The Council of the London Borough of Havering was scheduled to meet on Wednesday 23 July 2025. During the meeting, the council was expected to discuss petitions, vacant positions, recommendations, and reports. They were also scheduled to receive annual reports of committees and member champions, consider member's questions, and debate motions.

Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report

The council was scheduled to receive the annual report of the Corporate Parenting Panel. The panel met four times between August 2024 and May 2025 and had the opportunity to participate in two Children's Takeover sessions with a group of Children in Care and Care experienced young adults presenting to Members and officers.

The Corporate Parenting Panel provides a forum to focus on the council's legal obligations and responsibilities towards children in care and young people leaving care.

The Panel consists of Councillor Jason Frost (Chair), Councillor Oscar Ford, Councillor Mandy Anderson, Councillor Stephanie Nunn, and Councillor Frankie Walker, as well as officers, partner agencies, and foster carers.

The Panel considered the following reports as part of the process:

Cocoon Management Forum Feedback

The Panel received an update from a young person who is a member of the management team of the Cocoon Centre. The young person explained that the young people were currently involved in rewriting the Havering Care Local Offer, with plans to create two versions: a detailed version and a shorter, more digestible version with bolded keywords, bullet points, and visuals for clarity.

The following feedback on the current Local Offer was noted:

Discussion highlighted inconsistencies in entitlement awareness among young people.

Suggestions for improvement in communicating entitlements like the setting-up home allowance.

The Panel noted the collaboration with procurement on a new procurement initiative to secure better deals on essential goods (e.g. white goods) for care leavers, potentially using contracts or recycled goods.

Say It Louder Feedback on Summer Activities Presentation

The Panel received an update presentation regarding activities done with the Children in Care Council 'Say It Louder' and feedback from the Youth Influence and Participation Services.

Activities included:

• A school holiday programme for six weeks (July-August) with various activities.
• Light cooking and healthy eating workshops.
• Arts and crafts projects.
• Cultural trips to Tate Modern and other landmarks in London.

Performance Dataset

The Panel received the Corporate Parenting dataset 2024/25 as at 31 August 2024. The key performance indicators update had been benchmarked against London and Statistical Neighbours.

The number of Children in care increased by 19% during 2023/24, from 235 at 30th April 2023 up to 280 at 31st March 2024, followed by stabilisation between April and August 2024.

CIC Health Subgroup Report

The Panel received a report from the health subgroup. The children in care's health subgroup in Havering has been a longstanding subgroup of the Havering Corporate Parenting Panel. The subgroup resumed meetings in January 2024 with an updated membership and terms of reference.

The report outlined the following data challenges:

Persistent discrepancies in health assessment data due to varied data collection methods.

Issues noted in dental checks, optician reviews, and immunisation data accuracy.

Local audits suggest better compliance than reflected in official statistics.

North East London Hub Fostering & Mockingbird Update

The Panel received a presentation update from the Head of Corporate Parenting and Fostering Service Manager on the North East London Fostering & Mockingbird.

The current number of In-House Carers stood at 95 carers with 4 new households approved this financial year and 5 currently being assessed.

The service has continued to make the following improvement:

• Assessment Process: Timeliness improved by starting DBS checks and medicals as soon as suitability is determined.
• Communication: Daily meetings with the placements team to improve sufficiency and ensure effective matching.

The service had faced the following challenges:

• Resignations: Retirements and communication concerns among carers.
• Administrative Delays: Efforts to streamline the medical process with the medical advisor to reduce delays in approvals.

The Service outline the use of Connected Carers: There were currently 17 Connected carer households who care for 27 children.

The presentation outlined the following initiatives that will support children in care:

• Local Community Fostering: A government initiative Six East London Local Authorities working together to increase recruitment of carers.
• Mockingbird: A fostering initiative using an extended 'family' structure of support to a group of carers.
• Fostering Friendly: An initiative developed by the Fostering Network.
• Supported Lodgings: The Service recognise that a number of people cannot commit to being a foster carer for a variety of reasons.

Corporate Parenting Panel - Terms of Reference

The Panel received the Terms of Reference of the Corporate Parenting Panel.

The Corporate Parenting Panel of the London Borough of Havering focuses on the Council's legal obligations and responsibilities towards children in care and young people leaving care. It applies the key Corporate Parenting principles outlined in the Children and Social Work Act 2017 to ensure secure, nurturing, and positive experiences for children in care and care leavers, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives.

Young People's Voice - CIC Council

The Panel received a presentation from Young People's CIC group. The Panel was advised of the following activities that the group undertook:

• Visit to Tower Hamlets CiC Group
• Birthday celebrations of Young people
• Black History Month Events: Presentations on famous people
• Participated in the Coram Voice Competition (March 2025)
• Residential in Isle of Wight
• Day Activities in and around the borough: Ice Skating, Cosmos, Laser Tag, Cooking

Young People's Voice - Cocoon Youth Management Group

The Panel received a presentation from Youth Management Team. The topic for the day was Mental Health, in recognition of International Mental Health Awareness Month.

Ofsted Monitoring Visit

The Director Children Services (DCS) provided the Panel an update on the Ofsted monitoring visit, highlighting positive feedback on investment, management, and social workers. Areas for improvement included supervision, care planning, and recording.

The primary focus areas during this visit were:

• Children in Care
• Homeless children aged 16–17, including those presenting at the front door
• Children in Supported Accommodation (previously known as semi-independent accommodation)
• Missing Children

Corporate Parenting Strategy Subgroups - Overview

The Head of Service Corporate Parenting provided the Panel with the Corporate Parenting update. It was noted that the service needs to create and update the Council's Corporate Parenting Strategy.

The following priorities were highlighted within the previous Corporate Parenting Strategy:

• Priority 1 Keeping our Children Safe
• Priority 2 Hear young people
• Priority 3 Caring home for all
• Priority 4 – Aspiration, education and opportunity
• Priority 5 Understand our services
• Priority 6 Excellent health outcomes

Fostering

The Panel was provided the annual report that outlines the activities conducted by the Fostering Independent Reviewing Officer (FIRO), presenting an analysis of the data collected and providing a targeted plan for the upcoming year.

Performance Exception Report

The Head of Service Corporate Parenting (HSCP) advised the panel on the Quarter 4 Exceptions report (January to March 2025) regarding key performance indicators (KPIs) as reported at the end of March 2025 with some analysis to enable Members and partners to understand progress. The KPIs focused on, related to Children in Care, Care Leavers and key Fostering and Adoption performance areas.

Annual Reports of Committees and Member Champions

The council was scheduled to receive the annual reports of committees and member champions. These included reports from the:

• Audit Committee
• Pensions Committee
• Overview and Scrutiny Board
• Places Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee
• People Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee

Other reports

The council was scheduled to consider a report from the Chief Executive on Exceptions to the Call-in (Requisition) Procedure.

Petitions

Notice of intention to present a petition has been received from Councillors Viddy Persaud and Paul McGeary.

Vacant Positions

The council was scheduled to elect the Member Champions for the Over 50s and for the Voluntary Sector Compact.

Member's Questions and Motions

The council was scheduled to consider member's questions and motions for debate.