The Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to consider the Children's Social Care Annual Complaints Report for April 2025 to March 2026, and to receive an update on the multi-agency response to child sexual exploitation in Gateshead. The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme for the upcoming municipal year.

Children's Social Care Annual Complaints Report

The committee was scheduled to review the Children's Social Care Annual Complaints Report for the period of April 2025 to March 2026. This report was scheduled to provide an overview of complaints, compliments, and representations received, along with an analysis of complaint outcomes, performance against statutory timescales, and key themes identified. The report was also scheduled to detail the learning identified through the complaints process and how this learning has been used to improve services for children, young people, and families.

According to the report pack, during the 2025/26 period, there was an increase in Stage 1 statutory complaints, rising from 19 in the previous year to 42. Stage 2 investigations also saw an increase, from 4 to 15, with one complaint progressing to Stage 3. The report pack indicated that the increase in complaints reflected a combination of factors, including greater case complexity, improved recording and monitoring, increased awareness of the complaints process, and a rise in challenges to professional assessments and safeguarding decisions.

The report pack highlighted that the most common concerns raised in Stage 1 complaints related to the Quality of service/care, accounting for 66.7% of issues raised. Other themes included Lack of service/support and Refusal of service. The report pack also noted that 45.2% of Stage 1 complaints concluded in 2025/26 were not upheld, compared to 11.9% that were fully or partially upheld.

The report pack also detailed that six referrals were received from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman during the year, all of which were closed with no further action or deemed outside the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, with no cases resulting in findings of fault causing injustice. The report pack stated that compliments received during the year totalled 88, with recurring themes including the professionalism and commitment of staff, positive relationships with children and families, and responsiveness.

Child Sexual Exploitation and the Multi-Agency Response in Gateshead

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on child sexual exploitation (CSE) and the multi-agency response in Gateshead. This report was scheduled to provide an understanding and assurance of the partnership's approach to addressing the risks of sexual exploitation of children, identified locally as Risk Outside of the Home (ROTH).

The report pack indicated that ROTH encompasses criminal exploitation, including county lines, trafficking, gang affiliation, teenage relationship harm, radicalisation, and serious youth violence, occurring both online and in person. It referenced Baroness Casey's national audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (GBCSE), which highlighted common characteristics such as grooming, coercion, power imbalances, and the use of violence. The report pack also noted learning from national reviews, including the issue of 'adultification' where children are treated as adults, and the importance of a trauma-informed approach.

The report pack outlined Gateshead's partnership approach, which includes the Gateshead Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Joint Strategic Exploitation Group (JSEG). JSEG was described as a multi-agency strategic meeting focused on ensuring robust partnership responses to safeguarding children at risk outside the home, aligning its work with the 4P Framework (Prevent, Pursue, Protect, and Prepare). The report pack also mentioned the operational Partnership Reduction of Exploitation and Missing (PREM) group.

The report pack detailed the local profile of need, indicating that in Gateshead, referrals for sexual exploitation were predominantly for females (69%), with the highest age group for referrals being 10-15 years old (54%). It stated that 100% of referrals to Children's Social Care in 2025-26 progressed to an assessment or support offer, with 81.3% of assessments indicating a need for a multi-agency plan. In 2025-26, 26 children were identified as at risk of sexual exploitation and referred for support.

The report pack also detailed the contributions of key safeguarding partners, including Children's Services, Northumbria Police, Education, and Health. Children's Services was scheduled to provide an early intervention and statutory social care response, operating a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and establishing Family Help teams. Northumbria Police was scheduled to provide information on its specialist Missing from Home Investigation and Problem-Solving team, noting a reduction in missing person demand in Gateshead. Education partners were scheduled to report on their strengthened response through safeguarding networks and the dissemination of resources. Health services were scheduled to outline their use of the Safeguarding Exploitation and Grooming Risk Identifier (SEGRI).

The report pack indicated that positive outcomes had been achieved, including improved awareness and understanding of risk assessment, increased understanding of referral pathways, and a reduction in risk for children working with services. Future planning and improvement activities were scheduled to include embedding multi-agency workforce development, expanding public awareness campaigns, and strengthening transitional safeguarding arrangements.

Work Programme 2026-27

The committee was scheduled to consider its work programme for the 2026-27 municipal year. The report pack indicated that the proposed programme had been structured around key themes, with fewer items scheduled for each meeting to allow for more detailed consideration. Flexibility was also scheduled to be built into the programme to accommodate emerging priorities and additional deep-dive reviews. The report pack also highlighted criteria used for selecting scrutiny topics, including significance to local residents, alignment with organisational priorities, and opportunities to influence decision-making.