foster care in Southwark
• Southwark's provision of foster carers
• Southwark's Special Guardianship and Connected Care
• Fostering Service Structure and function
• Practice Framework
• Carer Recruitment and Marketing
• Retention of Foster Carers and Support
• Carer Training and Development
• Staying Put and Supported Lodgings
• Performance and Quality Assurance
• Southwark Fostering Panel
• Complaints
• Review of Service Priorities, progress through 2024/25 and plans for 2025/26.

The report stated that on 31 March 2024, there were 387 children in Southwark's care; 91 children were placed in foster care placements, 71 placed with a friend or relative, 105 in IFAs and 120 in other settings, including; unregulated placements residential settings, foster to adopt placements, placement with parents, semi-independent provisions, as well as children on remand or in NHS settings.

The report noted that the council's Sufficiency Strategy 2023–26 noted that the Fostering Service generally has sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the children under 10 locally, but that more capacity is needed for older children, especially; unaccompanied asylum seeking children, children on the autistic spectrum, children who are vulnerable to exploitation and may present a risk to themselves or others, children who require placements in an emergency and sibling groups of more than 2 children, in addition to older children who require more complex care when coming into care and when stepping down from residential care settings. Furthermore, there is a need for parent and child placements that can take couples, fathers and allow father's access.

The report stated that the council had partnered with the 'Weekenders' Recruitment Program with FosterNow who help to recruit carers offering weekend respite to children throughout their minority and maintain stable relationships despite changes in placement.

The Fostering Service includes a dedicated Special Guardianship (SG) and Connected Carers (CC) assessment and supervisory support team. Wherever possible, this teamwill assess and support children to remain within their families, when they may not be able to remain with their birth parents.

The report stated that Southwark has an aging population of foster carers and many are choosing to end their fostering career following many years (and in some cases decades) of providing loving and supportive foster homes. At present approximately 44% of in-house foster carers are 60 years old and over, and a target for carer recruitment is to recruit more carers from a younger demographic.

The report also included the Fostering Panel Independent Chair's Report 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The primary functions of the Fostering Panel are to:

• consider the approval of prospective foster carers including the terms of their approval, i.e. the type of foster care they can provide and age range.
• consider the continued approval of foster carers after their first and third annual reviews, or following complaints or allegations made about the quality of care provided.
• provide a quality assurance role.

Annual Virtual Headteacher's Report 2024-2025

The committee was scheduled to note the Virtual Headteacher's Report for Southwark Looked After Children. The report outlined the educational progress, attainment and attendance of Southwark's children in care in the 2024-2025 school year, indicated key priorities for the Virtual School, and provided an overview of Pupil Premium Looked After Children (LAC) spend.

The report stated that as the Corporate Parent for Southwark's Looked After Children, Southwark Council has a responsibility to ensure that the children within their care have the best possible chance of accomplishing high educational achievements. The role of the Virtual School Headteacher is to ensure that the educational achievement of children looked after by the authority is seen as a priority by everyone who has responsibilities for promoting their welfare. This includes ensuring that all have access to the best education provision, monitoring children's progress and ensuring swift action is taken in time of change and crisis to meet the child's educational needs.

The report included information on:

• Education Landscape Changes: 2025-2026
• Virtual School Staff Structure
• Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Visit
• Virtual School – Training Programme
• Strategic Support for Children Previously Looked After
• Southwark's Children in Care Population
• Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
• Attendance Analysis
• Persistent Absenteeism
• Children with No School Place
• Suspension and Exclusion Data
• Pupil Premium Plus
• Participation and Work with Speakerbox
• Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
• Looked-After Children - 2025 Exam Series
• Key stage 4 – Full Cohort: 59 Students
• Key Stage 4:12 month+ Cohort: 44 Students
• The Transition Process from Yr 11 to 12
• Key Stage 5
• Key Stage 5 Case Studies
• Virtual School Priorities 2024-2025

The report stated that the Virtual School contributes 50% of the cost of the post of a second Children's Rights Project Officer post to Speakerbox.

The report also stated that the Virtual School had been forming partnerships with Antony Gormley Studios and the Young Vic Theatre to offer enriching opportunities to looked after children.

Corporate Parenting Strategy 2026-2030 Update

The committee was scheduled to note the contents of a report providing an update on the Corporate Parenting Strategy 2026-2030, and to agree the timeline for delivery of the new strategy.

