The Children, Families and Skills Scrutiny Committee of Lancashire County Council met on Wednesday 21 October 2026 to discuss the progress of the Families First Programme, the development of Family Hubs across the county, and the Youth Justice Plan. The committee reviewed the current operational model for children's services and considered how to best implement national reforms to improve support for families.

Families First Programme

The committee received an update on the Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP), a national reform mandated by the Department for Education (DfE) aimed at transforming how children, young people, and their families receive help, support, and protection. The programme seeks to create a more joined-up system by integrating targeted early help, child in need services, and multi-agency child protection. Key developments include the creation of a complete Family Help model, determining team sizes and structures, and defining workflows between new Family Services, the front door, and specialist services. Subject matter experts have been recruited to support the programme, and a new Director of Quality Assurance & Specialist Services has been appointed as the Senior Responsible Officer. The programme is funded by a dedicated DfE grant and is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2027.

Family Hubs

The committee reviewed the progress of Lancashire's Family Hubs, which serve as the primary place-based infrastructure for early help, supporting families from pregnancy up to age 19 (or 25 for those with SEND). The network has expanded to 34 hubs across 12 districts, with 12 designated as Best Start Family Hubs focusing on integrated support from conception to age five. The report highlighted that over the 12 months from July 2025 to June 2026, Family Hubs recorded 268,939 meaningful contacts with children, young people, and families. The report also detailed the services offered, including parenting programmes, health visiting, mental health support, and early help assessments. Challenges were noted regarding the suitability of some venues, particularly in Wyre and Chorley districts, and the need for continued outreach to disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The committee was informed that the Family Hubs programme directly supports the council's ambition for Better lives for all and contributes to Stronger communities.

Youth Justice Plan

A briefing note was presented on the Child and Youth Justice Service (CYJS), outlining developments since April 2026 and aligning Lancashire's activities with the Government's Cutting Youth Crime. Changing Young Lives White Paper. The reforms emphasise earlier intervention, diversion, victim support, and reduced use of custodial remand. Lancashire's CYJS is working on new pathways for children found with knives and the use of Deferred Prosecution, alongside developing a Serious Youth Violence Strategy. A trauma-informed health model has been developed to improve consistency and access to physical health, emotional wellbeing, and substance misuse support. The service is also addressing disproportionality within the youth justice system through a Power BI dashboard and a dedicated strategy. To reduce remand and custody, Lancashire has established a remand foster care offer and a Pan-Lancashire regional remand partnership, supported by additional Ministry of Justice funding. The committee was informed that children are playing a more active role in governance and service development, influencing practice and leading to initiatives like the rebranding of the In Care Out of Trouble group to C.A.R.E. to reduce stigma.

Recommendations Tracker and Work Programme

The committee reviewed the updated recommendation tracker, noting that a briefing note on home to school transport costs for SEND pupils had been added to the work programme for the meeting on 13 January 2027. The work programme for 2026-27 was also presented, outlining planned scrutiny activities across children's social care, education, and skills. The committee considered removing the childcare sufficiency and early years item from the agenda for the 27 April 2027 meeting, as sufficient information had been provided.

Urgent Business

It was noted that at the committee meeting, it was agreed that two representatives from the Parent Carer Forum would be formally included as observers on the committee's membership, formalising the existing arrangement where the two co-chairs, Michelle and Miranda, were invited to meetings. The council's constitution will be updated to reflect this addition.

The next meeting of the committee was scheduled for Wednesday, 2 December 2026.