The Corporate Parenting Panel of Harrow Council met on Thursday 23 October 2025 to discuss a range of updates concerning children in the council's care. Key discussions included the performance of the Participation Service, the issue of children missing from care, and the support provided to care leavers in custody. The panel also reviewed updates on the Leaving Care Service, the outcomes of an Ofsted monitoring visit, the Virtual School's performance, and the health services provided to children looked after.

Update from the Participation Service

The Participation Service reported on its activities since June 2025, highlighting progress on a new app for care leavers, the Protected Characteristics motion within the council, and the modernisation of the post-18 Information Pack. The service also outlined its summertime activities programme, which saw 39 young people attend at least one event, with a high number of first-time attendees. The report noted that the Care Leavers Forum had identified priorities for 2025/2026, including increasing the financial allowance for driving lessons and improving clarity around the Locata housing process.

Children Missing from Care

The panel received an update on children missing from care for Quarter 2 of 2025/2026. During this period, 22 out of 214 children in care were reported missing. All were offered a Return Home Conversation (RHC) to identify themes and support needs. Themes identified included exposure to risks such as criminal activities and exploitation, drug misuse, suspected alcohol use, concerning friendship groups, suspected gang activity, and mental health concerns. The report noted trends such as a high proportion of 17-year-olds staying at friends' homes without informing placements or social workers, and children placed outside the borough returning to Harrow without approval. The multi-agency missing meeting and the Multi-Agency Risk Panel (MACE) were highlighted as key forums for addressing these issues. An anonymised case summary of Abena illustrated a situation where a miscommunication led to an unnecessary missing report, underscoring the need for improved communication between young people, their placements, and professionals.

Children Looked After and Care Leavers in Custody

The panel was updated on the support provided to care leavers in custody. At the time of the report, there were 13 care leavers in custody, all allocated to a named Personal Adviser (PA). The report detailed the age profile, gender, and ethnicity of this cohort, noting that all 13 were male and over 75% were from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds. Key progress since January 2025 included the London Probation Service becoming a standing member of the Corporate Parenting Panel, the development of a shared dataset for tracking young people in custody, and improvements to Pathway Plans. The next steps include implementing a Custody & Resettlement Protocol, introducing Day-of-Release Planning, and enhancing health and wellbeing pathways.

Leaving Care Service Update & Outcome of Mark Riddell's Visit

A comprehensive update was provided on the Leaving Care Service, which was relaunched in response to an Ofsted inspection in January 2025 that judged services for care leavers as inadequate. The service has undergone significant restructuring, including the creation of three care-leaving teams with 16 PAs, permanent recruitment to key roles, and a reduced average caseload of 20. A weekly drop-in session for care leavers has been established, and co-production with care-experienced young people is evolving. The report also detailed the outcomes of a visit by Mark Riddell MBE, the DfE National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers, who provided 24 recommendations across three workstreams: Corporate Parenting Governance Support, Partnerships & Transitions, and Local Operational Model & Local Offer.

Ofsted Monitoring Visit Update

The panel received feedback from the first monitoring visit focused on care leavers, conducted on 16-17 September 2025. Inspectors noted significant progress since January 2025, with a standalone care leavers service established and recruitment of Team Managers and PAs underway. The six young people spoken to reported being happy with the service and their PAs, and all stated they felt safe in their current accommodation. Strengths identified included building meaningful relationships with young people, good quality supervision, and tenacious PAs who care deeply. Areas for development include improving planning for care leavers leaving custody, ensuring responses meet individual needs, and co-producing pathway plans with young people.

Virtual School Autumn Term Report

The Virtual School presented its Autumn Term Report, highlighting the performance of Children Looked After (CLA) and care leavers in education. The report detailed CLA education data for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, with positive indications of good performance at the end of Key Stage 4. It also noted a significant number of undergraduates attending university this year. The report included provisional exam results for Year 2, Year 6, Year 11 GCSEs, and A Levels/Level 3 qualifications, comparing them to national averages and previous years. The Virtual School's support for transitions to further or higher learning, employment, and apprenticeships was also outlined, along with the provision of discretionary funding.

Update and Performance on Health for Children Looked After

The panel received an update on the delivery of health services to Harrow Children Looked After (CLA) between April and September 2025. The report focused on the timeliness of Initial Health Assessments (IHAs) and Review Health Assessments (RHAs). While the target for IHAs was 100% completion within 20 days of a child becoming CLA, the data showed significant challenges, with only 40% completed within the timescale in April and a low percentage in subsequent months, though August saw 100% completion. Reasons for late completion included late requests, carer declines, DNA's, and children being placed out of borough. Similar challenges were noted for RHAs, with varying percentages completed within the statutory timescales. The report highlighted work undertaken to improve timeliness, including liaison with senior managers and twice-weekly escalation meetings.