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. The committee also reviewed the work plan for the upcoming year.

Families First Pathfinder Programme Update

The committee received an update on the Redbridge Families First Pathfinder programme, which aims to reform how services support children, young people, and families. Executive Director for Children's Services, Daniel Phelps, and Assistant Director for Children's Social Care, Sharon Springer, presented the findings one year after the programme's implementation.

The Families First reform is described as one of the most fundamental changes to social care delivery since the Children Act 1989. It is part of a wider reform agenda that also includes SEND reforms and Best Start in Life reforms. The programme was designed by learning from serious case reviews of children who had died due to abuse and neglect, identifying consistent failures in inter-agency communication, workforce skills, adherence to procedures, and inadequate resources.

The core of the Families First reform is built on four pillars:

• Family Help: Integrating targeted early help and statutory child in need services into a seamless pathway.
• Child Protection: Strengthening decisions through specialist multi-agency arrangements.
• Family Networks: Involving families earlier in children's plans and utilising their expertise for sustainable support.
• Partnership: Fostering stronger shared leadership and accountability across safeguarding partners.

The intended experience for families is to navigate services more easily, tell their story once, receive the right help at the right time, and experience decisive decision-making.

Key changes implemented in Redbridge include:

• A single Family Help Front Door and five integrated Family Help Teams, with one lead practitioner remaining with a family throughout their engagement.
• A centralised Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPAT), bringing together specialists from social care, police, and health for shared decision-making and oversight.

Early impact data from the first year of the programme shows:

• A 9% increase in contacts managed, indicating that demand has not disappeared but the response has changed.
• A 29.3% reduction in statutory assessments.
• A 47.8% reduction in repeat Section 47 enquiries¹ within 12 months.
• Four fewer children entering care out-of-hours.
• 132 family group decision-making meetings facilitated, with 99 Family Network Support Packages funded.

Councillor Martin Sachs raised concerns about the impact of funding crises on the project and the potential loss of specialisms in more generic teams. Officers explained that the Pathfinder programme was funded by a grant, which allowed for innovation without being directly impeded by the council's financial position. They clarified that specialist roles were integrated into teams rather than lost, using a salad bowl analogy to describe how different professionals co-exist and work together.

The programme has also led to a reduction in the vacancy rate (from 18.3% to 9.5%) and staff turnover (from 28.7% to 13.8%) within the Children's Services department, contributing to an identified saving of £324,000 in the 2025/26 financial year, with a further £324,000 budgeted for 2026/27. Ofsted has provided assurance, finding that children and families receive consistently helpful responses.

The next phase of the programme will focus on embedding the practice model, completing enabling infrastructure, and maintaining transparent member oversight.

Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2026–2029

The committee also considered the Redbridge Youth Justice Strategic Plan for 2026–2029. The plan highlights that Redbridge has seen a record low number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system (40 in 2025–26). While three children received custodial sentences, no children were serving custodial sentences at the time of the plan's compilation. Serious violence offences have reduced by 42% over three years.

The plan identifies mental health as the most frequent need among young people in the youth justice system, followed by speech, language and communication needs, exploitation, and substance use. It also notes that 30% of young people supervised had Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and 25% of children supervised were looked after by other local authorities.

A significant concern raised is the disproportionality within the system, with mixed heritage children being the most overrepresented group among first-time entrants. The plan outlines six priorities: high-quality practice, education and inclusion, participation and co-production, a coordinated victims offer, equity and disproportionality, and partnership accountability.

Councillor M. Patel raised concerns about potential discrimination within the system, including whether police thresholds for arrest vary by race. Daniel Phelps assured the committee that addressing disproportionality and ensuring anti-discriminatory, anti-racist practice is a priority for the local authority. He emphasised the importance of building trust and confidence between young people and the justice system.

Children and Young People Committee Work Plan 2026-27

The committee reviewed the draft work plan for the 2026-27 year. Following discussions at the previous meeting on 15 July 2026, the committee resolved to focus on three strategic priorities:

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 at 7:00 PM.