The Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on 11 September 2025, to discuss the recent Ofsted inspection, the prevention of youth offending, and the impact of local government reorganisation on children's services. The committee also received an update on the Gloucestershire Children and Young People's Wellbeing Coalition and the One Plan for Children and Young People.

Ofsted Inspection and the Revised Ambitions Plan

The committee reviewed the outcome of the recent Ofsted inspection and the revised Ambitions Plan. Ann James, Executive Director of Children's Services, reported that Ofsted had rated Gloucestershire Children's Services as 'good' overall, with 'outstanding' grades for the impact of leaders and the experiences and progress of children in care.

Inspectors had made two recommendations for improvement:

• The response to homeless 16- and 17-year-olds.
• Support for care leavers not in education, employment, or training.

Ms James explained that district, borough, and city chief executives in Gloucestershire have agreed to review the homelessness protocol for 16-17-year-olds. She added that senior leaders and the Corporate Parenting Group were already overseeing the implementation of plans for a more coherent and comprehensive response to supporting education, training, and employment outcomes.

The committee also scrutinised the draft Ambitions Plan 2025/26, which sets out the actions children's services will take to consolidate and continue to drive improvements for children, young people, and families in need of help, support, and care. The plan includes actions under six ambitions and two enablers:

• Ambition 1: Early Help and the Partnership.
• Ambition 2: Family Hubs and Locality Focus.
• Ambition 3: Front Door
• Ambition 4: Child in Need and Child Protection
• Ambition 5: Children in Care
• Ambition 6: Care Leavers
• Enabler 1: Workforce
• Enabler 2: Quality Assurance

Gloucestershire Children and Young People's Wellbeing Coalition and the One Plan for Children and Young People

The committee received a progress update on the Gloucestershire Children and Young People's Wellbeing Coalition and the One Plan for Children and Young People. Dame Janet Trotter, Chair of the Children and Young People's Wellbeing Coalition, outlined the Coalition's vision for Gloucestershire to be a place where children and young people thrive and live lives of choice and opportunity.

The One Plan sets out four objectives:

• Equity – closing the gap and eliminating inequalities
• Access – providing the right help at the right time for all children
• Inclusion – being a county where everyone belongs and we celebrate diversity
• Quality – delivering effective, outstanding services.

The plan is structured around three pillars: Starting Well, Growing Well, and Being Well, all connected by a foundation of Living Well. Delivery will be through six multi-agency locality boards.

The committee was asked to endorse the quarterly outcome-focused reporting of the pillar and locality board leads to the Coalition, champion collaborative locality partnerships, advocate for the continued development of co-production charters, and be assured about ongoing alignment and integration with the Families First Partnership Programme¹ and NHS 10 Year Plan².

Prevention of Youth Offending

Fiona Walker, Head of Youth Justice Service, provided a progress update on the prevention of youth offending. She explained that the Gloucestershire Youth Justice Service (YJS) provides services for children, aged 10-17, who are involved in, or at risk of offending. The service is multi-disciplinary and endeavours to deliver high-quality support to children through the operationalisation of a 'Child First' framework.

Ms Walker reported that Gloucestershire YJS consistently performs well in this area, demonstrating lower first time entrant rates when compared with regional and national performance. She also highlighted the success of the Turnaround Prevention Project, which has supported 120 children and achieved a 98% success rate in preventing re-offending.

The committee heard about the Serious Youth Violence Prevention Pilot Programme, which will commence in November 2025 and is aimed at 14–16-year-old boys who have been exposed to violence and/or possession of weapons.

Local Government Reorganisation and its Impact on Children's Services

Ann James, Executive Director of Children's Services, presented a report on the potential impact of local government reorganisation (LGR) on children's services. She explained that the government is proposing to reorganise local government structures, with the expectation that two-tier areas like Gloucestershire develop proposals to create unitary authorities³.

Ms James outlined the three options being considered for Gloucestershire:

• One unitary authority for the whole county.
• Two unitaries, with an east (Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswold) and west (Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Stroud) split.
• Two unitaries, one being an enlarged Gloucester city (referred to as 'Greater Gloucester'), and one being the remainder of the county.

The report considered the potential benefits and risks of each option for children's services, including the impact on service delivery, workforce, and partnerships. The committee noted the report and considered the potential impact of the options being assessed.

Quarter 1 2025/2026 Performance Report

The committee noted the Quarter 1 2025/26 Performance Report, which provided a strategic overview of the council's performance. The report included scorecards for Transforming Children's Services, covering both Children's Social Care and Education.