The Children's Social Care Cabinet Panel met on Monday 16 March 2026 to discuss the Quarter 3 performance report for Children's Services, the refresh of the Hertfordshire Carers Strategy, an update on the Family Support Service, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, and an update on the Holiday Activity and Food Programme. Key decisions included noting the performance report, endorsing the refreshed Carers Strategy, and noting the update on the Family Support Service. The panel also discussed the allocation of the Crisis and Resilience Fund and the ongoing success of the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.

Children's Social Care Quarter 3 Performance Report

Joanna Hunt, Performance Manager for Children's Services, presented the Quarter 3 performance report, covering October to December 2025. Overall, many indicators showed strong performance, with the majority in the top quartile nationally. However, concerns were raised regarding the timeliness of initial child protection conferences, which had dropped to 75.4% within the 15-day target, significantly below the national top quartile of 89%. Janet, a service manager, explained that reasons for this included IT and administrative process issues, capacity issues with child protection chairs, and scheduling pressures. Actions are underway, including a task and finish group and a specific workstream within the Be Excellent continuous improvement plan. Encouragingly, performance in February had already improved to 80.7%.

Other areas discussed included:

• Early Help: Family First assessments completed were slightly lower than the previous year, but the number of children supported increased.
• Referrals to Children's Social Care: While numbers were reducing month-on-month, they remained higher than all years except 2024, though still less than half the national average.
• Child and Family Assessments: Performance in completing these within timescales was strong, reaching 93.1% in December, the highest level in 18 months.
• Children Subject to Child Protection Plans: Numbers were broadly stable over the last 9-10 months, but the percentage of children on a plan for a second or subsequent time had increased slightly to 22.1%, though this was an improvement on the previous year.
• Children Looked After (CLA): Total CLA numbers decreased quarter-on-quarter. However, there was an increase in separated migrant children. A key priority, the number of CLA with three or more homes in the last 12 months, showed improved performance, reducing to 8.2%, the best performance ever and lower than national and regional averages.
• Children Exiting Care: The percentage moving out through adoptions was 6.5%, and through Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) was 8.2%.
• Care Leavers in Education, Employment or Training (EET): Performance remained strong, increasing to 60.6% in Quarter 3, with four consecutive months over 60%.

Councillor Paula Hiscocks expressed concern about the drop in initial child protection conference timeliness, highlighting the vulnerability of these children and requesting the issue be brought back to the panel for the next meeting. She also raised concerns about children being on child protection plans for a second or third time and the impact this has on them. Councillor Hiscocks also enquired about fluctuations in Families First assessments and the checking process for special guardianship orders, particularly for those aged 16 and over.

Officers provided assurances regarding the rigorous assessment process for special guardianship orders, involving family courts and thorough checks. They also explained that fluctuations in Families First assessments could be due to seasonal changes, such as school holidays.

Concerns were also raised about the overspend in Children's Services. Rachel, an officer, explained that this was being addressed through ongoing transformation programmes, including in-house residential and fostering programmes, and that budget uplifts had been made for CLA, accounting for inflation and demography.

Mark Pope raised concerns about the number of vacancies within Children's Services, particularly critical vacancies. Janet responded that a number of initiatives were in place to fill these, including apprenticeship programmes and a workforce plan focusing on retention. She noted that Hertfordshire was in a relatively good position compared to other local authorities, but acknowledged the national challenge of social worker shortages.

Refresh of the Hertfordshire Carers Strategy

Sue Chapman, Service Manager in Children's Services, presented the refresh of the all-age carers strategy for 2026-2028. The strategy, developed through extensive co-production with carers, focuses on five key outcomes: Be Informed, Life Beyond Caring, Maintain Health and Wellbeing, Receive Consistent, Joined-up Services, and Being Safe. A new ambitious area, Being Safe, has been introduced. The strategy emphasizes a whole family and trauma-informed approach, aligning with national initiatives like No Wrong Door.