The report stated that Southwark's Council's Corporate Parenting Strategy 2021-2025 was published in July 2021 following approval by the Corporate Parenting Committee, and set a renewed vision for every child and young person in the care of the council, or who had left care, which was:

We want all children and young people in Southwark to grow up in a safe, healthy and happy environment where they have the opportunity to reach their potential

The report noted that the development of the new strategy follows the council's Southwark 2030 Strategy, launched in September 2024, and that the council has begun work with care-experienced children and young people to design the new Corporate Parenting Strategy 2026 – 2030.

The report stated that progress towards the development of the new strategy has included the initiation of the Bright Spots Survey for children and young people in care and those who have left care, and that as part of ongoing engagement with children and young people, Speakerbox have developed eight pillars which set out the priorities for care-experienced children and young people.

Corporate Parenting Substance Misuse Report

The committee was scheduled to review a report on substance misuse among children in care. The report recommended that the committee review parity of offer for Southwark CLA placed outside of the borough boundaries, monitor emerging substance trends and adapt responses accordingly including acceptance of intervention, improve data quality and validation across health and social care systems with benchmarking of Southwark's data against statistical neighbours and SEL boroughs, and further report on this item at a future Corporate Parenting Committee.

The report noted that over the last three years Southwark's percentage has increased from 8%, to 13%, and then most recently 15.4%, in comparison to 3% for England, 6% for statistical neighbours, and 5% for London, and that 100% of those identified were offered an intervention, but only 30% received an intervention for 2024/25.

The report stated that the main substance misuse in adolescents is cannabis, and that the overall numbers of adolescents accessing services have increased over the last 3 years with investment in the young person's offer.

The report also stated that the commissioned offer from Change Grow Live is provided to young people resident within the borough boundary, and that a large proportion of Southwark CLA are placed outside of this, therefore, those requiring substance misuse services need to be referred onto their local service based on address.

Care Leavers Employability Pathway Update

The committee was scheduled to note the content of a report on the Care Leavers Employability Pathway.

The report stated that in July 2025, a report was presented to the Committee on a crosscouncil Employability Pathway, which describes an enhanced offer to care-experienced residents with access to council work experience, internships, apprenticeships and entry-level roles, and that the Employability Pathway has been co-designed by care-experienced young people, alongside colleagues from Children's Services, Local Economy and HR/OD.

The report noted that the Local Economy Team identified and connected the existing development activity to the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer and secured an additional £383,000 for 2025-26 to compliment the programme, and that the council's senior leadership have agreed to minimum expectations on departments for support and participation in the programme.

The report stated that in August, a pilot employability pathway was delivered with nine young people participating in a variety of activities, including the employability skills week, mock interviews, sector insight day and two weeks work experience in the council's Leisure service, and that in September, three young people participated in work experience in teams across the council - Housing Needs, Public Health, Electoral Services and the Mayor's Office, and a further three young people secured places on the Civil Service Internship Programme.

The report noted that in the 2025 Spending Review, central government stated that it is extending funding for eight youth guarantee trailblazers and nine inactivity trailblazers, and that for programme management and future planning purposes, officers are expecting a similar level of funding of £383k for 2026-27.

Corporate Parenting Committee Work Plan 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to agree the approach and work plan as set out in the report, and to review and identify any further items for consideration in the work plan.

The report recorded the corporate parenting committee's role and functions as follows:

• To secure real and sustained improvements in the life chances of looked after children, and to work within an annual programme to that end.
• To develop, monitor and review a corporate parenting strategy and work plan.
• To seek to ensure that the life chances of looked after children are maximised in terms of health, educational attainment, and access to training and employment, to aid the transition to a secure and productive adulthood.
• To develop and co-ordinate a life chances strategy and work plan to improve the life chances of Southwark looked after children.
• To recommend ways in which more integrated services can be developed across all council departments, schools and the voluntary sector to lead towards better outcomes for looked after children.
• To ensure that mechanisms are in place to enable looked after children and young people to play an integral role in service planning and design, and that their views are regularly sought and acted upon.
• To ensure performance monitoring systems are in place, and regularly review performance data to ensure sustained performance improvements in outcomes for looked after children.
• To receive an annual report on the adoption and fostering services to monitor their effectiveness in providing safe and secure care for looked after children.
• To report to the council's cabinet on an annual basis.
• To make recommendations to the relevant cabinet decision maker where responsibility for that particular function rests with the cabinet.
• To report to the scrutiny sub-committee with responsibility for children's services after each meeting.
• To appoint non-voting co-opted members.

The report stated that SpeakerBox ensures that the views of looked after children and care leavers are used to influence decision making that affects their care and support particularly service planning and design.