The Corporate Parenting Panel of Warwickshire Council met on 17 November 2025 to discuss updates from the Chair and Directors, updates from the Voice, Influence & Change Team, performance data, the Virtual School Head Report, the Fostering Annual Report, the Kinship Offer, and the development of the Work Programme and Items on the Forward Plan. Verbal updates were scheduled to be presented in relation to each of Warwickshire's Children's Homes.

Warwickshire Children's Homes

The panel was scheduled to receive verbal updates on each of Warwickshire's Children's Homes. At a previous meeting on 29 September 2025, Rachael Boswell, Head of Homes for Children, gave an update to the panel in relation to Warwickshire Children's homes which included information which would normally have been included in standing item 3 of the agenda. Rachael Boswell noted that prior to 2020 the need for residential homes were met by external providers, but that the council is now working to ensure that there are enough council owned homes to meet the needs of children who require residential care.

It was noted that demand has increased; in 2020, 8.7% of Warwickshire children in care were in residential placements, but by March 2024 the figure had risen to 21%. The current needs profile confirms that the current homes in Warwickshire, including those operated by private providers, do not meet the current, or projected needs of children in care.

It was noted that the cost of a residential placement in a Warwickshire owned home has risen from £5,000 per week per child, to £7,000 per week per child, but that these costs are significantly lower than external residential care. In addition, the control and influence of the quality of care provided in Warwickshire owned homes is smoother than with private providers.

It was confirmed that in order for the council to break even in relation to costs, the Warwickshire owned homes need at least 75% occupancy; the current figure is 64%. The challenge with reaching capacity is often as a result of being able to match needs, especially in matching the needs of children in multi occupancy homes; this includes matching age versus needs. There is a need to develop existing services as well as introducing new ones. There is also a need to be able to provide short-term provision placements (providing an emergency home for a period of stabilisation) and the new planned property would do this. The team is currently seeking further capital investment for two smaller homes (for children aged 14 years or over) to reduce matching challenges.

The panel endorsed a proposal to deliver 'same day, short stay' home/s for up to 4 children (8-18yr) under current ICH earmarked Capital Investment, and a proposal for a pilot mental health home through development of an existing 1 bed home (Beechwood) into a short-term home for children with mental health needs in conjunction with West Midlands CAMHS Provider Collaborative.¹ The panel also endorsed the proposed plan for Children's home development as a key priority for the Council 2027 – 30 to include:

• small (1-2 bed) children home/s which provides a service for children with mental health support needs
• small (1-2 bed) children's home/s for children with complex needs, including those subject to DoL².
• 2 x smaller (up to 3 bed) home to support older children (14yr+) with social, emotional and mental health needs.

The panel also endorsed a proposal for a Capital investment bid, subject to Corporate Board and the Executive Director Resources, with agreement from the Executive Director for Children and Young People (DCS) sign off and agreed funding levels from key stakeholders and partners.

Fostering Annual Report

The panel was scheduled to discuss the Fostering Annual Report.

Kinship Offer

The panel was scheduled to discuss the Kinship Offer.

Virtual School Head Report

The panel was scheduled to discuss the Virtual School Head Report.

Voice, Influence & Change Team

The panel was scheduled to receive updates from the Voice, Influence & Change Team. At the previous meeting on 29 September 2025, Debs McGarvey, Team Manager - Voice, Influence & Change Team and Laura Forrest, Service Manager - Voice, Influence & Change Team updated the panel on recent activities undertaken with the Children in Care Council (CiCC), Care Leavers Forum (CLF) and the Voice, Influence and Change Team (Participation); highlighting that a number of young people have been involved in helping to deliver training to new members of staff as well as being part of the interview process with representatives sitting on the interview panel for the Deputy Chief Constable, Head of Service for Early Support and Children with Disabilities and the Family Liaison Officer for George Eliot Hospital.

In relation to the Young Inspectors Programme, it was confirmed that this is going from strength to strength. On the 24th March, young people completed inspections of care homes. The children and young people developed the questions for the providers and the young people to ask on the visits and gathered the information together. The West Midlands Quality Assurance Group invited them to speak about the importance of having young people involved in inspections, and as a result, other local authorities have also been in touch to invite the young inspectors to talk to them.

