Mr Alex Tear

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee Co-Optee

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee - Thursday, 4 December 2025 2.00 pm

The Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee of Surrey Council are scheduled to discuss the draft budget for 2026/27, updates to short breaks[^2] and performance and inspection reports at their meeting. They will also be reviewing the council's responses to previous reviews of early help[^3] and preparing for adulthood.

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee Co-Optee

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee - Thursday, 16 October 2025 10.00 am

The Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee met to discuss early help, corporate parenting, children's homes, and preparing for adulthood. The committee made several recommendations, including a call for a joint data and document management strategy for children's and adult social care, and expressed concern that there was no timeline for a final decision on whether a dedicated 16 to 18 service would be established. The committee also heard updates on Ofsted inspections of children's homes, and discussed performance data related to children's services.

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee Co-Optee

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee - Wednesday, 16 July 2025 10.00 am

The Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee met to discuss several key issues, including progress in additional needs and disabilities support, the service's response to a recent Ofsted inspection, and performance overview reports. Councillors agreed to endorse recommendations to Cabinet regarding additional funding and staffing for SEND services, and also scrutinised Ofsted reports on council-run children's homes.

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee - Thursday, 13 March 2025 10.00 am

The Surrey County Council Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee met to consider the Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS), its Adolescent Service, and Ofsted reports for two children's homes. It agreed to undertake a scrutiny in a day session in June or July to review the benefits of a preventative approach to children's services. The Committee also reviewed progress on recommendations made at previous meetings and noted the Cabinet's response to recommendations relating to the budget and alternative provision.

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee

Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee - Tuesday, 3 December 2024 10.00 am

The committee discussed Surrey County Council’s response to their recommendations from previous meetings regarding children not in school, and its draft budget for 2025-26. The committee agreed a recommendation that frontline roles should be protected from planned staffing cuts. They also agreed to defer a decision on the Voluntary Sector budget until more information was available. The committee heard evidence about the Council's ambitious programme of library modernisation. Finally, they considered an update on alternative provision, and agreed to revise two of their four draft recommendations on the topic.