The Children's Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a range of significant transformation and reform programmes within children's services, including updates on the Children's Transformation Programme, Families First, Kinship Zones, Best Start in Life, and the Education White Paper reforms. The committee also reviewed feedback on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Area Monitoring Inspection and received an update on the Local SEND Reform Plan.

Children's Transformation and Reform Programmes

The committee received an overview of five key transformation and reform programmes within the Children's Directorate. Councillor Chris Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, highlighted the council's commitment to delivering improved outcomes for children and families while managing budget pressures. He noted that Bexley is currently experiencing small underspends in children's social care and that the Families First programme is progressing well, focusing on preventative approaches. Bexley has also been successful in securing external funding as the only London borough participating in the Kinship Zone pilot.

The Children's Transformation Programme aims to deliver integrated, child-centred, and efficient services. A key deliverable is the Commissioning Redesign, which seeks to achieve better value for money by actively shaping the market and reviewing high-cost children's placements. This is projected to save £1.2 million, with £0.972 million already achieved through safely stepping down children from intensive settings. A further saving of £0.78 million has been realised through the introduction of an Advanced Practitioner Model. The programme also includes the mobilisation of four Best Start Family Hubs and the launch of a new digital platform for families.

The Families First programme is designed to deliver integrated early help and statutory services within local communities. Key elements include strengthened multi-agency working, the implementation of Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs), and the development of a new Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Service. The programme is on track for completion by March 2027, with a pilot Family Help team being proposed to test the new integrated model. A new digital platform, including a Chat AI function, has been launched to help families search for specific topics and services.

Bexley is participating in the Kinship Zones pilot, a national Department for Education (DfE) initiative aimed at providing dedicated support to kinship carers. The programme, which started in April 2026 and will run for three and a half years, aims to support up to 200 children and households. It includes the payment of a new Kinship Allowance and the allocation of Family Network Support Packages to help remove practical barriers for carers.

The Best Start in Life programme focuses on supporting child development from early years through to school readiness. Bexley has set an ambitious target of 80% of children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) by 2029. The programme has been launched with the first Best Start Family Hub in Erith, and plans are progressing for additional hubs.

Reforms stemming from the Education White Paper aim to strengthen a school-led system. Bexley has an established Strategic Education Partnership, and the focus areas are being reviewed to align with national reforms. New guidance requiring schools to be mobile-phone free by September 2026 is being discussed with headteachers, with a view to developing a potential borough-wide policy.

Feedback on the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Local Area Monitoring Inspection

The committee received an update on the SEND Local Area Monitoring Inspection, which followed an initial inspection in December 2023 that identified widespread failings. Following this, Bexley developed a SEND Local Area Maturity Assessment, a SEND Reform Plan, and prepared for a full SEND Inspection within the next year.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) determined that Bexley has taken effective action and made reasonable progress in addressing the areas for improvement identified in the initial inspection. The Local Area Partnership (LAP) has engaged meaningfully with partners, including children, young people, and families. Improvements are most visible through the SEND Hub, enhanced timeliness and quality of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), better early identification, and clearer commissioning arrangements. However, areas for development remain, including embedding Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) consistently in Annual Reviews, addressing variations in complex Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) cases, ensuring early social care access to EHCPs, and tackling gaps in Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH) pathways.

The council is awaiting the lifting of an improvement notice, with a case put forward to the Secretary of State. The DfE has indicated that the notice is likely to be lifted, but a decision on timing is pending.

Update on the Local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Reform Plan

The committee was updated on the development of Bexley's Local SEND Reform Plan, in response to the government's SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan. The plan aims to ensure opportunity for all by delivering an inclusive education system with specialist support where needed. The process has involved co-production with children, young people, parent carers, teachers, and other professionals.

The plan outlines seven pillars for consideration: Co-production with parents and carers and Children and Young People; Effective system leadership and governance; Accurate understanding of needs through effective use of data; High Quality Service Delivery at universal, targeted and specialist level to promote inclusion; Effective partnerships working across education, health and social care; Skilled workforce across the partnership; and Targeted, judicious and sustainable use of resources.

The government has announced changes to the financial arrangements for SEND services, ending the Safety Valve programme and introducing a new High Needs Stability Grant. While Bexley's expected funding is greater than under the Safety Valve programme, the new grant cannot be used to fund staff in non-statutory early intervention roles, necessitating the search for alternative funding sources. The council is also preparing for the potential transfer of responsibility for SEND expenditure to the DfE from April 2028.

Cabinet Members' Update

Councillor Caroline Newton, Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Education, and Councillor Chris Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, provided updates on key work within their portfolios.

Work Programme

The committee discussed its work programme for the upcoming year. It was agreed that the committee would liaise with the opposition to identify issues for scrutiny and that a visit to the existing Erith Family Hub would be arranged. The committee aims to focus on areas where it can shape or influence decisions as they are being made, rather than reacting to completed actions.

The committee also reviewed the Bexley Status Report for Quarter 4 (January – March 2026). Key performance indicators discussed included the rate of children subject to a Child Protection Plan, the rate of children in our care, the percentage of children in our care in residential placements, and the percentage of registrations at Children's Centres from families living in the 50% most deprived areas. No Ombudsman decisions were found against the Council in Q4 for Children's Services and Education.

The committee noted that the percentage of EHCPs being delivered within 20 weeks had slipped to 61%, although this was still performing better than the London and national averages. Reasons for delays included inherited plans from other local authorities, waiting for professional advice, and parental requests to slow down the process. The committee requested further data to provide more reassurance on the length of these delays.

The percentage of those eligible for the two-year childcare offer had also slipped. It was noted that information about this provision is being promoted through the council's website and embedded within the family hubs.

The meeting concluded with the Chairman thanking attendees and noting the time.