The Corporate Parenting Committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday 17 April 2025 to discuss a work plan for the coming year, receive a verbal update from Speakerbox, and hold a workshop on care leavers entering employment.

Corporate Parenting Committee Work Plan 2025-26

The Corporate Parenting Committee was scheduled to discuss and agree on its approach and work plan for the upcoming year. The report pack included the committee's roles and functions as defined in the council's constitution, which include:

• Securing improvements in the life chances of looked after children.
• Developing and monitoring a corporate parenting strategy and work plan.
• Maximising life chances in terms of health, education, training, and employment.
• Developing integrated services across council departments, schools, and the voluntary sector.
• Ensuring looked after children and young people play a role in service planning and design.
• Monitoring performance data to ensure improvements in outcomes.
• Receiving annual reports on adoption and fostering services.
• Reporting to the council's cabinet and scrutiny sub-committee.
• Appointing non-voting co-opted members.

The report pack noted that there is national momentum towards improving outcomes for care leavers, referencing the government's 'Keep on Caring' strategy from 2016, increased council statutory duties outlined in the Children and Social Work Act 2017¹, the appointment of a national Adviser for Care Leavers, and the national launch of the Care Covenant.

The council has responded to the various recommendations, for example by prioritising education, employment and training outcomes for care leavers in the Council Plan and developing the care leaver local offer as well as increasing service capacity for the extended personal adviser duties to 25.

The report pack also mentioned the Care Leavers Partnership (CLP), a collaboration between the council and Catch22, which received funding from the Department for Education (DfE) Social Care Innovation Programme to improve outcomes for young people in Southwark.

The following dates were proposed for future Corporate Parenting Committee meetings:

• 16 July 2025: Speakerbox verbal update, exclusions report, and discussion on care leaver employment.
• 22 October 2025: Speakerbox verbal update, annual health report for looked after children, and foster annual report.
• 25 February 2026: Speakerbox verbal update/annual report, annual independent reviewing officer report, adoption annual report, and annual virtual head teacher’s report.
• 22 April 2026: Speakerbox verbal update.

Care Leavers into Employment

The committee was scheduled to hold a workshop and discussion on the topic of care leavers entering employment.

Speakerbox Verbal Update

Speakerbox, a group established in 2005, was scheduled to provide a verbal update. Speakerbox aims to ensure that the views of looked after children and care leavers influence decision-making, service planning, and design. The group represents children and young people between the ages of 8 and 24 and provides a peer-to-peer networking support system.