The Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee met on Thursday 12 March 2026 to discuss a range of important issues concerning children and families in Surrey. Key topics included the provision and oversight of Alternative Provision (AP), the ongoing transformation of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service, and the outcomes of an Ofsted inspection of children's homes. Decisions were made regarding the inclusion of specific items on the committee's forward work plan and the formulation of draft recommendations.

Alternative Provision Audit

The committee received an update on the progress of the action plan arising from the July 2025 Internal Audit Report on Alternative Provision and Governance and Commissioning for Children. Helen Clacken, Cabinet Member for Children and Families and Lifelong Learning, explained that the audit followed issues identified in the 2023 SEND Local Area Inspection regarding the use and consistency of AP. Key areas for improvement included broadening AP options, enhancing quality, and strengthening the tracking of young people at risk of placement breakdown. Surrey's approach mirrors national trends, with both registered and unregistered AP being used to meet demand.

The committee discussed the definition of illness in the context of Section 19 duties, with Kelly Lancashire, Assistant Director for Inclusion and Participation, confirming that it includes mental health conditions such as anxiety related to emotionally-based school non-attendance (EBSNA). Schools are expected to manage these needs initially, with local authority intervention considered if a child remains absent for over 15 days. A new electronic notification process for schools is being developed to improve efficiency.

Concerns were raised about the understanding and monitoring of roles and responsibilities for AP. Documents have been produced for schools, parents, and practitioners, and their public availability is pending endorsement. Website analytics show significant engagement with the parent guidance and AP provider list.

The committee also discussed the cohort of severely absent pupils. It was clarified that severe absence does not automatically trigger the council's duty to provide alternative provision, with the focus being on reintegration planning. Surrey has been recognised as a green authority for its implementation of the Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance. Discussions are underway to potentially expand family group conferences to support severely absent children. Surrey's performance in severe absence data is consistently better than national and regional averages.

The discussion also covered the definition of positive destinations for young people leaving AP, which includes further education, apprenticeships, employment, reintegration, or accredited training. While 80% of young people leaving independent AP access positive destinations, data for internal AP providers is still being developed.

Significant improvements have been made in the timeliness of sourcing AP packages, with average response times reducing from 16 weeks to five working days. However, it was noted that the overall time experienced by families may still be longer due to multiple steps in the process before brokerage. The committee also discussed the issue of payment delays to AP providers, which have affected both on and off-contract providers. While the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) offers a more reliable payment mechanism, issues have arisen due to the scale and speed of onboarding and legacy commissioning arrangements. The committee expressed concern about the long delays in payments, with some outstanding since July 2025.

The committee also discussed the AP list, clarifying that the historical AP list has been replaced by the DPS, which ensures providers have undergone necessary checks for quality, safety, and governance. There are ongoing efforts to encourage all providers to join the DPS.

Councillor Jonathan Essex raised concerns about minimising the number of children in AP and tracking the duration and reasons for placements. While the duration of placements is tracked, data is currently reported at the placement level rather than the child level. The committee discussed the aspiration for children in AP needing specialist school placements to be moved swiftly, with ongoing work to build additional specialist places and explore non-maintained independent provision.

Finally, the committee discussed the feedback from schools on the AP strategy, with schools requesting greater clarity on the local authority's role and contact points. The strategy is being updated to reflect this feedback. The committee also discussed the completion of actions identified in the internal audit report and the ongoing work to embed improvements.

Draft recommendations were discussed, including the need for feedback from schools on the AP strategy, reintegration support for children needing specialist education, and addressing the deficit in information on destinations.

SEND Update

The committee received an update on the SEND improvement plan. Helen, Cabinet Member for Children and Families and Lifelong Learning, reported that Surrey is supporting 17,736 children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), reflecting national growth with sharper local demand. A review in September 2025 highlighted challenges in consistency, fragmentation, capacity, supervision, staff development, and communication.

A unified county-wide model has been implemented, supported by an additional £4.9 million per year for staffing. Recruitment is underway, with full capacity expected in June 2026. Performance improvements have been noted, with 90% of EHCP deadlines met in 2025, significantly above the national figure. While there was a dip in timeliness of EHC Needs Assessments (EHCNA) at the start of 2026 due to staff training, high achievement levels are anticipated to return. 98% of reviewed plans were satisfactory, good, or outstanding.

Improvements in communication include a single front door for calls and increased area team staffing, reducing caseloads. Parent and carer engagement is evolving with fortnightly information sessions and ongoing development of the SEND portal and local offer website. Governance is strengthening through the AND Partnership Board.

Julia Catherine, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning, acknowledged that the improvement journey is ongoing, with 10% of families not experiencing on-time assessments. The focus on recruiting a stable, permanent workforce is crucial, despite short-term operational pressures during training. Communication with families and schools is a priority, with significant recruitment efforts underway.

The committee discussed the rollout of multi-agency discussions, which will involve training new staff and will be implemented as a business-as-usual approach. Families unhappy with decisions can currently raise concerns, but the aim is to have these discussions before decisions are made.

Feedback from parent information sessions has led to adjustments, including shorter information chunks with more opportunities for questions and the development of bite-sized video content for the local offer. A new system for managing team inboxes is planned for after Easter to improve responsiveness and quality of communication.

Concerns were raised about the role of Family Voice Surrey and the disappearance of local coordinators. The council has decided not to continue widespread parent surveys, opting for more meaningful dialogue based on feedback from parents and carers. Initiatives are being developed to seek views from a broader range of parents and carers. The committee requested feedback on the effectiveness of these new engagement methods.

The committee also discussed recruitment and retention of SEND officers, with a focus on permanent posts and improved induction and onboarding processes. The retention rate has increased from 74% to 85.7%.

The rollout of the parent and foster carer portals is facing challenges due to technical issues with Liquid Logic and the need for bespoke development, which is complicated by system freezes for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The committee advocated for these portals to be prioritised.

The Mediation and Dispute Resolution Officers (MADROs) team has been expanded to four officers. Data shows that 100% of concluded cases between January and March 2026 were resolved without the need for tribunal or further complaint. The long-term plan is to involve MADROs earlier in the process.

The committee discussed school visits by SEND officers, noting that their role is to support schools rather than work directly with individual children. Feedback from schools on these visits has been positive.

Concerns were raised about parents' feedback and how disagreements and complaints are managed. Learning from MADRO cases, complaints, tribunals, and quality audits is used to inform staff training and service development. The committee discussed the classification of inquiries versus complaints and the importance of an audit trail.

The SEND communication protocol is in place, aiming to ensure families and schools have a named contact. Efforts are underway to ensure all families and schools have an allocated SEND officer, with a central team to provide cover for absences. Challenges with timely responses, particularly in the southwest of the county, are being addressed.

The committee discussed the impact of the organisational restructure on service delivery and the need to address short-term pain points. Draft recommendations were agreed upon regarding the parent and foster carer portals, the inclusion of complaints and issues of concern in recommendations, and the communication strategy.

Children's Homes Ofsted Report

The committee noted the outcome of an Ofsted inspection of a children's home, which was judged to require improvement. While inspectors did not identify serious concerns regarding child care and protection, improvements are still needed. The resident manager's position was vacant at the time of inspection, but a new manager has since been recruited. The committee discussed the challenges of staffing in children's homes and the importance of supporting staff to ensure they feel valued.

Next Meeting

The date of the next meeting was set for 10 June 2026, which will take place during a period of transition with the establishment of two shadow authorities.