The Scrutiny Committee of Kent County Council was scheduled to meet on 16 July 2025 to discuss a range of topics, including the improvement of adult social care services, updates on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the progress of local government efficiency initiatives. The committee was also expected to elect a vice-chair and review the work programme. The meeting was scheduled to take place at County Hall in Maidstone.

Adult Social Care Services

The committee was scheduled to note the findings of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment of Kent County Council's Adult Social Care function, and the local authority's improvement plan.

The Health and Care Act 2022 gave the CQC new regulatory powers to assess care at a local authority and integrated care system level. The CQC uses its Local Authority Assurance Framework to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of services provided by local authorities under the Care Act 2014¹.

The report pack included Appendix 3 Adult Social Care Current Position, a presentation that was to cover:

• The Adult Social Care Strategy Midpoint Review
• The CQC reported areas of strength and improvement
• The 2024-25 budget position

The CQC assessment commenced on 18 March 2024, and the final report was published on 16 May 2025. The findings of the CQC assessment aligned with KCC's own self-assessment of its adult social care services.

The CQC identified a number of strengths of the local authority:

• Positive experiences of Care Act assessments
• Positive arrangements for co-production
• A focus on equality and diversity, with regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act 2010)
• Integrated Transfer of Care Hubs across Kent which had improved joint planning for hospital discharge
• Recognition of the needs of unpaid carers
• Timely, independent advocacy support
• Collaboration with people, partners and local communities to commission a range of preventative services
• Easy access to information and advice on rights under the Care Act 2014
• Use of technologies to support people to achieve their goals
• Prioritisation of safety
• Learning from feedback to inform strategy, improvement activity and decision making

The CQC also identified a number of areas for development:

• High demand for support, combined with shortages in frontline staffing had led to waiting lists
• Notable inconsistencies in practice
• Poor relationships and a lack of communication and engagement in joint priorities with some partners and providers
• Negative experiences of safeguarding enquiries, with outcomes not shared and concerns not being closed in a timely manner
• A lack of suitable, affordable care provision in certain areas of Kent
• Inconsistent quality monitoring
• A lack of support available for people with mental health and substance misuse needs
• Low staff morale, capacity issues and a lack of skills needed to effectively support people with specialist needs

The report pack also included Appendix 2 Initial Improvement Plan, which detailed how the council planned to address the areas for improvement identified by the CQC.

The report pack also included Appendix 1 Self Assessment, which provided an overview of adult social care in Kent. It noted that:

With a resident population of 1.6million, Kent has the largest population of all the southeast counties. Just over half of the total population of Kent is female (51.3%) and (48.7%) is male. The population is expected to rise by 18.2% between now and 2040.

The report also noted that the Adult Social Care and Health Directorate has a gross budget of £845.9m (2024-25 including 18-25 services, excluding Public Health).

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

The committee was scheduled to receive a quarterly update on key performance indicators relating to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services in Kent.

The report pack included Scrutiny Committee Quarterly SEN Report, which provided data on:

• The number of assessments completed over the last 12 months
• The percentage of plans completed within 20 weeks
• The oldest cases remaining open (in weeks)
• The percentage of annual reviews completed

The report noted that there had been an overall decrease in plans, which reflected the successful processing of the backlog.

The report also included Appendix 1 - Scrutiny July 2025 Kent 3rd Review - DfE NHSE Feedback, a letter from the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England (NHSE) following the third progress review of Kent's Improvement Plan (APP). The letter noted that:

During the meeting, the local area demonstrated a collective determination to continue making sustainable improvements to Kent's SEND services and to the lives of children and young people with SEND. The evidence provided in advance, alongside the additional information from partners, demonstrated a range of actions being taken to accelerate improvement.

The letter also provided feedback on specific areas, including:

• Parental concerns
• Quality of provision and commitment to inclusion in schools
• Parent and carer involvement in reviewing and designing services
• Joint commissioning arrangements
• Standards achieved and progress made by children and young people with SEND
• Quality of the EHC process
• Governance of SEND arrangements
• Waiting times for health services
• Systems to review and improve outcomes

The report also detailed work to develop a sustainable school system in Kent, including a special school review.

Kent Department of Local Government Efficiency

The committee was scheduled to discuss the progress of the Kent Department of Local Government Efficiency. The report pack included Item C3 Progress of the Kent Department of Local Government Efficiency 16th-Jul-2025 10.00 Scrut.pdf, and Progress of the Kent Department of Local Government Efficiency.pdf, which detailed the work of the department.