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Family Services Select Committee - Thursday, 3rd July, 2025 6.30 pm

July 3, 2025 View on council website
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Summary

The Family Services Select Committee were scheduled to discuss the Bi-Borough Children and Young People's Plan, and to confirm their work programme for the coming year. The meeting was also scheduled to include a 72 seconds' silence to remember those who lost their lives in the Grenfell tragedy1.

Children and Young People's Plan

The Family Services Select Committee were scheduled to receive an update on the Bi-Borough Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP) 2, two years after its launch in 2023. The CYPP is a three-year plan that sets out the council's ambitions for children and young people in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster City Council.

The report pack included a Two-Year On Report which provided an overview of the progress made against the seven priorities outlined in the original plan. These priorities are:

  • All children have the best start in life, their needs are identified and supported early, and they are school-ready at five.
  • Children and young people have access to high-quality education and training opportunities, have good attendance at school and achieve their full potential.
  • Children and young people feel safe, and are protected from serious youth violence, harm, harmful practices, abuse, and neglect at home, online and in the community.
  • All young people, and particularly those who are vulnerable can realise their ambitions and take advantage of opportunities and life skills which prepare them for adulthood.
  • All our young people feel listened to, empowered to take action, and have opportunities to co-produce/co-design services that affect them.
  • All children and young people are happy and healthy, with access to a diverse range of activities and opportunities to support their physical, mental health and emotional well-being within the post-pandemic context, environmental challenges, and rising cost of living pressures.
  • Children and young people affected by the Grenfell tragedy continue to be supported. The Council, NHS and commissioned voluntary sector providers learn from their experience of the past five years and work together to ensure support is effective for children and their families.

The Two-Year On Report also included practice spotlights, which highlighted the real-life impact of the council's work, and a review of recent engagement and co-production activities to confirm that the priorities remained relevant to children and young people.

The report pack also included a Quarterly CYPP Priority Report for the fourth quarter of 2024-25, which set out performance data and highlighted progress towards the seven priorities.

The Family Services Select Committee were asked to note the progress made and provide feedback on the proposed approach for the development of a new plan, as the current plan ends in 2026. The report pack stated that the RBKC Youth Council would have a significant role in contributing to and finalising the new plan.

Work Programme Report

The Family Services Select Committee were scheduled to discuss their work programme for the 2025/2026 municipal year.

The Work Programme Report set out the development of the select committee's work programme, identifying priorities for the year. The report included a longlist of proposals for each select committee based on inputs from members of the public, ward councillors, officers in the Family Services Department and Lead Members.

The Scrutiny Work Programming Guide included in the report pack, stated that effective scrutiny should:

  • Provide constructive 'critical friend' challenge.
  • Amplify the voices and concerns of the public.
  • Be led by independent people who take responsibility for their role.
  • Drive improvement in public services and strategic decision-making.

The report stated that the select committee had a discrete remit to scrutinise the delivery, outputs and performance of council services, the development of departmental policy, strategy and projects, and improved outcomes and satisfaction for residents and users of services, and to amplify residents' voices.

The Family Services Select Committee were asked to confirm their scrutiny priorities for the municipal year, as set out in Appendix 1, which would then be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 15 July 2025.

The confirmed scrutiny priorities were:

  1. Early intervention and prevention
  2. Transformation and Savings
  3. Continuing care and complex needs
  4. National SEND Review
  5. Emotional Well-Being Mental Health Plan one year on
  6. Serious Youth Violence
  7. Partnership working with schools
  8. Attendance
  9. Virtual School and the Virtual Headteacher

The Family Services Select Committee were also scheduled to agree to develop a detailed work programme setting out reports and items to scheduled meetings during 2025/2026.

Other items

The minutes of the previous meetings held on 8 May and 21 May 2025 were submitted for confirmation.


  1. The Grenfell Tower fire was a devastating fire in 2017 that killed 72 people. 

  2. The Bi-Borough arrangement refers to the shared services between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council. 

Attendees

Profile image for Cllr Will Pascall
Cllr Will Pascall  (Chair, Family Services Select Committee) •  Conservative Party •  Stanley
Profile image for Cllr Will Lane
Cllr Will Lane  (Mayor) •  Conservative Party •  Queen's Gate
Profile image for Cllr Preety Hudd
Cllr Preety Hudd  (Vice-Chair, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Vice-Chair, Investment Committee) •  Conservative Party •  Campden
Profile image for Cllr David Lindsay
Cllr David Lindsay  (Chair, Pension Board) •  Conservative Party •  Norland
Profile image for Cllr Abdullahi Nur
Cllr Abdullahi Nur  (Environmental Spokesperson ) •  Labour Party •  Golborne
Profile image for Cllr Sonia Zvedeniuk
Cllr Sonia Zvedeniuk  Conservative Party •  Chelsea Riverside
Irfan Ahmad
Jagdeep Birdi
Nicholas Kyprios
Rebecca Timms
Kathleen Williams
Ian Heggs
Sarah Newman
Glen Peache
Annabel Saunders

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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