The Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee was scheduled to discuss the annual reports of the Independent Reviewing Service and the Fostering Service, as well as a performance report on children's social care. Also on the agenda was a verbal update on care leavers' employment.

IRO Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to consider the Independent Reviewing Officer's Annual Report 2024-25, which was produced by the Independent Reviewing Service. The report was prepared to meet the statutory requirement to inform the Corporate Parenting Board and senior leaders about the council's performance regarding children in the care of the local authority.

The report noted that at the end of March 2025, Haringey had 320 children looked after. The report stated that there had been a continued decrease in the number of children entering care compared to previous years, along with an increase in the number of children who reached 18 years of age. The report also stated that the IRO Service had continued to provide high levels of support to children and young people, with high review timeliness.

The report highlighted the following key areas of focus for 2024-25:

• To place children and young people at the centre of everything
• To listen to and respond to children and young people
• To be ambitious for the council's children

The report also provided an update on the Ofsted Focused Visit that took place in February 2025, which looked at the effectiveness of permanence planning for children in care.

The report included data on children looked after reviews, looked after population, and Independent Reviewing Service performance. It also covered driving forward to achieving permanence, the dispute resolution process, and feedback. The report summarised IRO service priorities for 2025/26.

Fostering Service Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Fostering Service Annual Report 2024/25, which provided an overview of the work of the Haringey Fostering Service. The report highlighted service outcomes, quality of practice, and innovations, and set out plans to continue improving the service.

The report noted the following achievements of the Fostering Service in 2024/25:

• Delivered targeted marketing campaigns to promote fostering in Haringey via digital media and community events.
• Embedded the Secure Base Model into Foster Carer Annual Reviews.
• Continued regular Reflective Practice sessions to support peer learning and critical thinking.
• Improved timeliness of Foster Carer Annual Reviews with support from Independent Reviewing Officers.
• Approved 5 Task Centred Foster Carers and 9 applicants progressed to stage two of assessment.
• Approved 9 connected foster carers and 7 secured Special Guardianship Orders for permanence.
• Completed 36 Special Guardianship Assessments and 12 Orders were granted.
• Introduced Foster Carer letters to children before each CiC review, supporting life story work.
• Delivered Skills to Foster training with care-experienced young adults and included them as members of Haringey's Fostering Panel.
• Implemented a 4-year Marketing and Recruitment Strategy to increase diversity and reduce reliance on IFAs¹.
• Achieved/exceeded 90% target for timely Annual Reviews and maintained strong attendance at Foster Carer Support Groups.
• Launched a male Foster Carer Support Group and re-launched the Mockingbird Project[^3].
• Exceeded target of increasing placement capacity by 35 placements.

The report also provided information on the national fostering context, children in foster care in Haringey, and the provision of foster carers. It included data on the ethnicity of children looked after and foster carers, as well as the age range of foster carers.

The report detailed the work of the Special Guardianship and Post Order Support Team, the Recruitment Team, and the Assessment Team. It also highlighted the psychological and emotional support available to foster carers, as well as the training and development opportunities.

The report outlined the role of Independent Reviewing Officers and the Fostering Panel in Haringey's Fostering Service. It also discussed complaints and allegations, quality assurance, and plans for 2025/2026.

Children's Social Care Performance

The committee was scheduled to receive a report providing an analysis of performance data and trends for measures relating to Children Looked After, care leavers, and those who ceased to be looked after in the period.

The report noted the progress and the consistent, effective performance with regards to safeguarding children and young people in Haringey for 2024/25. It identified key developments, summarised performance activity levels, and detailed several future priorities for vulnerable children.

The report stated that Haringey's Children in Care have above average educational outcomes, with the KS4 Average Attainment 8 Score for 2024 above the England average. It also noted that children with Special Educational Needs have higher educational outcomes, with many measures featuring in the top quartile in England.

The report provided data on the number of Children Looked After, placement types, and placement stability. It also included information on Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and adoption.

The report highlighted that Haringey has a higher percentage of care leavers in suitable accommodation and those in employment, education, or training than both its statistical neighbours and the England rate.