The Family Services Select Committee was scheduled to discuss the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report, which details the work of the partnership across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. The committee was also set to review the progress of the Children's Social Care Reforms, known as the Families First Partnership Programme, and consider the council's work programme for the upcoming year.

Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to be appraised of the work of the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) for the period of April 2024 to March 2025. The LSCP is a multi-agency body responsible for the strategic oversight of safeguarding arrangements for children and young people in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. The report outlines the partnership's progress against four key priorities: ensuring children are safe in their community and have access to mental health support; supporting healthy peer and family relationships; assisting families with the cost of living crisis, parenting support, and housing; and supporting safer transitions to adulthood.

The report details the local picture in both Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, including referral numbers to children's social care, child protection enquiries, and data on looked-after children. It highlights trends such as rising demand for social care support, with domestic abuse remaining the most frequent reason for referrals in both boroughs. The report also details the LSCP's progress on its priorities, including work on preventing abusive head trauma, addressing domestic abuse in schools, and supporting families through the cost of living crisis. Learning from local and national case reviews, such as the Baby S rapid review and the It's Silent report on race and racism in safeguarding, was also scheduled for discussion.

The report also covers the LSCP's multi-agency training programme, which saw an increase in attendance and the introduction of new workshops. Independent scrutiny of multi-agency arrangements, including audits on looked-after children who go missing and children receiving early help, was also presented. Updates from partner agencies, including Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Central North West London NHS Trust, and the Metropolitan Police, were also included, detailing their contributions to safeguarding efforts.

Children's Social Care Reforms – National Families First Partnership Programme

The committee was scheduled to receive an overview of the Government's Families First Partnership programme, which aims to rebalance the children's social care system by focusing on Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection, and Family Group Decision Making. The report outlines the local context, including the council's consistently outstanding Ofsted ratings and the need to integrate these reforms within existing successful practices.

The Families First vision seeks to create a transformed end to end system where practitioners from various services work collaboratively to support families and safeguard children. The report details the four key pillars of the reforms: the establishment of multi-disciplinary Family Help services, a dedicated Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, increased use of family group decision-making, and stronger multi-agency safeguarding arrangements with improved information sharing.

Locally, a Social Care Transformation Board has been established to oversee the implementation of these reforms. The report outlines seven workstreams focusing on areas such as the early help offer, integrated Family Help services, potential models for Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, and reviewing existing family group decision-making practices. The report also notes the synergies with the Best Start Family Hubs programme and the challenges posed by recent government funding settlements, leading to considerations for a more radical approach to service delivery.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to discuss and agree the detailed work plan for the upcoming municipal year, 2025-26. The work programme covers topics within the committee's remit, including social services provision for children and families, education, youth services, early years, childcare, and libraries. The programme aims to focus the committee's efforts to maximise its effectiveness and influence.

Additionally, the committee was to discuss the Scrutiny Visits Programme, which involves councillors undertaking visits to various services for families and children across the borough. The purpose of these visits is to enhance councillors' knowledge, familiarise them with services, assess service performance, and establish rapport with key figures. A list of services for potential visits was to be circulated, including the Youth Justice Service, St Quintin's Disabled Children's Centre, and providers commissioned as part of the Youth Offer. Councillors were invited to suggest additional services for inclusion in the visits programme.

The report also provided a table outlining the committee's planned scrutiny activities for the year, including discussions on the Children and Young People's Plan, the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report, budget proposals, continuing care and complex needs, partnership working with schools, school attendance, the Virtual School, the SEND strategy, serious youth violence, and the Emotional Well-being and Mental Health Plan.