The Joint Health & Wellbeing Board meeting scheduled for Thursday, 26 February 2026, was set to cover a range of important topics concerning the health and well-being of children and adults across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. Key discussions were expected to focus on the council's strategy for children and young people, annual public health reports for both boroughs, and comprehensive annual reports on safeguarding children and adults.

Ambition 1: Children and Young People

The board was scheduled to review Ambition 1 of the Health and Wellbeing strategy, which focuses on ensuring children and young people are healthy, safe, happy, and can achieve their full potential. This discussion was informed by a report detailing the current local position across the Bi-borough, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement in the transition process from children's to adult services. The report noted that while transitions are generally well-established, a small cohort of children with complex needs, particularly Looked After Children and Care Leavers living outside the boroughs, sometimes experience less straightforward transitions. Actions being taken include developing a targeted transitions protocol for care leavers with complex mental health needs, identifying private providers for learning disability assessments for looked-after children living out of borough, and addressing differences in health and social care systems. Challenges in the children's social care market for complex learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and challenging behaviour were also to be discussed, with analysis underway to explore the business case for jointly commissioning local targeted supported accommodation.

Annual Public Health Report 2026

The meeting was set to consider the Annual Public Health Report 2026, titled In Children's Own Words. This report focuses on the health and well-being of school-aged children in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, with a particular emphasis on incorporating their voices. The report is based on findings from a school pupil health and wellbeing survey and a grants programme rolled out from 2024 to 2029. The report's recommendations include prioritising children's voices in decision-making, strengthening whole-system collaboration, and focusing on prevention and equity. Separate reports for Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster were produced to present the survey findings accessibly. The report also included an update on oral health, the focus of the previous year's public health report.

Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report

The board was scheduled to receive the annual report detailing the work of the multi-agency Local Safeguarding Children Partnership across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster for the period April 2024 to March 2025. The report outlines the Partnership's progress against key priorities, including supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis, ensuring children's safety in their communities and access to mental health support, fostering healthy peer and family relationships, and supporting safer transitions to adulthood. The report also details learning from multi-agency audits, local and national case reviews, and partnership work with schools, the voluntary sector, and asylum-seeking families. Updates were also to be provided by Children's Services, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Central North West London NHS Trust (School Nursing), and the Central West BCU (Basic Command Unit) Police.

Adult's Safeguarding Report

The meeting was also to consider the 2024/25 Annual Report of the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board (SAEB). This multi-agency board provides leadership for adult safeguarding across the Bi-Borough, aiming to ensure member agencies work together to protect residents at risk of harm or self-neglect. The report covers four key areas: Quality Assurance and Performance, Making Safeguarding Personal, Community Engagement, and Leading, Listening, and Learning. It includes data analysis on safeguarding referrals and outcomes, highlights the work of Safeguarding Ambassadors, details community engagement activities, and outlines Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) activity. The report also includes data insights into the diverse populations of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, with a focus on safeguarding adults, and details the work of the Quality Assurance subgroup, including reviews of domestic abuse and older people, the Mental Capacity Act, and fatal fire reviews.

Better Care Fund 26/27 Submission Update

A verbal update was scheduled regarding the Better Care Fund submission for 2026/27.

The meeting was also to include time for questions from the audience and to confirm the date of the next meeting, which is scheduled to be hosted by Westminster City Council on 21 May 2026.