The Wokingham Borough Health and Wellbeing Board met on Thursday 10 September 2026 to discuss the progress of the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and to review the forward programme. The Board noted the progress made on the Children's JSNA, which is nearing publication and aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of local needs and inequalities for children and young people. The forward programme was also noted, with key items including updates on the Area SEND Inspection, Neighbourhood Health Planning, and the Gambling Needs Assessment scheduled for future meetings.

Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

The Board received an update on the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), a significant undertaking that has been in development for approximately a year. Emma Cockerell, Director of Children's Services, and Jamie Conran, Acting Service Director for SEND & Inclusion, explained that the JSNA comprises 49 sections and has involved extensive collaboration across education, health, care, public health, and the voluntary and community sectors. The work has focused on quality assurance, data validation, and ensuring consistency in language and structure.

While the JSNA is in its final pre-publication phase, with publication anticipated in the autumn, some gaps in data quality and availability, particularly regarding ethnicity breakdowns, were noted. Emma Cockerell emphasised the ongoing need to improve data collection. The JSNA will be publicly accessible and designed to support strategic planning, service design, and funding bids, especially for the voluntary and community sector.

Initial analysis has already highlighted areas requiring focused action. Despite Wokingham's overall portrayal as a healthy and affluent borough, the JSNA's findings indicate that the experiences of certain communities can be masked. For instance, analysis related to children eligible for free school meals has informed work on automatic enrolment to ensure access to meals and appropriate school funding. The Board also noted the necessity of addressing attainment and outcome gaps for children eligible for free school meals and those receiving special educational needs support or with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Terri Walsh, representing SEND Voices, inquired about the measurement and tracking of the JSNA's impact. Officers explained that the Children and Young People's Partnership and other partnership boards will use the JSNA to establish baselines, identify priorities, and monitor progress. A dedicated data analyst within the partnership business unit will support this work. Revised or new strategies are expected to reference the JSNA, and stakeholder awareness will be assessed post-launch. Councillor Shahid Younis asked about the use of predictive modelling, and officers confirmed its use in service planning, while also stressing caution due to the complex, demand-led nature of services. Early intervention through Family Hubs and family help services was highlighted as an example of using evidence to meet needs proactively. The JSNA is intended to be a live resource that supports evidence-informed service change and allows the partnership to assess the impact of interventions.

The Board resolved to note the progress made in developing the Children's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

Forward Programme

The Board also discussed the forward programme for the remainder of the municipal year. No changes were proposed to the existing schedule. Key future agenda items include an update on the Wokingham Borough Area SEND Inspection in January, the Gambling Needs Assessment in March, and updates on Neighbourhood Health Planning in November and its plan in March. Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, from Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, requested an update on maternity services, referencing the national Ockendon Review and the Amos Report.

The Board resolved to note the forward programme.