The Children and Young People Committee met on Thursday 10 September 2026 to discuss the progress of the Families First Pathfinder programme and the Youth Justice Strategic Plan. Key decisions included an update on the Families First programme, which has seen a reduction in statutory assessments and repeat child protection inquiries, and a review of the Youth Justice Strategic Plan, which aims to reduce offending and improve outcomes for young people.

Families First Pathfinder Programme Update

The committee received an update on the Families First Pathfinder programme, which has been in place for one year. Daniel Phelps, Executive Director for Children's Services, and Sharon Springer, Assistant Director for Children's Social Care, presented the findings. The programme aims to create a simpler system for families, providing earlier help and stronger multi-agency safeguarding.

Key changes implemented include:

• One Family Help Front Door: Replacing multiple entry points, this provides a single point of contact for families.
• Integrated Family Help Teams: Five teams now work together to support families with a range of needs.
• One Lead Practitioner and One Plan: Families are assigned a single practitioner who stays with them throughout their involvement, ensuring continuity of care.
• Centralised Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPAT): This team brings together specialist practitioners from social care, police, and health to strengthen child protection decisions.

The presentation highlighted that after one year, the system is becoming more proportionate. Contacts managed increased by 0.9% despite rising demand, while statutory assessments reduced by 29.3%. Repeat child protection inquiries also saw a significant reduction of 47.8%, and four fewer children entered care out-of-hours. The programme has also facilitated 130 family group decision-making meetings and funded 99 Family Network Support Packages.

Councillor Martin Sachs raised concerns about funding issues impacting the development of the Pathfinder project and the potential loss of specialisms when moving to more generic teams. Ms. Springer explained that the Pathfinder programme was funded by a grant, which allowed for testing new approaches without impacting the council's core budget. She also clarified that the salad bowl analogy was used to describe how specialist practitioners now work collaboratively within integrated teams, retaining their expertise while working together.

The committee also discussed the integration of schools into the new system, with Family Help Partnership Coordinators acting as a link between schools and the front door. Councillor Jamal Uddin inquired about the arrangements for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and it was noted that this would be a focus for future work plans.

Financially, the programme has resulted in savings of £324,000 in the last financial year, with a further £324,000 budgeted for the current year. These savings were primarily achieved by preventing children from entering care through embedding family-led decision-making and providing support packages.

Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2026–2029

The committee also considered the Redbridge Youth Justice Strategic Plan for 2026–2029. The plan outlines priorities for preventing offending and supporting positive change for young people. Data presented showed a low number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system (40 in 2025–26) and a reduction in serious violence offences by 42% over three years.

Key priorities within the plan include:

• High-quality practice: Focusing on safeguarding, consistent assessment, and continuous learning.
• Education and inclusion: Ensuring suitable provision and support for additional needs.
• Participation and co-production: Empowering children, families, and victims to influence service delivery.
• A coordinated victims' offer: Providing consistent communication, safety, and support.
• Equity and disproportionality: Challenging unequal outcomes and barriers, particularly for mixed heritage children who remain overrepresented in the system.
• Partnership accountability: Establishing shared ownership, information sharing, and scrutiny.

Councillor Monika Patel raised concerns about the potential for discrimination within the youth justice system, particularly regarding racial profiling by the police. Daniel Phelps assured the committee that addressing disproportionality and ensuring anti-racist practice is a priority for the local authority, emphasizing the importance of building trust and confidence between young people and professionals.

Wider Impact and Assurance

The presentation highlighted the wider impacts of the Families First reforms, including a reduction in staff vacancy rates from 18.3% to 9.5% and a decrease in staff turnover from 28.7% to 13.8%. This workforce stability is seen as crucial for maintaining consistent support for families. The programme has also gained national recognition, with Redbridge being a trusted partner in informing national rollout and guidance. An Ofsted focus visit report found that children and families receive consistently helpful responses.

Next Steps

The committee was informed that the next phase of the Families First programme will focus on embedding the practice model, completing the enabling infrastructure, and maintaining transparent member oversight. This includes embedding consistent family help practice, enabling a single workflow for assessments and plans, and assuring the quality of services through ongoing monitoring. The implementation plan is set by the Department for Education and is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the financial year.

Children and Young People Committee Work Plan 2026-27

The committee also reviewed the draft work plan for the 2026-27 year. The priorities for the coming year were agreed as:

1. Education Outcomes, Standards, and Attainment
2. Engagement with Children, Young People, Schools and Stakeholders
3. Early Help, Safeguarding and Youth Justice

The next meeting of the Children and Young People Committee is scheduled for 26 November 2026.