The Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet on 17 September 2025 to discuss a range of issues relating to children's services in Wokingham Borough Council. The agenda included updates on education and special educational needs (SEND), family help and safeguarding, and provision for children in care and care leavers. The committee also planned to discuss the Helping Early Strategy and receive updates from the SEND Youth Council and the Executive Member for Children's Services, Councillor Prue Bray.

Education and SEND Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on education and SEND performance in the borough. This included:

• An overview of school inspection outcomes, with reference to schools recently inspected by Ofsted¹.

• Updates on annual review data activity related to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

• An update on EHCP quality, based on findings from the Spring Term 2025 audit.

The Education SEND Update report included a dashboard showing:

• The rate of children with EHCPs per 10,000, with 1,311 EHCPs for children placed in the borough and 730 for those placed out of the borough as of Q1 2025-26.
• The percentage of EHCPs issued within 20 weeks of referral, which stood at 29.2% in Q1 2025-26.
• The number of tribunal notifications received, which was 24 in Q1 2025-26.

The report noted that the SEND service had inducted a new team, which was expected to improve performance, and that a bi-weekly EHCP timeliness group had been established to address challenges in this area.

Family Help and Safeguarding Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on improvement activity within Early Help and Children's Social Care, alongside the proposed model for 'Helping Early' and children's social care.

The Social Care Update report noted that Wokingham Borough has experienced a sustained increase in demand for services, with more families requiring support. In 2024/5, there was a rise in the number of referrals (+12%), assessments (+2%), and children needing help and support, most notably, the number of children subject to Child Protection Plans (+68%).

The report also highlighted improvement work that had taken place, including strengthening the Corporate Parenting Board and updating the 'Care Leaver offer'.

The Early Help and Social Care Dashboard Q1 2025-26 Final included data on:

• Early Help referrals and assessments.
• Children's Social Care front door activity.
• Child Protection.
• Children in Care.
• Care Leavers.
• Children Missing from Home/Care.
• Children's Services Workforce.

Provision and Accommodation for Children in Care and Care Leavers

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the provision and accommodation for children in care and care leavers. The Provision and Accommodation for Children In Care and Care Leavers report provided an overview of homes, care, and provision for these groups, as well as the council's approach to sufficiency and development in response to government initiatives.

The report noted that Wokingham's children's services currently cares for 147 children, which is equivalent to 35 per 10,000, whereas the regional and England averages are 47 and 70 per 10,000 respectively. Children's services also work with and support 285 care leavers from the age of 18 up to 25 (and beyond for those in full-time education).

The report also highlighted the South-East Regional Care Cooperative, which aims to ensure that all children are placed locally unless there is a compelling reason otherwise, and to build strategic partnerships with providers so that care places meet the individual needs of children and young people.

Helping Early Strategy

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the development and implementation of the Helping Early Strategy. The government’s 'Best start in life strategy' and Wokingham's new and co-produced Helping Early Strategy and Delivery plan provide the framework for the delivery of Family Hubs in Wokingham. Family Hubs bring together Health, Early Years and family support services to provide a single point of access to advice and services.

SEND Youth Council Update

The committee was scheduled to receive the annual update from the SEND Youth Council.

Executive Member Update

Councillor Prue Bray, Executive Member for Children's Services, was scheduled to provide a verbal update to the committee.

Other Items

In addition to the main items, the committee was also scheduled to:

• Confirm the Minutes of Previous Meeting held on 17 June 2025.
• Consider the CSOS Forward Plan 25-26 V2 of the Committee.
• Consider the regular Action Tracker 2025.26 V1 report.
• Consider the work being undertaken to support schools causing concern in a part 2 session, from which the public would be excluded.