Key points from the discussion included:

• Identification of Young Carers: While the number of registered young carers is nearly 3,000, it's believed to be an underrepresentation, with national evidence suggesting approximately one in five children may be a young carer. Schools are working more closely on identification.
• Support for Young Carers: The strategy aims to ensure caring needs are not inappropriate or excessive, as this can significantly impact young carers' wellbeing, potentially leading to missed school days.
• Budget: The budget for supporting young carers is retained, and the contract with Carers in Hertfordshire is continuing.
• Schools' Role: The strategy aligns with the schools white paper's focus on inclusive education and engagement, recognizing schools' crucial role in identifying and supporting young carers.
• Colleges: Attention will also be given to how colleges support young carers.
• Out-of-Hours Support: Online support and a dedicated young carers webpage are being developed.
• Action Plan Review: Updates to the action plan will be reported to the panel, likely in the early autumn meeting.

Councillor Nigel Bell welcomed the updated strategy, particularly the no wrong door commitment and the focus on increasing the number of carers identified in schools. He also highlighted the importance of monitoring support for carers from ethnic minority communities. Councillor Paula Hiscocks inquired about the budget for young carers and requested gender and age breakdowns, and also emphasized the importance of access to breaks for young carers.

Sue Chapman responded that the strategy was being developed with a focus on global majority communities and that schools were being engaged through a community of practice. She confirmed that the budget was retained and that the contract with Carers in Hertfordshire was continuing. She also noted that a dedicated young carers webpage was being developed.

Family Support Service Update

Melanie Knowles, Head of Early Years, provided an update on the Family Centre contract, which began in January 2025 with an agreed 10% savings target. The contract value is £6.6 million per year, with an additional £2.37 million from Public Health. A charging policy for some universal services was introduced, with charges ranging from £1.50 to £35 for a six-week course. All charges contribute to running costs. The first session is free, and a loyalty program offers a sixth session free. Free access is provided for families where payment would be a barrier, using discreet pre-stamped cards.

Key points from the discussion included:

• Automatic Visits: The service is exploring automatic registration for families, working with Public Health Nursing colleagues.
• Concession Card Usage: Concerns were raised about low usage of concession cards in some areas, such as Three Rivers. The service is investigating this further, including communication strategies and distribution of cards.
• Cost of Administration: The cost of administering the scheme was noted as low, with most work integrated into existing roles.
• Overall Offer: The Family Centre Service provides a wide range of support beyond universal sessions, including targeted support, SEND support, and antenatal support.

Councillor Paula Hiscocks questioned whether automatic visits from health visitors were still occurring and expressed concern about the low usage of concession cards in some areas. Kirsty Taylor-Moran inquired about attendance demographics and the threshold for concessions, suggesting that making services free at the point of access might be more beneficial. Nigel Bell also voiced concerns about the figures and the need for better communication to ensure families are aware of the services available.

Officers confirmed that registration is not currently automatic but is being explored. They are investigating the low usage of concession cards and will review the communication strategy. The cost of administering the scheme was noted as low.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund

Kristy Thacker, Head of Service in Adult Care Services, presented the delivery plan for the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which replaces the Household Support Fund. Hertfordshire is receiving £9.1 million per year for three years, increasing to £11.4 million in year three due to the inclusion of Discretionary Housing Payments. The fund is structured into four categories: Crisis Payments, Housing Payments, Resilience Services, and Community Coordination.

Key points from the discussion included:

• Funding Reduction: There has been a 26% reduction in funding over the last two years.
• Shift in Focus: The CRF guidance emphasizes crisis response and wider support, including information, advice, and guidance, with less emphasis on blanket distribution of vouchers.
• Children and Families Crisis Support Fund: A new £1.8 million fund per year will be an application-based program for professionals supporting families, linked to the government's child poverty strategy and the definition of deep material poverty.
• No Blanket Vouchers: The guidance prohibits blanket provision of vouchers for free school meals, meaning this specific support will not be funded through the CRF.
• Community Supermarkets: There are plans to expand the network of community supermarkets, including a mobile option.
• Care Leaver Project: A new proposal to develop a focused support program for care leavers, including life skills education and mentoring.
• Local Government Reorganisation: The funding will be split between new unitary authorities in year three, presenting a planning challenge.
• Loneliness: The issue of loneliness among care leavers is being addressed through cross-directorate working and initiatives led by young people themselves.
• Cash Payments: The welfare assistance scheme will be used for cash payments, with a focus on one-off crisis payments and referrals to longer-term support.
• Funding for Citizens Advice: The level of funding for Citizens Advice is similar to previous years.
• Audit Panel Reports: Reports from the audit panel on funding decisions will be provided.

Councillor Louise Price expressed concern about the significant challenge of splitting the funding between new unitary authorities in year three. Paula Hiscocks raised concerns about families accustomed to receiving vouchers now facing a reduction in support and whether communication had reached them. Kirsty Taylor-Moran questioned the cap on referrals and the difference between free school meal eligibility and the number of children on assessments. Mark Pope questioned the £1.8 million allocation for the crisis fund, asking if it was sufficient.

Officers explained that the funding would be divided among new unitaries, and that transition planning was underway. They assured that communication about the end of vouchers had been sent out. The £1.8 million fund was pitched based on available data, with flexibility to increase if needed. The criteria for deep material poverty requires families to lack four out of thirteen essential items.

Update on the Holiday Activity & Food Programme (HAPpy)

George Gearing provided an update on the Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAPpy). In 2025, the programme supported 9,623 children, including 1,878 with SEND. A total of 67,708 spaces were booked, with a 92% booking rate, though attendance was 68%. The programme continues to develop, working with local providers and attracting new applicants. The summer parks programme for older children also supported an additional 1,267 young people.

Key points from the discussion included:

• Three-Year Extension: The government has announced a three-year extension to the HAF programme, providing budget certainty.
• Provider Partnerships: Hertfordshire works with local community-based providers and has a strong relationship with Herts Sports and Activity Partnerships and Hertfordshire Community Foundation.
• Summer Parks Programme: This festival-style programme for older children in public parks continues to be successful, with voucher-based hot meals.
• Universal Credit Eligibility: The HAF programme's eligibility will remain based on benefits-related Free School Meals, not expanding to all Universal Credit recipients from September 2026.
• Food Quality: Regular audits are conducted on camp operators' food provision, and training is provided on healthy meals.
• Non-Attendance: While a gap exists between bookings and attendance, reasons are often genuine crises, and strategies like overbooking and linking with the Crisis Resilience Fund for transport are being explored.
• Funding Reduction: A 1.5% reduction in funding for 2026 delivery was noted, but the programme aims to offer the same number of spaces.
• Half-Term Provision: The programme currently only covers main school holidays, not half-terms.
• Spare Places: The steering group regularly reviews the booking limits to maximize support for eligible children.

Councillor Paula Hiscocks praised the programme and its impact on local businesses but raised concerns about the most vulnerable not taking up the offer due to parental proactivity. She also sought clarification on the eligibility criteria for HAPpy, particularly regarding Universal Credit. Nigel Bell echoed thanks to George and his team, also inquiring about the criteria for HAPpy eligibility and the inclusion of areas like South Oxley. Kirsty Taylor-Moran asked about expected increases in demand due to the loss of free school meal vouchers and the reasons for non-attendance, such as transport costs. She also questioned if the programme could be extended to half-terms and what happens to spare places.

George Gearing clarified that HAF eligibility would remain based on benefits-related Free School Meals until September 2026, with future guidance pending. He explained that summer parks locations are chosen based on FSM data and accessibility, and that the programme is not adverse to considering new areas. He acknowledged the booking vs. attendance gap and outlined strategies to address it, including overbooking and linking with the Crisis Resilience Fund for transport. He also confirmed that the programme currently does not cover half-terms.

The panel noted the report and expressed thanks to George and his team.

The meeting concluded with the noting of the reports and the endorsement of recommendations to Cabinet.