The Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council met on Tuesday 14 April 2026 to discuss the increasing demand on children's social care services, the sufficiency of accommodation for children in care and care leavers, and the ongoing reforms to children's social care.

Demand on Children's Social Care

The committee was scheduled to receive information regarding the demand for children's social care services in Durham as of February 2026. A report indicated that overall demand remained high and persistent across various services, including the front door ¹ for initial contact, statutory interventions, and care placements. Safeguarding contacts were noted as being above pre-2024 levels, with early help contacts continuing to rise. Referral rates into statutory services were higher than national, regional, and statistical neighbour benchmarks. The report highlighted that children aged 10-15 constituted the largest demographic group referred to children's social care. Data presented showed an increase in children in need, child protection plans, and children in care between February 2024 and February 2026. The report recommended that the committee note the local authority's context and demands on children's social care.

Sufficiency Statement for Children in Care and Care Leavers 2025-2029 and Transformation of Children's Homes Update

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the Sufficiency Statement for Children in Care and Care Leavers 2025-2029 and an update on the transformation of children's homes. The Sufficiency Statement, approved in October 2025, outlines Durham's strategic approach to ensuring sufficient accommodation for children in care and care leavers, fulfilling the council's statutory sufficiency duty². The report detailed the policy context, a summary of needs, increasing budget pressures, and work programmes aligned with the Durham Cares Board's vision. National reviews, including those by Josh MacAlister and the Competitions and Markets Authority, were referenced, highlighting the expansion of the for-profit sector and the Department of Education's reform principles.

The report indicated a 33% rise in the children in care rate over the past five years, with a higher rate of children entering care compared to national and regional averages. It also noted a growing number of children in care with special educational needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and an increase in the use of independent children's homes, with a significant proportion of young people living outside County Durham. The council's expenditure on children in care had risen substantially, with forecasts indicating further increases if mitigating actions were not taken.

The report outlined four key work programme areas to address these challenges:

• Programme 1: Support for children and young people to live outside of care: This programme focuses on investing in preventative services to keep children with their families and reduce the number entering care.
• Programme 2: Family-based homes: This aims to grow the in-house fostering offer and provide more support to foster carers.
• Programme 3: Sufficiency for children's homes: This involves developing new specialist in-house children's homes to meet a range of needs locally.
• Programme 4: Market management opportunities and broader work with the region: This focuses on reviewing the cost of care and collaborating with regional partners.

Progress updates were provided for each programme, detailing initiatives such as the Keeping Families Together home, recruitment of specialist support workers, development of new children's homes, and efforts to recruit and retain foster carers. The report recommended that the committee consider and note its contents.

Children's Social Care Reforms

The committee was also scheduled to receive an overview of the national Children's Social Care Reform programme and the local authority's response through the Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme. The FFP Programme, launched in March 2025, aims to reshape services to deliver earlier, more effective support, strengthen safeguarding, and improve outcomes for children and families. This national reform agenda requires local authorities to demonstrate how they are creating a more integrated, family-focused system that prioritises early help and strengthens family networks.

Key elements of the local FFP Programme include a reformed front door ¹, the development of a single integrated Family Help offer, improved multi-agency child protection arrangements, and a greater focus on family networks and decision-making. The report highlighted that the design of these services has been informed by engagement with children, young people, families, and the workforce. Governance arrangements are in place through the FFP Board and associated workstreams. The report recommended that the committee note the national context and requirements for Children's Social Care Reform, and the local authority's approach through the Families First Partnership Programme.