The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 15 September 2026 to discuss updates on several key areas of children's services. Scheduled topics included progress on the ILACS Improvement Plan, the SEND Sufficiency Plan, the Families First Partnership Programme, and an update on young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

ILACS Improvement Plan Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Local Area SEND Monitoring Inspection, which had previously been considered by the Health Scrutiny Committee. The report outlined progress made against the Priority Action Plan following the inspection. It was noted that improvements had been achieved in several areas, but one priority area remained a concern, requiring continued work through the Priority Action Plan. The committee was informed that the monitoring inspection was part of an ongoing improvement journey for the Bury Local Area Partnership.

Councillor Charlotte Hunt raised concerns about the lack of specialist provision for young people aged 19 and over, seeking assurance that this issue was being addressed. Wendy Young, Head of Service SEND, acknowledged the challenges with post-16 provision and stated that work was underway to assess sufficiency in this area. A SEND Sufficiency Lead had been appointed, and a SEND Sufficiency Plan was being developed, with engagement taking place with key post-16 providers.

Councillor Elizabeth FitzGerald highlighted the importance of monitoring actions from both the Children's and Health Scrutiny Committees. It was confirmed that minutes and actions would be circulated to ensure effective oversight across both scrutiny functions.

Councillor Ciaron Boles, Chair of the committee, sought clarification regarding transition data for children educated in alternative provision settings. Wendy Young explained that concerns raised during the inspection related primarily to pupils attending the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and children who had been permanently excluded, noting that historic data collection processes within the PRU had not been sufficiently consistent. However, partnership working with primary and secondary headteachers had been strengthened.

Councillor Boles also asked for an update on the tracking and completion of annual Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) reviews. Wendy Young advised that while performance was not yet at the required level, significant improvements had been made through the full implementation of the Liquidlogic case management system, enabling more effective monitoring and tracking of annual reviews.

The committee was scheduled to note the report and the update provided. Actions included bringing the developing SEND Sufficiency Plan to a future meeting, continued monitoring of progress against the SEND Priority Action Plan, and ongoing oversight of actions arising from both scrutiny committees.

SEND Sufficiency Plan Update

A report was scheduled to be presented on Bury's SEND Sufficiency Plan, which is a key aspect of the wider SEND Reform Agenda. The plan aims to ensure the local area has the necessary capacity, provision, and resources to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, focusing on providing the right support in the right place at the right time. The strategy acknowledges the increasing demand for specialist provision, particularly for pupils with autism (ASC), social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH), and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), especially at secondary and post-16 levels.

The report highlighted key gaps in provision, including insufficient capacity in the secondary phase for ASC and SEMH needs, limited post-16 pathways for young people with complex needs, and challenges with timely access to targeted and specialist provision. Future demand forecasts indicated a continued rise in the need for SEND provision between 2026 and 2030, with ASC and SEMH remaining primary areas of need.

Four priority areas were identified for 2026-2030:

1. Reducing demand for Specialist and Alternative Provision: Through early identification, intervention, and targeted support, embedding inclusive practice, strengthening the graduated approach, and developing workforce capacity.
2. Developing a coherent and sustainable continuum of provision: Ensuring balanced pathways across phases, supporting mainstream inclusion bases, and developing future mainstream specialist units, particularly for SEMH and Autism at the secondary phase. The planned opening of Willow Grove SEMH Free School was also mentioned.
3. Ensuring sufficient and high-quality alternative provision: Developing preventative and outreach offers, creating a graduated alternative provision model, increasing the availability of high-quality registered provision, and reducing long-term reliance on Educated Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) and unregistered provision.
4. Strengthening Post 16 Sufficiency and preparation for adulthood: Working with colleges, training providers, and partners to expand post-16 pathways, improve access to local specialist provision, supported internships, apprenticeships, and reducing reliance on alternative provision and EOTAS at post-16.

The report concluded that Bury had made significant progress in expanding local SEND provision but continued to face challenges due to increasing demand. The SEND Sufficiency Priorities for 2026-2030 were presented as a strategic framework to address these pressures.

Families First Partnership Update

An update was scheduled on the implementation of the government's Families First Partnership (FFP) reforms, which aim to refocus the children's social care system on prevention, stronger partnerships, multi-agency teams, and the development of a robust multi-agency child protection system. Bury was reported to be on track for implementation by April 2027.

The report detailed how services would be mapped out and how teams would ensure families continued to be supported. It highlighted the alignment between FFP and the existing Family Safeguarding model, with plans to integrate teams into Family Help Teams across three neighbourhood localities. These teams would comprise Targeted Early Help, Duty and Assessment, and Family Safeguarding teams, working together to provide a seamless service with a single worker, a Family Help Lead Practitioner (FHLP), throughout a family's involvement. Qualified social workers would continue to be responsible for child protection work.

Key developments included the development of a draft single assessment 'Family Help Assessment' and plan, and the revision of the threshold document under the Bury Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP) to bring together targeted early help and child in need services. There was also an expansion of the Special Guardianship Order (SGO) Support Service and Kinship Care Support Service.

Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT) were planned to bring together experts from Social Care, Police, Health, and Education. Work was underway with partners to clarify their roles and responsibilities within the MACPT, with testing of different elements planned from October onwards. The report also mentioned the recruitment of Lead Child Protection Practitioners (LCPPs) and an Advocate for parents and carers involved in the child protection process.

Progress was noted in Family Group Decision Making and family network meetings, with trained staff and additional facilitators recruited. A detailed workforce development plan, including support for partner agencies, was in place, with training scheduled to begin in mid-October. New staffing structures had been drafted and were scheduled for presentation to Cabinet in October. Partners were confirmed to play a critical role, with the FFP Programme Board now a formal sub-group of the Bury Safeguarding Childrens Partnership. External oversight from the DfE North-West Regional Team and support from DfE Delivery Partner, Mutual Ventures, were also mentioned.

NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training) Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), focusing on 16 and 17-year-olds for whom Bury Council has statutory responsibility. The report noted that Bury's participation rate stood at 91.3%, broadly in line with the North West and England averages. The NEET rate for Bury was reported as 4.3%, which was lower than both regional and national averages, with exceptionally low Not Known rates indicating robust tracking.

However, the report highlighted that the NEET rate had increased by 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, while the North West average had decreased. Vulnerable groups, including those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or receiving SEN Support, showed higher NEET and Not Known rates, reinforcing the need for targeted support.

Challenges identified included the growth in the number of young people within the participation cohort, increasing competition for places, and limited specialist provision. The availability of suitable alternative post-16 provision was also noted as a challenge, with a historical reliance on North Lancs Training Group (NLTG) for vocational pathways.

Preventative and early intervention work was described, including collaboration with schools on careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG), support for the Gatsby Benchmarks, and the Bury Menu initiative. Connexions Advisers were undertaking Risk of NEET Indicator (RONI) activity with schools to identify young people at risk.

Developments in new opportunities were also highlighted, including the Future:Ready programme, commissioned interventions, and partnerships with Bury College, YMCA, RAP Alternative Provision, and TechFirst AI. These developments aimed to strengthen progression pathways into digital careers and apprenticeships.

The report concluded that while Bury's performance was comparatively strong, it remained an area for improvement, particularly for young people facing multiple disadvantages. The extensive work being carried out to widen opportunities and ensure young people are well-placed to take advantage of them was acknowledged.