The Children, Young People, Families and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to consider a range of important issues, including the local implications of the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs and the Hull Safeguarding Children Partnership's yearly report. The commission was also scheduled to receive updates on taxi and private hire services and safeguarding, as well as the Portfolio Holder's priorities for the upcoming year.

Child Sexual Exploitation and Grooming Gangs – Local Implications

The commission was scheduled to receive an overview of Hull's involvement in and response to the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs. This was to include details on current safeguarding arrangements, partnership activity, support for victims and survivors, early help and prevention efforts, and how Hull learns from national and local inquiries. The report highlighted Hull's established multi-agency arrangements to prevent, identify, and respond to child sexual exploitation and wider risks outside the home, coordinated through the Hull Safeguarding Children Partnership, the Risk Outside the Home Strategic Group, and the Multi-Agency Youth Violence and Exploitation (MAYVE) Panel.

Hull Safeguarding Children Partnership Yearly Report - 2025/2026

The commission was scheduled to consider the annual report of the Hull Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) for 2025/2026. The report was to outline the partnership's progress in strengthening collective safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It was to detail achievements against priorities, the impact of their work, and learning that shapes service improvement. The report noted that Hull's safeguarding arrangements were recognised as Outstanding in the Ofsted inspection of Children's Services. Key priorities for the partnership in 2025/2026 were to focus on impactful learning from the experiences of children and families, the Families First Partnership Programme, neglect, contextual safeguarding, effective multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, and domestic abuse.

Taxi and Private Hire Services and Safeguarding

An update was scheduled to be provided on changes to the training processes for taxi and private hire drivers. This was to include steps taken to ensure the safeguarding and welfare of children and other vulnerable users. Amendments to the training package for new applicants were to include additional information from the police on safeguarding and county lines, as well as resources for suicide prevention. Existing drivers were scheduled to receive safeguarding update training prior to their next licence renewal.

Portfolio Holder Priorities 2026/2027

Councillor Linda Tock, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services, was scheduled to present her priorities for 2026/2027. These priorities were to reflect current and planned activity within Children, Young People and Family Services (CYPFS), influenced by continuous improvement, external policy, and the experiences of children and young people. The priorities were to align with Hull's Community Plan, the City Council Plan, and the Children and Young People's Plan, with a strong focus on creating a Child Friendly City. Key areas were to include corporate parenting, care leaver services, achieving a Best Start in Life, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms, the Families First Partnership Programme, and the National Youth Strategy, including the development of Young Futures Hubs.

Children, Young People and Family Services – 2026/27 Period 5 Monitoring

The commission was scheduled to receive an overview of the budget position for the Children, Young People and Family Services Directorate for the 2026/27 period, covering up to the end of August 2026. This was to include how the budget is influenced by demand levels, performance measures used for monitoring, and service actions to control demand and mitigate overspending while improving quality. The report was to forecast an overall overspend of £6 million across the directorate, with significant pressures within Children's Safeguarding Services, particularly related to placement costs and demand-led services. The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was also to be reviewed, with a projected in-year deficit of £17.9 million.

Executive Director Children, Young People & Family Services Update

The Executive Director was scheduled to provide an update on current and key issues within the directorate. This was to allow commission members to identify matters for further consideration and raise questions that might lead to further work.

Young People Scrutiny Engagement Group Feedback

The commission was scheduled to receive feedback and outcomes from the most recent meeting of the Young People Scrutiny Engagement Group. This group was established to enable young people to consider issues discussed across scrutiny commissions and provide feedback from a young person's perspective. The feedback was to focus on the Bright Spots Programme, which highlighted areas of strength and areas requiring improvement in the experiences of care leavers, particularly concerning education, employment, training, finances, mental health, and isolation.

Annual Reports Review

The commission was scheduled to review several annual reports relevant to its remit. These were to include the Independent Reviewing Service for Children Subject of Child Protection Plans Annual Report 2025-2026, the Child Protection Chair Annual Report 2025/26, the Voice and Influence Annual Report 2025/2026, and the Hull Social Work Academy Annual Report 2025-2026. These reports were intended to provide an opportunity for members to maintain oversight of performance, governance, service delivery, and partnership activity, and to identify any matters warranting further scrutiny.

Work Programme

The commission was scheduled to consider and agree its work programme. This was to include proposed amendments to report scheduling and the inclusion of new items, such as a referral from Full Council requesting scrutiny of youth unemployment, skills, and related work by the council and its partners.

The meeting also had procedural items scheduled, including receiving apologies, declarations of interest, and approving minutes from a previous meeting, as well as reviewing outstanding actions. Some items were designated as exempt, meaning the public would likely be excluded from discussions on these matters.