The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee will be provided with an update on the performance of Islington's schools and on the number of children attending school. The Committee will also receive an update on the support the council provides to Special Guardians.

Support for Special Guardians

The Committee will receive a report on the support the council offers to Special Guardians. The report is intended to provide more information about Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs), and the support Islington offers to Special Guardians. The report describes what SGOs are, who can apply for them, and how to do so. An SGO is an order appointing someone to be a child’s Special Guardian. It is intended to provide more security than long-term fostering, but without the complete legal separation from the birth parents that an adoption order entails. It lasts until a child turns 18.

A Special Guardianship Order is an order appointing a person, or persons, to be a child’s special guardian whilst preserving the basic link between the child and their birth family. It secures a child’s long-term home with someone who is not their parent and lasts until the child turns 18. The report also describes the support the council offers to Special Guardians, including financial support, support groups, and training. The local authority where the special guardian lives is responsible for undertaking an assessment of need and provision of any special guardianship support services in response to that assessment. The report goes into detail about the kinds of financial support that Special Guardians can receive, and the situations in which that support might stop. The report explains that the council has a contract with PAC UK, and that Special Guardians are given contact details for Kinship. The report also says that the council offers training, including training in PACE for Parenting. The training package includes training in PACE for Parenting to enhance the special guardian’s reparative, therapeutic parenting of children who have experienced trauma in early care arrangements. Finally, the report describes the support available for young people leaving the care of Special Guardians. The report is on the agenda for information only, so the Committee is not being asked to make any decisions about its contents.

School Results 2024

The Committee will be provided with an update on the performance of the borough's schools in 2024.

Attendance Update

The Committee will be provided with an update on the levels of school attendance in the borough.

12-Month Update - Scrutiny Review into Making Children Visible

The Committee will be provided with a 12-month progress update on the Scrutiny Review into Making Children Visible. This item is on the agenda for discussion only, so the Committee will not be asked to make any decisions on the matter. This will be the fourth time that the Committee has discussed this topic. The Committee previously discussed it at their meetings on 10 June 2024, 7 January 2025, and 24 February 2025, as detailed in the Committee's Work Programme 2024-25.