The Safeguarding & Special Educational Needs Sub (Community & Children's Services) Committee is scheduled to convene on Monday 15 June 2026. The meeting's agenda includes a review of annual reports concerning independent reviewing officers, private fostering, and looked-after children, alongside updates on multi-agency child exploitation efforts and the implementation of SEND reforms. Performance reports for various children and adult social care services are also scheduled for discussion.

Independent Reviewing Officer Annual Report 2025-26

The committee is set to receive the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) Annual Report for 2025-26. This report is expected to provide an overview of the IRO service within the City of London, detailing how statutory duties have been met and outlining the IRO's role in ensuring children's needs are met. The report will identify strengths from the past year and areas for development in 2026-27. The IRO service operates under the framework of the updated IRO Handbook, linked to the revised Care Planning Regulations and Guidance introduced in April 2011. The primary task of an IRO is to ensure that a child's care plan fully reflects their current needs and aligns with the local authority's legal responsibilities. The report highlights achievements such as consistent participation of children in their review meetings and active monitoring of care plans to prevent delays. Areas for improvement include developing new ways to communicate with children and embedding anti-racism policies within the service. Key data indicates a downward trend in the number of children in care since 2022, although 20 children entered care during the reporting year.

Private Fostering Annual Report 2025-26

The Private Fostering Annual Report for 2025-26 is scheduled for review. This report details the City of London's compliance with its duties and functions concerning private fostering arrangements. These regulations apply when children under 16 (or 18 if they have a disability) live with someone who is not a close relative for 28 days or more. The report notes that there were no private fostering arrangements identified in the City of London between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Awareness-raising activities have continued through the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership (CHSCP) and internal communications. The report outlines the City of London's adherence to national minimum standards for private fostering, including having a written statement of purpose and promoting awareness of notification requirements.

Looked After Children and Care Experienced Young People Provider Annual Report 2025-26

The committee will consider the Provider Annual Report for Looked After Children and Care Experienced Young People for 2025-26. This report, prepared by Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), confirms that health services for these young people are strong and meet statutory requirements, with all necessary health assessments completed on time. The services are described as well-coordinated and delivering high-quality, child-centred care. Areas identified for improvement include immunisation uptake, emotional wellbeing support, and gathering feedback from children and carers. These will be priorities for the coming year. The report assures that health services for looked-after children and care-experienced young people in the City of London are of high quality, well-governed, and consistently meet statutory requirements.

Multi-Agency Child Exploitation Annual Report 2025-26

The Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) Annual Report for 2025-26 is on the agenda. The MACE forum, co-chaired by the Head of Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service and the City of London Police, is responsible for coordinating information sharing and multi-agency interventions to protect children and young people from extra-familial harm and exploitation. The report outlines the activity of the MACE team, the intelligence picture, and the impact on child safety and organisational learning. During the past year, five strategic MACE meetings were held, with no operational Pre-MACE meetings convened, indicating a low volume of extra-familial harm concerning City resident children. However, the report notes that due to transport hubs and the night-time economy, children and young people from other local authority areas do come to notice regarding exploitation issues.

SEND Reforms and Local Area Consultation Response

The committee is scheduled to discuss the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms and the local area's response to a Department for Education (DfE) consultation. The reforms aim to improve consistency, transparency, and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, addressing pressures such as rising demand and financial sustainability. Key proposals include a new Individual Support Plan (ISP) for children with SEND and enhanced access to specialist support. The local area's consultation response expresses support for the reforms' direction but highlights concerns regarding implementation capacity, workforce sufficiency, and sustainable funding. Feedback from a local event indicated strong support for a child and family-centred approach, clarity and consistency, workforce development, and integrated multi-agency working.

Children and Families Service Scorecard Q4 2025-26

A performance update for the Children and Families Service for the fourth quarter of 2025-26 will be presented. The report indicates that overall performance across the service is good, meeting statutory obligations and targets. Demand remains high but shows a gradual year-on-year decline. The number of Children in Need has reduced, while the number of Children in Care has slightly increased. The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) recorded no contacts in the last quarter. There were two Early Help referrals in Q4, a decrease from previous years. Notably, 100% of assessments were completed within 45 days, a significant improvement. The number of care leavers being supported has also gradually decreased.

Education and Early Years SEND Dashboard 2025-26

The Education and Early Years Service SEND Dashboard for 2025-26 will be presented. Overall performance in this service area is described as good, meeting statutory requirements and local targets. There is a year-on-year increase in the number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) issued, and the current caseload also shows an overall increase. As of the end of March 2026, 25 children were open to the SEND team, with most children on an EHCP attending mainstream settings and Autism Spectrum Disorder being the most common identified special educational need.

Adult Social Care Safeguarding Performance Report Q1-Q4 2025/26

The committee will receive the Adult Social Care Safeguarding Performance Report for the full year 2025/26. The report indicates that overall performance across the service is good, meeting statutory requirements and local targets. It notes that due to the small cohort numbers in the City of London, there can be significant variance in out-turns. The report includes a summary and key headlines from the data, which will be further detailed in a non-public appendix.

Adult Social Care Self-Evaluation Framework Update

An update on the Adult Social Care Self-Evaluation Framework (SEF) will be presented. This update follows the full assessment completed in February 2025 and provides a focused interim review. The report indicates that the Adult Social Care service continues to perform strongly, with core strengths in access, timeliness of assessments, and carers' support being maintained. There is evidence of improvement in the timeliness of annual reviews, which have increased from 67% to 81%. However, the report also highlights a changing operating context with increased requests for support, a rise in long-term service users, and an increase in safeguarding concerns, particularly in self-neglect, neglect, and financial abuse. New oversight mechanisms, including an ASC Performance Clinic and a Director-led High-Risk Panel, have been introduced to strengthen assurance.

Children's Social Care and Family Help Service Development Plan 2026/27

The Children's Social Care and Family Help Service Development Plan for 2026/27 is scheduled for review. This annual refresh incorporates learning from children and families, national research, practitioner views, and findings from Ofsted and Joint Area SEND inspections. The plan includes new actions and retains oversight of recommendations from previous inspections. It also addresses the 'test and learn' approach to the new Family First Reforms, with new actions in place to integrate these into permanent working models. The plan acknowledges the high cost of residential care and the impact of immigration legislation on care leavers. It also highlights work to reduce delays in care proceedings and improve communication with parents of children with SEND.

The meeting will also address the election of a Deputy Chairman, the confirmation of previous minutes, and questions on matters relating to the work of the sub-committee. A motion to exclude the public for non-public agenda items is also scheduled.