The Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee in St Helens was scheduled to meet on 15 September 2025 to discuss performance, initiatives and procedure rules. The agenda included a review of the 2024-25 performance outturn, updates on the Baby Friendly Initiative, responses to reports on ketamine use and vaping among young people, proposed changes to scrutiny procedure rules, and the committee's work programme.

Performance Outturn Report 2024-25

The committee was scheduled to review the Performance Outturn Report 2024-25, which analyses performance against the council's priorities for children and young people. The report highlights progress between April 2024 and March 2025, measured against the Borough Strategy agreed by the cabinet on 22 May 2024.

The report splits performance into two tiers:

• Tier 1: Key strategic performance measures linked to the outcomes of the Borough Strategy.
• Tier 2: Further performance measures for effective monitoring at Directorate/Portfolio level.

Of the 128 performance indicators with available data:

• 74% of indicator targets were exceeded, fully met, or met within 95% of the target.
• 26% of indicator targets were not met.

Compared to the previous year, 59% of indicators showed improvement, 5% remained the same, and 36% showed a downward trajectory.

The report also includes a comparison of St Helens' performance against a family group of similar authorities:

• 18% of indicators were in the top quartile.
• 34% of indicators were in the bottom quartile.

The report also notes specific areas of focus for Priority 1, which is to ensure children and young people have a positive start in life:

• Children's social care: Good performance was noted in early help cases and adoptions. Challenges remain in the rates of Children in Need and Children Looked After¹, although the rate of Children Looked After met its target.
• Children's aspiration and attainment: Challenges include improving the timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) completions², and improving Key Stage 2 and 4 attainment indicators.
• Children's health and resilience: Good performance was noted in decreasing first-time entrants to the youth justice system and reducing youth reoffending. Challenges persist in hospital admissions for self-harm and alcohol-related issues, teenage conception rates, and the percentage of children who are overweight and obese.

The committee was asked to note the performance position, planned actions for improvement, and consider potential items for further scrutiny.

Baby Friendly Initiative

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report on the Baby Friendly Initiative in St Helens, where breastfeeding rates have been historically low compared to regional and national averages. The report notes that evidence suggests that the council is not doing enough to support breastfeeding, and that the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative is highly effective in improving breastfeeding rates.

The report highlights several points:

• Breastfeeding improves infant and maternal health and wellbeing.
• Barriers to breastfeeding include cultural expectations, difficulties in breastfeeding, combining breastfeeding with work, and the perception of formula feeding as nearly as good as breastfeeding.
• Progress has been made in providing an enhanced infant feeding offer, increasing access to support, and improving resources for families.

The report recommends that the committee:

• Provide support to working towards accreditation for UNICEF Breast Feeding Friendly (BFI) and the Family Welcome Pledge.
• Champion infant feeding for inclusion across all relevant council programmes, initiatives, and services.

The report also includes a draft plan for achieving UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Accreditation in community services.

Cabinet Responses to Scrutiny Reviews

The committee was scheduled to review the cabinet's responses to two scrutiny reviews:

• Addressing Ketamine Use Among Young People Task Group Report
• Reducing Vaping Among Young People Spotlight Review Report

The Addressing Ketamine Use Among Young People Cabinet Response Cover Report summarises evidence submitted to the Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee, which commissioned a review of ketamine use among young people in June 2024. The Appendix 1 Ketamine Task Group Recommendations Action Plan documents the Cabinet's response to the review's recommendations, including writing to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs³ to suggest reclassifying ketamine as a Class A drug. The Cabinet Response to Vaping Spotlight Review Cover Report summarises evidence submitted to the Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee, and notes that the report of the review was formally agreed by the Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee on 14 July 2025, and that the cabinet approved its response on 3 September 2025. The Appendix 1 Vaping Spotlight Review Cabinet Response Action Plan sets out the cabinet's planned actions, including coordinating information sharing between the 0-19 Service vaping pilot in schools and Alder Hey Hospital's AdVANCeS clinic⁴.

Changes to Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules

The committee was scheduled to consider proposed changes to the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules regarding the number of parent governor representatives that can be co-opted onto the Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee. The Change to Parent Governor Cooptee Rules Report July 2025 notes that the current rules state that there are three positions for parent governors, designated for a primary school, a secondary school, and a special school. All three positions are currently vacant.

The report proposes changing the arrangements from three positions to two, split geographically between the North and South of the Borough along the Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries. The Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules - Parent Governor Rules Change July 2025 highlights the proposed changes to the rules.

The committee was asked to endorse the changes and recommend to the council that the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules be amended.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review the Children Young People Services Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Cover Report updated Sept 25 and agree on priorities and timescales. The CYPS Work Programme - 210825 sets out the proposed work programme for 2025/26, including performance reports, the Baby Friendly Initiative, cabinet responses to scrutiny reviews, and potential reviews on children not attending school, young carers, and SEND school places. The committee was asked to review the items listed and agree on priorities and timescales.