The Corporate Parenting Board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, to discuss the health assessments of children in care, the ANCHOR service, and feedback on the NEET Task and Finish Group. The meeting will also review the board's work plan.

Health Assessments

The board is set to receive an update on the work of the Specialist Nursing Team for Children in Care, community paediatricians, and other health professionals in supporting the health of children in care. The report will highlight achievements and challenges faced by the team, including workforce capacity and increased workloads. It will detail the statutory duties for health assessments, including Initial Health Assessments (IHAs) and Review Health Assessments (RHAs), and the processes for their completion. The report is expected to provide figures on IHA completion rates and discuss improvements made, as well as outline an improvement plan for the next 3-6 months, focusing on a caseload model for nurses to enhance continuity and consistency for children and young people. Feedback from out-of-area teams, health visitors, and social workers regarding the quality of Worcestershire's health assessments and the support provided by specialist nurses is also scheduled to be shared. Additionally, the report will touch upon government plans for free prescriptions, dental, and eye care for care leavers up to the age of 25, and the aims of the NHS 10-year plan in supporting children in care. The ANCHOR service, which provides specialist support and intervention for the emotional health and wellbeing of looked-after children, will also be discussed in relation to its role within the broader health landscape.

ANCHOR Service

The ANCHOR service, which supports the emotional health and wellbeing of looked-after children in Worcestershire, is scheduled for discussion. The service aims to ensure children in care feel healthy, happy, and safe by meeting their health needs, enhancing attachment relationships, and providing therapeutic support. The report will detail the access criteria for the service, which includes children looked after by Worcestershire County Council aged 0-18, living in Worcestershire, and presenting with an attachment or trauma need. The composition of the ANCHOR team, which includes professionals from both Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust, will be outlined. The report will describe the service's approach, which involves supporting social workers and carers, offering therapies to children and their carers, and running the Green Fingers Project, an outdoor education, health, and wellbeing initiative. The report is expected to include referral data from April 2024 to March 2025, outcomes from Thinking Spaces sessions for social workers, and an audit of children closed to the service to assess placement stability. Feedback from carers and young people who have engaged with the ANCHOR service is also anticipated.

Feedback on NEET Task and Finish Group

A verbal update is scheduled to be provided regarding the NEET Task and Finish Group. NEET stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training, and this group likely focuses on strategies to support young people who are not engaged in these activities.

Work Plan

The board will review its future work programme. This section of the meeting is intended to allow members to note the existing plan and consider whether any additional items should be incorporated. Future agenda items mentioned include the CPB Annual Report, an inspection of local authority children's services, feedback on Time-out cards, the Annual IRO Report, and the Care Leavers Annual Report.