The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee of Waltham Forest Council met on Wednesday 10 June 2026 to discuss an overview of children's services and the committee's work programme. The meeting also included a review of the committee's action and recommendation trackers.

Introduction to Children's Services

The committee was scheduled to receive an overview of the services provided by the Children and Families directorate. This report, titled Introduction to Children's Services, was intended to outline service priorities, major challenges and risks, recent and forthcoming national policy changes, and signpost to key policies and documents in operation. The report detailed the structure of Children's Social Care, including Safeguarding and Family Support, Corporate Parenting, the Virtual School, and the Youth and Family Resilience Service. It also covered the Education directorate, encompassing SEND and Commissioning, Learning and Inclusion, and Education, Operations and Performance. The report highlighted significant ongoing reforms, including the Family First Reforms and proposed SEND Reforms, as well as challenges such as falling pupil numbers in schools and rising costs. It also referenced relevant legislation, including the Children Act 1989 and the Children and Families Act 2014, and important documents such as the SEND White Paper 2026.

The Scrutiny Report

The committee was scheduled to discuss The Scrutiny Report, which focused on the committee's work programme for the 2026-27 municipal year. This included reviewing suggested items for the Forward Plan, the Action Tracker, and the Recommendations Tracker. The Action Tracker details tasks requested of officers from previous meetings, while the Recommendations Tracker outlines the committee's conclusions on how services could be improved. The report also listed key decisions falling under the committee's remit that were scheduled to be taken by the Cabinet, such as decisions regarding 16+ Semi-Independent Accommodation. The committee was invited to suggest additional items for the Forward Plan and to comment on a draft annual overview of the committee's work.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, which was held on Tuesday 17 March 2026. The minutes from that meeting indicated discussions on the Virtual School Annual Report, the Independent Review Officer (IRO) Annual Report 2024-2025, and the Children's Social Care Annual Complaints Report 2024-25. During the March meeting, discussions included the effectiveness of early intervention for children, the role of IROs, and the process for handling complaints. Specific actions were noted, including officers providing further information on unmet foster care standards and including comparative data for the cost of the IRO service in future reports.