The Corporate Parenting Committee of Southwark Council met on Wednesday 22 April 2026 to discuss key issues affecting children in care and care leavers. The committee noted updates on the Virtual School's work regarding suspensions and exclusions, developments in the Kinship Local Offer, and the ongoing development of the Corporate Parenting Strategy for 2026-2030. The committee also agreed its work plan for the upcoming year.

Virtual School Suspension, Exclusion and Persistent Absence of Girls Report

The committee received an update on the Virtual School's work concerning suspensions, exclusions, and persistent absence among girls. The report highlighted a downward trend in suspension rates for Southwark Children Looked After (CLA), with a significant reduction from 16% in 2023-2024 to 9% in the current academic year. Crucially, there were no permanent exclusions recorded for CLA in 2024-2025, and this figure remained at zero for the current year to date, a positive outcome compared to national averages.

While boys continue to be more likely to be suspended, the gender gap has narrowed, reflecting a rise in suspensions among girls in previous years, though this trend appears to be reversing. The report also noted a persistent over-representation of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) among those suspended, with between 42% and 53% of suspended CLA having identified SEN across the past five years. Disproportionality was also evident in ethnicity breakdowns, with Black and Mixed-heritage CLA over-represented in suspensions.

The committee discussed the reasons for persistent absenteeism, noting a fall in Southwark from 33% to 23% year-on-year. While girls' persistent absence has also fallen, it still represents a disproportionately high share. The report attributed this to earlier identification of Emotionally Based Non-School Attendance (EBSNA) during Personal Education Plan (PEP) reviews, strengthened trauma-informed interventions, and quicker multi-agency responses. The Virtual School outlined its response, which includes trauma-informed attendance strategies tailored for girls, gender-sensitive EBSNA identification, multi-agency collaboration, and staff training. The committee resolved to note the report and agreed that ethnicity data in future reports should include the category for Latino. They also agreed that Speakerbox would work with the Virtual School to incorporate the experiences and voices of young people in work on suspensions, exclusions, and absences.

Kinship Local Offer Developments and Implementation Plan

An overview of the Kinship Local Offer for Southwark was presented, highlighting that the borough was one of the first to have a published and enhanced offer. The report detailed ongoing developments and the implementation plan, focusing on creating a transparent, accessible, and co-produced framework of needs-led support for all kinship carers, regardless of legal status. This offer involves multi-disciplinary teams, including safeguarding, housing, education, and health.

Key areas of development include therapeutic support, training and support groups, financial entitlements, educational support, family group conferencing, legal advice, and engagement with the Children in Care Council (Speakerbox). The plan includes enhanced communication strategies, such as a new Kinship Local Offer flyer, a Kinship Life e-newsletter, and a WhatsApp channel for kinship carers. The committee resolved to note the contents of the report and agreed to the overarching developments and implementation plan.

Corporate Parenting Strategy 2026-2030 - Update

The committee received an update on the development of the new Corporate Parenting Strategy for 2026-2030. Building on the existing vision and priorities, the new strategy is being developed in full collaboration with care-experienced children and young people to ensure their voices are central. The development process has included the delivery of the Bright Spots Survey, with analysis of the findings directly informing the strategy.

The eight pillars developed by Speakerbox, which set out priorities for care-experienced children and young people, will also be integral to the new strategy. These pillars cover areas such as education and employment, non-discrimination, safety and support services, freedom of expression, standards and treatment in care, the voice of the child, knowledge of rights, and health services. A delivery timeline was presented, with a draft strategy expected to be submitted to the Corporate Parenting Committee by 1 July 2026. The committee resolved to note the report and the timeline for the delivery of the new strategy.

Corporate Parenting Committee Workplan 2026-27

The committee reviewed and agreed its work plan for the municipal year 2026-27. The work plan outlines key items for discussion at future meetings, including updates from Speakerbox, annual reports on health, fostering, adoption, and the Virtual School, as well as reports on the Southwark Homes for Southwark Children programme and commissioning of higher-cost placements. A significant focus for the upcoming year will be the development of the new Corporate Parenting Strategy 2026-30. The committee resolved to agree the work plan and identify any further items for consideration.

Verbal Update on the Kent Meningitis Outbreak

Dr Stacy John-Legere provided a brief update on the recent Kent meningitis outbreak. She confirmed that all vaccination records had been checked and that those who had outstanding immunisations had been contacted.