The Corporate Parenting Board met to review the annual report of the Independent Reviewing Officer Service and discuss support for care leavers over the age of 25. The meeting also included a review of the board's work plan.

Independent Reviewing Officer Annual Report 2025/26

The board was scheduled to consider the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) Annual Report for 2025/26. This report details the performance, impact, and development of the IRO Service in Worcestershire. Key strengths highlighted in the report include a strong focus on hearing the voice of children and young people, with over 1,500 direct contacts recorded and more than 1,000 children attending their reviews. The service maintained strong performance in delivering statutory responsibilities, completing 2,725 looked-after reviews, with the majority held within required timescales. The IRO workforce was reported as fully staffed and stable.

Areas identified for development in the report included improving attendance at reviews, strengthening consistency in documentation, maintaining focus on emotional health and wellbeing, and increasing opportunities for young people to chair their own meetings. The report also noted that post-18 support remains an important area of focus, with a proposed revised approach including detailed closure summaries to support earlier transition planning.

The report indicated that the IRO Service aims to ensure that the care plan for each child fully reflects their current needs and that actions within the care plan are consistent with the local authority's legal responsibilities. The statutory duties of an IRO include monitoring the local authority's performance in relation to a child's care journey, participating in reviews, and ensuring that the child's wishes and feelings are given due consideration.

Post-25 Care Leaver Support

A significant item on the agenda was the discussion of support for care leavers over the age of 25. A proposal was presented by Alfie-James Waring, a care leaver with experience as a Care Experienced Consultant at Coram Voice. Mr. Waring expressed concerns about the perceived cliff edge of support at age 25, noting that for many care leavers, family support does not end at this age and questioning why corporate parenting should.

The proposal outlined several initiatives to address this:

• The 21 and Up Club: Quarterly online meetings for care-experienced adults aged 21 and over, designed to foster a sense of belonging and community before the age of 25.
• A Lifetime Connect Card (Alumni Card): This card would serve as tangible proof of belonging to a lifelong community, reframing care experience as a continuous connection rather than a service that expires. It aims to provide reassurance that Worcestershire still cares, offer connections within the county, and create mentoring opportunities.
• Direct, Easy-to-Access Information for Post-25 Services: This includes information and wellbeing booklets for those approaching their 25th birthday, QR codes on alumni cards linking to local offers, and regular social media updates.
• Yearly Reunions for Post-25s: An annual event, potentially held at The Rees Foundation cafe in Worcester, to foster connection, belonging, and community building, allowing individuals to share life updates and learn about new services.

The proposal argued that care leaving them is a common experience for care leavers, with statistics indicating significant challenges such as loneliness, low wellbeing, and higher rates of attempting suicide, homelessness, or imprisonment by the age of 25. The proposal aims to end the care cliffs and build a community of security and connections.

Work Plan

The board was also scheduled to consider its future work plan. Items noted for future meetings included the Care Leavers Annual Report, Youth Voice Annual Report, complaints made by children, arrangements for unregulated care, the Fostering and Transformation Plan, housing provision and protocols for care leavers, and the findings of a working party on Life Story Work.