The Children and Families Cabinet Panel met on Wednesday 10 June 2026 to review the Quarter 4 performance report for 2025/26 and discuss the Hertfordshire Youth Justice Plan for 2026-28. The panel noted and commented on the Hertfordshire Youth Justice Plan 2026-28, and recommended it to Cabinet for subsequent recommendation to Full Council for approval.

Children and Families 2025/26 Quarter 4 Performance Report

The panel received a report detailing the performance of Children's Services for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, covering January to March 2026. Joanna Hunt, Performance Manager for Children's Services, presented the data.

Early Help: The number of Families First assessments completed in Q4 was 170, a decrease from the previous year but an increase compared to the previous quarter. The Supporting Families Programme met its target for 2025/26.

Youth Justice: First-time entrants to the youth justice system decreased by 31% in Q4 2025/26. The percentage of youth court disposals resulting in a custodial sentence remained low. The percentage of young people aged 16-18 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET) increased to 9.2%.

Contact, Referral and Assessment (Safeguarding): The rolling year rate of referrals accepted into children's social care was 251.0 per 10,000 population. Re-referrals to social care saw a marginal increase to 16.2%. The percentage of child and family assessments completed within 45 days was 90.2% for the quarter, with the year-end figure at 91.3%.

Child Protection: The percentage of children supported by an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) held within 15 working days improved to 84.6% in March, with the year-end number at 80.4%. The number of children supported by a Child Protection Plan increased to 653. The percentage of children on a second or subsequent child protection plan rose to 23.2%.

Children Looked After (CLA) and Care Leavers: The number of CLA increased to 1,045, with a decrease in Separated Migrant Children (SMC) to 118. The percentage of CLA with three or more placements in the last 12 months was 8.5%. Long-term stability for CLA decreased slightly to 68.7%. The percentage of children exiting care through adoption increased to 8.4%, while Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) decreased to 7.2%. The percentage of care leavers aged 17-21 in education, employment, or training (EET) increased to 60.3%, marking the best end-of-year performance to date.

Children's Services Vacancies: The overall number of vacancies across Children's Services was noted, with a focus on hard-to-fill roles. Initiatives to address these vacancies were discussed.

Financial Implications: Children's Services reported an overall outturn overspend of £4,933,000, attributed to increases in CLA and Leaving Care costs, and the 0-25 Together service. The average weekly cost of independent placements for CLA increased, with a significant rise in weekly in-house residential home costs.

Equalities Implications: The report highlighted the representation of global majority ethnicity groups across various service areas.

Hertfordshire Youth Justice Plan 2026-28

Lydia Phillips, Youth Justice Service Manager, presented the Hertfordshire Youth Justice Plan for 2026-28. The plan outlines two golden threads – Voice of Children, Families and Victims and Disproportionality and Anti-Racist Practice – and four key priority areas.

Key Priorities:

1. Enhancing the Youth Justice Partnership Board's visibility and collaboration.
2. Strengthening early intervention and diversion pathways.
3. Improving support for victims of youth crime and enhancing restorative practice.
4. Enhancing partnership-wide data maturity.

Performance Highlights: The plan highlighted a reduction in knife-related offences and serious violence offences committed by children. Reoffending rates remained within expected ranges, and the number of children receiving custodial sentences was low. Efforts to address disproportionality within the youth justice system were detailed.

Key Achievements for 2025-26: Achievements included embedding a child first approach, revising the Youth Justice Management Board's terms of reference, and securing external funding. The reduction in the threshold for out-of-court resolutions was also noted.

Diversionary Activities: Various diversionary programmes were detailed, including Turnaround, and initiatives delivered by the Child Criminal Exploitation Prevention & Diversion Team.

Victim Support: Efforts to strengthen support for victims of youth crime were outlined.

Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA): The EqIA highlighted the overrepresentation of children from global majority groups and children with Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) within the Youth Justice Service. Actions are planned to address disproportionality and improve data recording.

The panel noted and commented on the report, and recommended the Hertfordshire Youth Justice Plan 2026-28 to Cabinet for subsequent recommendation to Full Council for approval.