The Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss key reports on the experiences of children and young people within Camden's services. Topics included the findings of the Young Inspectors' report on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, the annual Corporate Parenting report, and an update on the implementation of Children's Social Care National Reforms. The committee was also set to review its work programme and action tracker.

Young Inspectors Report 2025 and Progress Update on Recommendations from the Young Inspectors Report 2024

The committee was scheduled to consider the findings and recommendations from the Young Inspectors' 2025 report, titled 'Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans; Capturing the Voice of the Child or Young Person'. This report focused on how children and young people experience EHC planning and reviews in Camden, aiming to understand if their voices are heard and acted upon, identify barriers to participation, and develop recommendations for improving how EHC plans reflect their views and needs. The report also looked at the role of families in the EHC process and how professionals work with children and families. Additionally, Appendix 1 of the report was to provide an update on the progress made in response to recommendations from the Young Inspectors' 2024 report, demonstrating how previous feedback has informed ongoing improvements.

Corporate Parenting Annual Report 2024-25

This report was scheduled to provide an overview of the achievements, progress, and challenges in meeting the needs of Camden's children in care and care-experienced young people. It was to cover the period from December 2024 to November 2025 and outline the priorities for 2026. The report details Camden's commitment to acting as a corporate parent, with a refreshed strategy focusing on five priorities: sense of belonging and relationships, rights and aspirations, wellbeing, interests and life goals, and home. It also highlights specific attention given to priority cohorts such as unaccompanied children, young people needing safe transitions, those at risk of exploitation, and young parents.

Children's Social Care National Reform: Progress Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the progress of implementing the Children's Social Care National Reforms in Camden. Following initial discovery work, the focus was on Phase One: Design, Test and Learn, which involves prototyping key changes at a small scale and refining them through iterative learning before wider implementation. This included the establishment of a Family Help prototype team in the East of the borough, testing new ways of working such as locality-based multidisciplinary teams, shorter single assessments, stronger professional networks, and family-led decision-making. The report was also to cover the introduction of Lead Child Protection Practitioner roles and partner engagement efforts.

Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee's Work Programme and Action Tracker 2025/26

This item was to present an outline of the committee's work programme for 2025-26, as detailed in Appendix 1, and provide an update on actions requested at previous meetings, as outlined in Appendix 2. The work programme is designed to reflect the council's corporate priorities, portfolio holder priorities, and those of health and education partners, as well as areas previously identified by the committee. The action tracker details queries from members that require follow-up actions.