The Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee of Brent Council met on Tuesday 30 June 2026 to review the annual reports of the Brent Safeguarding Adults Board and the Brent Safeguarding Children Partnership. The committee also discussed the Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker.

Brent Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report

The committee reviewed the Brent Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) Annual Report for April 2025 to March 2026. Nicola Brownjohn, the Independent Chair for the Brent Safeguarding Adults Board, presented the report, highlighting the board's work in completing its strategic plan for 2024-2026, which focused on self-neglect, housing need, and substance misuse. Key achievements included the development and launch of a Self-Neglect Toolkit and improved governance through the Performance & Audit subgroup.

The SAB has approved a new strategic plan for 2026-2028 with priorities focusing on safeguarding adults with complex care and support needs, specifically mental health, suicide prevention, and homelessness linked to safeguarding. A second priority is the prevention of harm for those with care and support needs, aiming to intervene earlier. Three golden threads will underpin this work: community engagement, the digital world, and an effective workforce.

During the discussion, councillors raised concerns about the lack of baseline data in the report to measure progress, the perceived siloed nature of the report, and the need for a clearer multi-agency ethos. Nicola Brownjohn acknowledged these points, explaining that the report's structure was an attempt to gather comprehensive information from partners. She agreed that multi-agency working needed strengthening and that the new strategic priorities inherently relied on this.

Several recommendations and information requests were made by the committee, including:

• A request for Brent-specific data to be included in future reports, with a trend analysis over at least three to five years.
• Suggestions for redesigning the report to be more digestible, potentially using infographics and a traffic light system.
• A recommendation for a section in the report critically examining communications between agencies.
• A request for the inclusion of safeguarding figures to assure the committee that individuals are not being screened out inappropriately.
• A proposal for a working session between the committee and relevant staff to establish what data is most useful for scrutiny.
• A recommendation for a consultation with all councillors in approximately six months to gather their experiences with the safeguarding team.

Brent Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report

Keith Mackin, the Independent Scrutineer for the Brent Safeguarding Children Partnership, presented the annual report. He highlighted that the partnership had seen a change in the pattern of safeguarding partnership reviews, with an increase after a period of very few. He also noted the ongoing work on online safety, where Brent is taking a lead, and the development of the Phone Pledge system. Mr. Mackin cautioned about the difficulty of comparing data between boroughs and analysing trend data due to differing data collection methods.

Key priorities for the partnership over the next 12 months were identified as an emphasis on neglect, the Families First Partnership Programme, and capturing the voice of young people. Nigel Chapman, Corporate Director for Children, Young People, and Community Development, added that Brent was ahead of the game in implementing parts of the Families First reforms and that the partnership working was strong, with education playing a key role. He also mentioned a positive Ofsted inspection.

Councillor Clinton raised several points regarding previous recommendations, including the work on online safety, transitional safeguarding, and data/KPIs. She also inquired about engagement with youth organisations and whether the Independent Scrutineer had contacted Healthwatch. Keith Mackin confirmed he had not yet met with Healthwatch but would arrange a meeting. Nigel Chapman detailed the work being done with youth organisations, including the Young Brent Foundation and other commissioned services.

Councillor Chadha asked Palwinder Kudel, Director of Early Health and Social Care, about the changes to information sharing and school representatives now that education is considered a fourth safeguarding partner. Palwinder Kudel explained the redesign of early help and social care, the implementation of a family group decision-making service, and improvements in multi-agency information sharing at the front door.

Councillor De Souza asked about the top three safeguarding risks for children in Brent. Nigel Chapman identified neglect as a priority, followed by vulnerable adolescents at risk of criminal exploitation and gang-related activity. Detective Superintendent Will Lexton Jones from the Metropolitan Police agreed that these were chronic risks and highlighted the prevalence of repeat missing children as a symptom of exploitation.

Councillor Alexandra inquired about the Phone Pledge and its difference from Department for Education guidance, and how neighbouring boroughs could be influenced to implement similar standards. Nigel Chapman explained that the Brent pledge went further than national guidance by looking at all technologies and encouraging voluntary sign-ups. He also mentioned ongoing London-wide approaches and cross-border work.

The committee also discussed the transition from children's services to adult services, with Rochelle Goldberg asking about referred cases and how they are handled. Nigel Chapman and Nicola Brownjohn explained the processes in place for children with disabilities and care leavers, and the work being done to identify and support those with additional needs who are not known to services.

A discussion also took place regarding neurodiversity and the long waiting times for assessments. Nigel Chapman acknowledged the significant growth in children with Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the connection between undiagnosed SEND and safeguarding risks. He stated that Brent was above the England average for meeting the 20-week timescale for EHCP completion, but that earlier intervention was key.

The committee also discussed online safety and grooming, with Will Lexton Jones highlighting the role of education, schools, and parents, and the work of his specialist crime team. Palwinder Kudel mentioned that the assessment tool used in early help and social care was being revised to include prompts about online safety.

Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker

The committee reviewed the Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker for 2025-26. Councillor Clinton noted that while many historical recommendations had been addressed, she would like to see a more proactive approach to the management and reporting of the tracker, with actions being followed up more rigorously.

The committee resolved to note the Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker and the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for the 2025/26 Municipal Year.