Laura Forrest gave an update on the work around Brothers and Sisters, confirming that 2025 is the third year of the project. This year saw a successful Brother and Sister Day, allowing siblings who may not be living together, to spend time together. Everyone went to the beach which although was a soggy day, was very much enjoyed.

There was also a Brother and Sister residential trip which included outdoor activities as well as normal daily activities such as sibling squabbles. The Panel was happy to note that new friendships were made which is something that officers are hoping will continue to develop, especially for siblings who may live together, but perhaps apart from another sibling.

In July 2025, five young people travelled to Westminster to meet Jeremy Wright, MP for Kenilworth and Southam. Representatives from the CiC Council and the Youth Parliament were able to watch PMQ and a live debate on the new Children's Wellbeing Bill.

Performance Data

Sharon Shaw, Head of Corporate Parenting presented a report to the Panel. The highlights from the report are as follows:

• The total number of Children in Care was reported as 765, and it was noted that there has been an increase each month since March 2025.
• In relation to the legal status of children in care, it was confirmed that 4.1% have placement orders, which is what a Court provides to allow the Council to continue to adoption, and 31.8% are subject to a Section 20 agreement where parents have agreed that the child/ren go into care for a temporary period.
• It was noted by the Panel that 21.15 of children in care have been placed outside Warwickshire, but that this can mean that they have been placed with a connected person such as grandparents/aunts, and it doesn't automatically mean that they have been placed in a residential home.
• In relation to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, (UASC), it was confirmed that they account for 14.1% of the total number of children in care, and that the majority of UASC are males.
• The Panel noted that 88.8% of children in care have completed a health assessment within the last twelve months, but that one issue is if a child is living outside Warwickshire as some authorities are refusing to complete assessments for children who aren't from their area, in part due to their own backlogs.
• It was confirmed that in relation to long term stability of placements, Warwickshire is slightly ahead of the national average, but that there is some work to be done in relation to improving short term stability and this is mainly as a result of needing to find emergency placements.
• In relation to Missing Episodes, it was confirmed to the Panel that 'missing' is a very broad description; a child could be missing from placement for an hour, or three days. It was noted that for the most part, the team know where a child is, it is that they are not where they should be. Once a child has returned, regular reviews take place to understand the situation, and there is also careful management of any situation where there may be a risk of exploitation.

It was confirmed that short term placement moves could be as straight forward as going from home to hospital and then into care/foster placement, and that this would be recorded as three placement moves in potentially a short period of time.

It was confirmed that in relation to the difficulty in finding placements it is because there are fewer people becoming foster carers. It was confirmed that there is more support in place for people wishing to become foster carers than ever before but that some barriers are financial, some are just life events. The need of some of the children can also be an issue in finding a placement. Warwickshire has a high number of older children who are traditionally harder to place. John Coleman, Director of Children and Families added that this is a national issue, and that Warwickshire offer £17,000 to foster carers, while some private companies offer up to £27,000. The Panel noted that the pay and benefits are not normally the main reason people choose to become a foster carer, but that people are more aware of mental health and exploitation issues.

John Coleman confirmed that the service has an £8 million overspend and that the majority of that is due to the cost of placements. The average cost has increased by 7% for residential placements rather than foster placements. In addition, it was confirmed that there has been a rise in unborn child protection plans due to a significant increase in parental drug misuse and parents who have had previous children placed in care who have not made required changes.

It was confirmed that the numbers of UASC coming into Warwickshire has remained stable. The National Transfer Scheme states that Warwickshire's care population must include 0.1% of UASC and that is a legal responsibility. 0.1% of the care population relates to between 110 and 125 UASC and currently the figure is 108. The average age of UASC is between 15 and 17 years old and all placements are paid for by the Government. Through the care leavers programme, Warwickshire will offer continued support once a child turns 18 but all duties end once they turn 25.

Development of the Work Programme and Items on the Forward Plan

The panel was scheduled to discuss the Work Programme and items from the Forward Plan relevant to the remit of the Panel.