The Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel and the Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel met in common to receive an update on the development of the new Haringey Integrated Transitions Programme, which aims to support young people aged 14-25 as they transition to adulthood. The panels previously discussed the programme at a meeting on 28 May 2024, and this meeting was intended to provide an update on the progress made since then. The panels discussed housing, communication, and how the programme will be implemented.

Update on the Transitions Programme

The panels received an update on the Haringey Integrated Transitions Programme, which is designed to support young people aged 14-25 as they move into adulthood. The programme aims to promote independence and resilience, reducing reliance on adult social services. The aspiration is that the programme will be a cross-agency service, working with housing, health, education, and community partners.

The presentation was introduced by Beverley Hendricks, AD for Safeguarding & Social Care and Vicky Murphy, Service Director for Adult Social Services. Ann Graham, Director of Children's services was present for this agenda item, along with Dennis Scotland, Head of Children in Care and Placements. Councillor Brabazon, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families was also present.

Key discussion points included:

• Holistic Approach: Officers stated that they recognised the unique circumstances of each child and would work holistically to improve outcomes. They also mentioned opportunities to collaborate with the Cabinet Member outside the formal programme.
• Subgroups for Improvement: Subgroups would be established to focus on achieving improvements related to the four main outcomes of the programme.
• Communication: The panel sought assurances about clear communication between different services, and officers responded that the Transitions approach involves setting up a dedicated group to better understand the psychosocial needs of young people.
• Housing: Officers noted the work done by Adult Social Services on the locality model to ensure young people can access support at different stages. They acknowledged the need for housing with wrap-around services and stated that while there is no specific housing budget within the Transitions programme, they would seek funding from the corporate capital programme for dedicated housing, citing the St. Ann's site as an example.
• Thresholds for Intervention: Officers clarified the differing thresholds for intervention for children versus adults, noting that not everyone transitioning to adulthood at 18 would meet the threshold for adult social care under the Care Act[^1]. However, they also highlighted early intervention and prevention activities, including a new locality model, to provide additional support. [^1]: The Care Act 2014 sets out a local authority's duties in relation to assessing people's needs for care and support, and how the local authority should meet those needs.
• Support for Existing Cohort: The panel asked about support for the existing cohort of 14-25 year olds who would miss out on the new service. Officers responded that the locality model is open to everyone in the borough and emphasised a No Wrong Front Door approach.
• Communication with Residents: Officers stated that Duty/Screening Officers would be the first point of contact for those contacting the service, helping them understand the service and signposting them to other support.
• Governance Structure: The panel questioned the decision-making powers of the bodies feeding into the Transitions Board. Officers clarified that the Transitions Board, chaired by the Director of Children's Services, would have overall control, supported by specialists and a Strategic Operational Group.
• Legislative Framework: Officers clarified that a range of legislation was relevant due to the mixture of needs involved, with the Care Act being the primary piece of legislation.
• Local Government Finances: The Cabinet Member acknowledged concerns about a lack of funding from central government and the need for local authorities to lobby for additional funding.
• Community Housing Design: Members requested more information around the details of the community housing design in a future update.
• Financial Cost Pressures: The Cabinet Member highlighted the challenges in the care sector due to the privatisation of residential care facilities and the increasing cost of private placements for children.
• Financial Risk: The Director of Children's Services emphasised that the council currently lacks a dedicated transitions service and that the programme aims to improve outcomes and reduce demand pressures and costs.
• Task and Finish Groups: Officers clarified that the task and finish groups would be a long-term part of the programme, working with the strategic operational group to address complex issues and improve outcomes.
• Housing Service Role: Officers stated that the housing service is represented in the task and finish groups, with the Independent Living and Housing group co-chaired by a senior officer in the Housing Demand service.
• Co-design: Officers emphasised the importance of incorporating the voice of children and young people, citing the role of Aspire and the use of life story work and feedback mechanisms through special school heads.
• Accessible Housing: The panel stressed the importance of accessible housing provision and suggested increasing the current target of one in twenty new build council homes being accessible.
• Mental Health: The panel hoped the service could impact mental health and wellbeing, suggesting that measuring a reduction in suicide rates would be a long-term process. Officers cautioned that this programme is just one factor in young people's lives and that the council operates within a wider system to support mental health.

The Panel Members put forward the following points of feedback/recommendations:

• Members would like to see some baselines and KPIs for the overarching outcomes
• Members would like to see more information on the core membership of the Task and Finish groups – both in relation to senior officers and how we will incorporate service users (co-design).
• Members requested more information on a breakdown of costs. Particularly in terms of breaking down housing costs versus specific care needs
• Members suggested that they would like to see a mapping exercise undertaken to identify suitable accommodation. What is the strategy for identifying and developing suitable property.
• Members requested that a further update be provided to the panels at a future date. It was suggested that this should be in one year's time.
• Members requested that the future update include reference to the engagement strategy for the programme and details of how we will be communicating with parents and carers.
• Members requested that the future update refers to how information sharing between different services will be improved.
• That the future update refer to staff training and how we will try to ensure that staff are directing service users down the correct pathways.
• That colleagues from Housing, Health and Education are invited to the follow up session.
• Members requested that further details be provided at the next joint meeting around the savings that are going to be made. How will these be identified and what do we mean by 'cost avoidance'.
• That the next update provides assurances around the financing of staffing posts. Members commented that they would like to see some further explanation of housing staff will be part of the programme, along with the locality teams in Adults.
• In relation to the ' No Wrong Door' approach, Members requested further information at a future meeting about how service users will be signposted to the correct services.
• Members commented about communication and how important it was to communicate the new service to residents effectively. Members request that the future update mention how communication with residents was progressing, how it was being measured and how the services would be learning and improving as a result.