The Children's Social Care Cabinet Panel of Hertfordshire Council met on Wednesday 10 September 2025 to discuss the Q1 performance report, the annual complaints and compliments report, workforce challenges, and the Household Support Fund. The panel received an update on the Q1 performance report, noting improvements in several areas despite increased referrals. The panel also discussed the spending plan for the Household Support Fund 7, which will see a reduction in some provisions due to a decrease in overall funding.

Children's Social Care 2025/26 Quarter 1 Performance Report

The panel received an update on the performance of Children's Services for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, covering April to June 2025. Overall, the service saw an increase in referrals, with a 5.9% rise in accepted referrals compared to the same period last year, bringing the rate to 247.1 per 10,000 under-18s. Despite this increased activity, performance in several key areas remained strong or improved. Child and Family Assessments completed within the statutory 45-day timeframe saw an improvement to 91.6%, placing Hertfordshire in the top quartile nationally. Initial Child Protection Conferences also met the target of 90%, although there was a dip in performance in April. The number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan remained stable, and Hertfordshire continued to be in the top quartile nationally for this measure.

Significant improvements were noted in the stability of placements for children looked after, with the percentage of children experiencing three or more placements in the last 12 months decreasing to 10.5%, and long-term stability for children looked after for over 2.5 years increasing to 74.0%, both placing Hertfordshire in the top quartile nationally. The percentage of care leavers aged 17-21 in education, employment, or training (EET) also saw a slight increase to 55.0%.

However, concerns were raised regarding the percentage of children subject to a Child Protection Plan for a second or subsequent time, which remained in the second quartile nationally at 22.7%. Similarly, the percentage of children exiting care through Adoption or Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) was below the national target, with a decrease in adoptions and SGOs compared to previous years. The report also highlighted a £14.14 million overspend in Children's Services, largely attributed to rising costs in independent residential children's homes.

Children's Services Annual Complaints and Compliments Report 1st April 2024 – 31st March 2025

The panel reviewed the annual report on compliments and complaints for Children's Services. A significant increase in compliments was noted, with a 74% rise to 1,178, reflecting positive feedback on the work of officers and teams. However, total representations (complaints) also increased by 5% to 1,184. Stage 1 complaints rose by 8% to 849, with a 15% increase in social care complaints to 247. The report indicated a decline in overall response timescales, with only 68% of representations being responded to within statutory timescales, down from 78% the previous year. Stage 2 investigations saw a slight increase, and complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) rose by 17%, with 37 out of 81 complaints having some fault identified. The main themes for complaints included issues with workers, delays in responses and communication, and dissatisfaction with care plans and assessments. The report detailed learning points and actions taken to address these issues, including improvements to communication protocols and training for staff.

Children's Services Recruitment, Retention and Workforce

The panel received an update on the recruitment and retention challenges within Children's Services. While national unemployment has risen, pressures remain in the labour market, particularly for qualified social workers and residential children's home staff. Hertfordshire has seen a net gain in filled positions, but voluntary turnover remains higher than the council average. The report highlighted that retention, particularly of experienced social workers, is a greater challenge than recruitment. Top reasons cited by social workers for leaving included career change, career development, personal wellbeing, and work-life balance. The report detailed various initiatives to address these challenges, including branding and marketing campaigns, apprenticeships, social worker training programmes like Step Up and Frontline, post-qualification support, and a dedicated retention lead. Benchmarking data showed Hertfordshire performing strongly nationally in social worker vacancy rates (7.6%) and turnover rates (9.8%), ranking in the top quartile for both. The report also noted a significant decrease in the percentage of agency social workers.

Household Support Fund 7

The panel was presented with the spending plan for the seventh tranche of the Household Support Fund (HSF), for which Hertfordshire has been allocated £10.8 million for the period April 2025 to March 2026. This represents a 12% reduction in funding compared to previous rounds. The plan, developed jointly by Children's Services and Adult Care Services, aims to provide crisis support for vulnerable households with essentials like energy, food, and water. Key provisions include supermarket food vouchers for families eligible for benefit-related free school meals, winter essentials support, a welfare assistance scheme, and support for food banks and energy initiatives. However, due to the funding reduction, supermarket vouchers will no longer be provided during half-term holidays, and some other provisions, such as vouchers for care leavers under 19 and funding for care leaver events, will not be funded. The report also highlighted additional support available in Hertfordshire, such as the Herts Card, the HAPpy holiday activity programme, and core services like the Family Centre Service. The panel noted concerns about the reduction in funding and its potential impact on vulnerable residents, particularly in light of the ongoing cost of living crisis. The upcoming Crisis and Resilience Fund, which is expected to replace the HSF, was also discussed, with details anticipated by the end of the year.

The meeting also included the agreement of the minutes from the previous meeting on 15 July 2025 and noted that there were no public petitions.