The Corporate Parenting Board of Croydon Council was scheduled to discuss updates on the health and adult transitions for care-experienced young people, as well as a performance report. The meeting's agenda also included a review of the Board's terms of reference and an update from the Children's Participation Team and Children in Care Council.

Terms of Reference

The Board was scheduled to review its current Terms of Reference. These terms outline the Board's purpose and objectives, which include supporting and making recommendations to various council departments and partnerships on matters related to corporate parenting. The Board aims to ensure a Whole Council and partnership approach to driving excellent standards for looked-after children and care-experienced young people, promoting stable relationships and homes, and focusing on improved outcomes in areas such as well-being, educational success, and positive pathways into adulthood. The terms also detail the Board's membership, which includes elected councillors, care-experienced young people, carer representatives, parent/grandparent representatives, and directors from various council departments, as well as an NHS Commissioner. The Board is an advisory body and does not have decision-making powers.

Update from Children's Participation Team & Children in Care Council

An update was scheduled to be received from the Children's Participation Team and the Children in Care Council. This would include verbal updates on recent and upcoming projects. Previously, the team has partnered with other services to introduce programmes like the Become Young Trainers programme, which offers young people training and a Level 3 qualification. There was also a mention of a group of young people applying for the Amplified Voices Grant through Coram Voice to support youth-led initiatives, with a project titled Zalpha Society focusing on amplifying young people's voices in how services are marketed. Recent participation activities highlighted included young people attending service meetings, the launch of Precious House, and participation in a national conference on homelessness.

Thematic Focus - Health and Adults Transitions

The Board was set to receive updates on successes and challenges related to health and adult transitions for care-experienced young people. This included a report on Health Developments in the Adults and Health Transitions Strategy.

Health Developments in the Adults and Health Transitions Strategy

This report was intended to provide an update on efforts to improve health outcomes for care-experienced young people in Croydon, focusing on an extended health offer up to age 25. Croydon had been allocated £18,000 by the South West London Integrated Care Board (SWL ICB) for 2025/26 to support this extended offer, though this funding had not yet been utilised. The financial support for non-cosmetic dental treatment was to be increased from £100 to £500 per young person for 2026/27. The wider offer includes support for free prescriptions and up to £100 for eye care costs. Nationally, the government had confirmed plans for a future national scheme for care leavers in 2026/27.

Progress had also been made in strengthening the health transition process through the Health4Life document, which replaced previous health summaries. Compliance with issuing these summaries had improved to 81.5%, with the documents shared with GPs, Personal Advisers, and young people. Young people were also being supported to use the NHS App to manage their health records and appointments.

Despite these improvements, significant pressures were noted within statutory Children Looked After (CLA) health services, largely due to the number of children placed in Croydon by other local authorities. The ICB had invested £188,000 for 2026-27 in additional nursing, administration, and mental health resources to address this.

The SWL ICB had also piloted a targeted recruitment programme to support care-experienced young people into NHS employment, funded through the Mayor's Skills Academy Programme. Four vacancies were ringfenced, and a simpler, more supportive recruitment process was used. The programme received 63 applications, resulting in four appointments, with three progressing into sustained employment or higher education.

Looking ahead, the role of the ICB was changing nationally to become a strategic commissioner with a stronger focus on reducing health inequalities and improving population outcomes.

Performance Report

A performance report for March 2026 was scheduled to be presented. This report would cover key performance indicators for children in care and care-experienced young people.

Children in Care & Care Experienced Young People - March 2026

The performance data for March 2026 indicated that there were 555 children in care. A key performance indicator showed that 71% of children looked after had their annual health assessment, compared to the England average of 90% for 2024/25. For care-experienced young people, the report detailed various metrics, including the number of young people in employment, education, or training (EET), and those not in employment, education, or training (NEET). For those aged 19-21, 64% were in EET, and 33% were NEET. The report also highlighted the percentage of young people in suitable accommodation, with 66% of 17 and 18-year-olds and 92% of 19 to 21-year-olds in such accommodation.

The performance report also detailed trends for various indicators, including the number of children in care, the rate of children in care per 10,000 population, and the percentage of children with up-to-date pathway plans. Several indicators were flagged as Red, including the percentage of children in care with up-to-date pathway plans (49% in March 2026, down from 80% in March 2025) and the percentage of children looked after who had their annual health assessment (71% in March 2026, down from 76% in March 2025). Other Red indicators included the percentage of initial health assessments requested and delivered within statutory timescales, and the percentage of children in care with up-to-date dental assessments.

The report also included data on fostering, with 97% of DBS checks within time and 95% of annual foster carer reviews completed on time. Adoption data showed an average time of 469 days between a child entering care and moving in with an adoptive family.

For care-experienced young people, the report indicated that 60% of 19 to 21-year-olds were in EET, and 33% were NEET. The percentage of 17 and 18-year-olds in suitable accommodation was 66%, while for those aged 19 to 21, it was 92%.

The report also noted that the number of Children in Care (CLA) was 555 at the end of March 2026, with 457 being local CLA and 98 being Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). The number of care-experienced young people on the Croydon Care Register (CRS) was 674.