The Children's Scrutiny Committee of Devon Council met on Thursday, 8 October 2026, to discuss significant updates on children's social care transformation, performance, and fostering services. Key decisions included noting the progress of the Families First Reforms and the Growing Futures Programme, and reviewing the Fostering Task Group's recommendations.

Children's Transformation Programme and Performance Report

The committee received a comprehensive report detailing the progress of Devon's Children's Social Care transformation programmes, including the Families First Reforms and the Growing Futures Programme. These reforms aim to strengthen early intervention, improve the sufficiency and choice of homes for children in care, and enhance multi-agency working.

The Families First Reforms, a national initiative, are being implemented across three key elements: Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs), and Family Group Decision Making. Progress has been made in designing the Family Help model, which integrates early help and child in need support, and in piloting MACPTs to improve safeguarding through integrated working. The reforms also aim to embed family-led planning and strengthen family networks. A cross-cutting strand focuses on child exploitation and risk outside the home, with a refreshed strategy and multi-agency team working to disrupt exploitation.

The Growing Futures Programme is focused on increasing the number of local, high-quality homes for Devon's children. This includes developing new children's homes through a partnership with Catch22 and St Christopher's, and strengthening supported accommodation for care-experienced young people. The report highlighted areas of strong performance, such as placement stability and suitable accommodation for care-experienced young people, while also identifying areas requiring continued improvement, including assessment timeliness and the use of residential care for younger children.

The committee discussed the challenges of ensuring sufficient foster carers with the skills to meet complex needs, and the delays in accessing therapeutic interventions. A multi-agency task group has been established to address these issues and identify opportunities for reunification, kinship care, or fostering for children currently in residential care.

Update on the Fostering Task Group Recommendations

This report provided an update on the implementation of the Fostering Task Group's recommendations, which have been integrated into the wider 'Fostering Reset' programme. The Fostering Reset aims to recruit and retain foster carers, improve support, strengthen corporate parenting arrangements, and increase the number of Devon children living in local family-based care.

Significant progress has been made, including investment in fees and allowances, expanded support through the Mockingbird programme, and council tax relief for foster carers. The report highlighted a positive shift in the number of new foster carers being recruited and a decrease in the number of carers deregistering. The council is also focusing on improving the digital offer for foster carers, including trials of devices and the development of a foster carer portal.

Discussions also covered the challenges of securing council tax reductions from district councils for foster carers and the importance of promoting fostering opportunities. The committee noted the ongoing work to improve the foster carer experience from initial contact through to long-term support.

Report of the Regional Adoption Agency Joint Scrutiny Group

The committee received the minutes from the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) Joint Scrutiny Group meeting held on 10 April 2026. This group, comprising scrutiny members from Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay Councils, scrutinises the work of Adopt South West (ASW). The report detailed discussions on the purpose and role of RAAs, performance against the strategic plan, and recruitment and support for adopters. Key points included the ongoing demand for placements exceeding the number of adopters, improved timeliness of placements compared to the national average, and the need for more diverse adopters. The report also highlighted the positive impact of the triage service for adoptive parents and the development of preventative support offers.

Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme, agreeing to add a masterclass on lifelong links and family group conferences, and a visit to the children's social care front door. The six-month review of the inclusion report and the annual safeguarding report from the Devon Children's Safeguarding Partnership were also noted. The committee discussed the inclusion of the draft conversion bill in its work programme, with a commitment to further investigation and potential evidence gathering before its formal parliamentary review.

The committee also discussed the importance of corporate parenting and agreed to formalise recommendations to ensure foster carers are aware of their local county councillor and the role they play.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the Fostering Task Group's recommendations, with a focus on improving support for foster carers, including digital resources and financial incentives. The committee also received an update on the Regional Adoption Agency Joint Scrutiny Group, noting the ongoing work to support adopters and children in care.