The Joint Health & Wellbeing Board meeting scheduled for Thursday, 26 February 2026, was set to cover a range of important topics concerning the health and well-being of residents in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. Key discussions were planned around the health and development of children and young people, including annual reports on public health and safeguarding, as well as updates on the Better Care Fund. The board was also scheduled to review the safeguarding of adults, with annual reports from the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board and the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Ambition 1: Children and Young People's Health and Wellbeing

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the health and well-being of children and young people, aligning with Ambition 1 of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Our children and young people are healthy, safe and happy and can achieve their full potential.

Annual Public Health Report 2026: In Children's Own Words

The meeting was scheduled to review the Annual Public Health Report 2026, which focuses on the health and well-being of school-aged children in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. This report aims to capture children's lived experiences and priorities through a school pupil health and wellbeing survey. The report's recommendations include prioritising children's voices in decision-making, strengthening whole-system collaboration, and focusing on prevention and equity. The report was presented in two separate volumes, one for each borough, to ensure accessibility.

Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2024-2025

The board was to be appraised of the work undertaken by the multi-agency Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) for Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster during 2024-2025. The report details progress against key priorities, including supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis, ensuring children's safety in the community and access to mental health support, fostering healthy relationships, and supporting safer transitions to adulthood. The report also covers multi-agency safeguarding training, learning from audits and case reviews, and partnership work with schools, the voluntary sector, and asylum-seeking families.

Transitions from Children's to Adults' Services Report

A report was scheduled to discuss the transition process for young people moving from children's to adults' services. This process is crucial for ensuring continuity of care and positive long-term outcomes. The report aimed to highlight strengths in the existing system and identify opportunities for improvement, particularly for a small cohort of children with complex needs. The report noted that while transitions are generally well-managed, challenges can arise for looked-after children and care leavers with complex mental health needs living outside the boroughs. Actions were being developed to address these specific challenges, including a new targeted transitions protocol and commissioning arrangements for out-of-borough learning disability assessments.

Safeguarding Adults Executive Board Annual Report 2024-2025

The meeting was scheduled to review the 2024/25 Annual Report of the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board (SAEB). This multi-agency board provides leadership on adult safeguarding across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, aiming to ensure residents at risk of harm are kept safe. The report is structured into four chapters: Quality Assurance and Performance, Making Safeguarding Personal, Community Engagement, and Leading, Listening and Learning. Key highlights included data analysis on safeguarding referrals, a focus on domestic abuse and older people, community engagement initiatives, and learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs). The report also detailed the SAEB's strategic plan for 2025-2028.

Better Care Fund 26/27 Submission Update

A verbal update was scheduled regarding the submission for the Better Care Fund for 2026/27.

Questions from the Audience

Time was allocated for questions from the audience.

Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next meeting was confirmed to be hosted by Westminster City Council on 21 May 2026.