The Durham Family Panel is scheduled to meet on Friday 28 November 2025 to discuss Ofsted updates, updates from the Children in Care Council, annual performance reports, and a performance report for the second quarter of 2025-26. The panel will also discuss regulation 44 visits to Durham County Council (DCC) Residential Homes in a session that will not be open to the public.

Annual Performance Reports

The Durham Family Panel is scheduled to review several annual performance reports:

Independent Reviewing Officer Service

The panel is scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the Annual Report of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) Service. Independent Reviewing Officers are responsible for monitoring the care plans of children in care to ensure that their needs are being met and that their care plans are up to date¹.

The report, Item 8 - IRO - Report, includes information about the IRO service, including:

• Caseload data
• The quality of care plans
• The participation of children and young people in their reviews
• The effectiveness of the IRO service in improving outcomes for children in care

Supporting Solutions

The panel is scheduled to discuss two annual performance reports from Supporting Solutions:

ERASE: Exploitation and Missing

The panel is scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the Annual Performance Report Supporting Solutions ERASE: Exploitation and Missing. ERASE aims to help children and young people at risk of, or who are experiencing, exploitation and/or missing episodes.

The report, Item 9 - ERASE - Report, includes information on:

• Referrals to the service
• The types of exploitation experienced by children and young people
• The outcomes for children and young people who have received support from ERASE

Keeping Families Together

The panel is scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the Annual Performance Report Supporting Solutions, Keeping Families Together. The Keeping Families Together programme works with families who are at risk of having their children taken into care.

The report, Item 10 - SS KFT - Report, includes information on:

• The number of families supported by the programme
• The types of support provided
• The outcomes for families who have received support from Keeping Families Together

Independent Visitor Service

The panel is scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the Independent Visitor Service Annual Update. Independent visitors are volunteers who befriend and support children in care, providing them with an independent adult relationship².

The report, Item 11 - Ind Visitor - Report, includes information on:

• The number of children supported by the service
• The activities undertaken by independent visitors
• The impact of the service on children's lives

Performance Report (Quarter 2, 2025-26)

The panel is scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the Performance Report for Quarter 2 of 2025-26, Item 12 - Performance Q2 - Report. This report provides an overview of the performance of children's services in County Durham against a range of key indicators.

Update from the Children in Care Council (CiCC)

The panel is scheduled to receive an update from young people of the Children in Care Council (CiCC). The CiCC is a group of young people who are in care or who have experience of being in care, who work to improve the lives of other children in care. The update will include a presentation from young people of the CiCC, Item 7a - CiCC - Presentation, and the CiCC Newsletter, Item 7b - CICC - Newsletter.

Ofsted Updates and Proud Moments

The Practice Lead, Children and Young People's Services, is scheduled to provide a verbal update on Ofsted. Ofsted³ is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. Strategic Managers are also scheduled to provide verbal updates on 'Proud Moments'.

Regulation 44 Visits: DCC Residential Homes

The panel is scheduled to receive a presentation from a Strategic Manager on Regulation 44 Visits to DCC Residential Homes. Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 requires that all children's homes are visited at least once a month by an independent person who is not involved in the day-to-day management of the home⁴. The meetings to discuss this topic will not be open to the public.