The Corporate Parenting Committee is scheduled to discuss the outcomes of a recent Ofsted focused visit, the implementation of a strategy to ensure sufficient placements for children in care and care leavers, and an update on the progress of opening the council's own residential children's home.

Ofsted Focused Visit Report

The committee is set to receive an update on the findings of a recent Ofsted Inspection of Local Authority Children's Services (ILACS) Focused Visit, which took place in November 2025. The report details that since the last inspection in 2023, children in care continue to benefit from effective services led by an experienced senior team, with strong political and corporate support. The inspection noted progress in strengthening workforce stability and retention, which has been particularly important for children in care. Children reportedly enjoy stable and supportive relationships with their social workers, who know them well and see them regularly, and they express happiness with the care and support they receive.

However, the visit identified two areas for improvement: The consistency and rigour of responses to children who go missing from care and Life-story work for children in long-term care. An action plan has been developed to address these areas, which includes reviewing the local Missing Protocol, updating practitioner training, and improving recording systems. For life-story work, plans involve identifying leads within social work teams, further training, and a continued focus on the quality of case summaries. The report also highlights that while direct work with children is evident and engaging, social workers are not consistently capturing children's life stories. Inspectors also noted that when children in care go missing, the response is inconsistent, and return home interviews are not always completed, leading to gaps in risk assessment.

Brent Looked After Children and Care Leavers Placement Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2029

The committee will review the implementation of the Brent Looked After Children and Care Leavers Placement Sufficiency Strategy 2025-2029. This strategy outlines how Brent Council will meet the current and future placement needs of children looked after and care-experienced young people. It builds on existing legal duties to promote and safeguard the welfare and well-being of children and ensure high-quality care planning. The strategy acknowledges national challenges, including an increasing number of children entering care and a shortfall in foster carers, which locally has led to difficulties in finding suitable placements for children with complex needs, older children, and sibling groups. This can result in placement instability and disruption.

A key focus of the strategy is to increase the local sufficiency of placements by increasing the number of in-house foster carers and the availability of residential placements. The strategy aligns with other Brent council plans, including the Borough Plan, the Looked After Children and Care Leavers' Strategy, and the Brent Youth Strategy. The report highlights that as of March 2024, 65% of Brent's looked after children were placed out of borough, impacting their access to local services and community ties. The strategy aims to address this by increasing local placement options, particularly fostering. The report also details progress made under the previous 2020-2024 strategy, including an increase in children placed in foster care and efforts to reduce placement moves. Challenges identified include an increased reliance on residential and supported accommodation provisions and a decline in the number of internal foster households.

Progress Report - Brent Residential Children's Home

An update is scheduled on the progress of work to open the local authority's own Residential Children's Home. The project aims to deliver a four-bed residential step-down home for looked-after adolescents aged 12-16 with social, emotional, and behavioural needs. The home will provide three bedrooms for young people transitioning from residential settings away from the borough to local fostering placements, supported accommodation, or returning home. A further bedroom is allocated for emergency placements.

The report details that refurbishment work on the property has been completed, and Building Control has issued a completion certificate. However, the project experienced delays due to an incident where a car crashed into the front wall of the property, requiring structural repairs and insurance claims. Recruitment for key roles, including a Registered Manager and Deputy Manager, has also faced challenges, with a new Registered Manager now in post and a Deputy Manager due to onboard soon. The recruitment of Senior Residential Support Workers and Residential Support Workers is also progressing. The home is anticipated to be operational following an Ofsted inspection and interviews planned for April 2026. Care-experienced young people have been consulted throughout the development, providing feedback on the design and operation of the home, with their input integrated into the planning process. The estimated annual running cost for the home is £1.027 million.