The Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the Haringey Youth Strategy 2025-2030 and action plan, review the Haringey Youth Justice Plan 2024-2027, and consider the Children's Social Care Annual Performance 2024/25. The panel agreed to receive an annual progress report on the Haringey Youth Strategy. They also noted the performance data for Children Looked After, those on Child Protection Plans, and Children in Need.

Haringey Youth Strategy 2025-2030

The panel discussed the Haringey Youth Strategy 2025-2030, which outlines the council's commitment to supporting young people by focusing on providing high-quality activities and spaces, and encouraging youth participation in decision-making. The strategy aligns with local initiatives and anticipates the forthcoming National Youth Strategy. It consolidates findings from engagement with young people and integrates council initiatives related to placemaking, culture, and youth participation.

The strategy includes the publication of the Haringey Local Youth Offer, encompassing both universal and targeted council services, as well as activities provided by the voluntary and community sector (VCS). A directory of youth services and activities has been developed, translated into an interactive map using the Commonplace digital engagement platform.

The strategy identifies several key issues for young people in Haringey, including challenges related to health, safety, education, and socioeconomic conditions. It also acknowledges the importance of addressing these broader challenges to support the wellbeing and development of young people.

The strategy identifies several strengths of the local youth offer, including the diverse range of services and activities available, the focus on supporting vulnerable groups, and the concentration of services in more socioeconomically deprived areas. However, it also identifies areas for improvement, such as the underrepresentation of services related to civic participation and environmental initiatives, and the lack of clear information on costs for some activities.

The strategy highlights Haringey's designation as the London Borough of Culture¹ for 2027 as a unique opportunity for young people to engage in cultural activities and develop new skills. It also acknowledges potential risks, such as the local funding climate and the financial difficulties faced by VCS groups.

The strategy emphasises the importance of engaging young people in decision-making and outlines how their involvement will be enhanced. It also makes a series of recommendations for how the council can meet the priorities outlined in the strategy, including promoting local youth provision, reviewing the Local Youth Offer, developing an impact framework, professionalising the youth sector workforce, and increasing engagement of young people.

The panel agreed to receive an annual progress report on the Haringey Youth Strategy.

Haringey Youth Justice Plan 2024-2027

The panel reviewed the Year 1 progress of the Haringey Youth Justice Plan 2024-2027, which aims to support children and young people to have high aspirations. The plan has six key priorities:

1. Child First: Committing to a child-first approach in all aspects of service delivery.
2. Restorative Justice: Increasing victim engagement in restorative justice processes.
3. YJS Health Offer: Improving health outcomes, particularly in relation to emotional and mental health, speech and language therapy, and substance misuse.
4. Disproportionality: Addressing disproportionality within the context of remands/sentenced into custody, education, health, and stop and search.
5. Children in Care: Improving outcomes for children in care and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
6. Serious Youth Violence: Strengthening approaches to reduce serious youth violence.

The plan outlines several key achievements, including the development of the YJS Practice Model, the completion of the Wood Green custody suite, and the establishment of a stronger connection with the Youth Council. It also notes the challenges faced by the service, such as low completion rates for voluntary programmes and low uptake of restorative justice processes.

The plan includes a range of performance indicators, such as reducing the use of custody, reducing the rate of re-offending, and increasing the percentage of children in suitable accommodation and education, training, or employment. It also includes indicators related to emotional wellbeing, substance misuse, and SEND.

The plan acknowledges the over-representation of certain groups within the youth justice system, such as Black children and boys, and outlines the YJS's response to this issue, including commissioning a reflective training programme for staff and partnering with organisations such as Wipers CIC and Sister Systems.

The plan also includes information on prevention and diversion, restorative justice, reparation, serious youth violence data, detentions in police custody, remands, use of custody, workforce development, and evidence-based practice and innovation.

Children's Social Care Annual Performance 2024/25

The panel considered the Children's Social Care Annual Performance 2024/25 report, which provides an analysis of performance data and trends for measures relating to Children Looked After (CLA), children on Child Protection Plans (CPP), and Children in Need (CIN). The report notes the progress and consistent performance with regards to safeguarding children and young people in Haringey.

The report identifies key developments, summarises performance activity levels, and details several future priorities for vulnerable children. It also provides an overall assessment of progress in key areas within the context of the local authority's role as Corporate Parent² and duties under section 17 of the Children Act³.

The report includes performance highlights and key messages identifying areas of improvement and areas for focus. It also outlines the service improvements and challenges faced during the year, as well as the actions taken in response to local demand and financial pressures.

The panel noted the performance data as set out in the report.

Other Matters Discussed

• Minutes from the Previous Meeting: The minutes of the previous meeting held on 14 July 2025 were approved as a correct record.
• Work Programme Update: The panel noted the current work programme and considered items and reports required for future meetings in 2025/26.
• Co-optees: Amanda Bernard was appointed as a non-voting co-opted member, and Camilla Borthwick-Fox and Christine Cordon were appointed as voting co-opted members for educational matters.