The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission met to discuss the Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) annual report for 2024/25, the Connect to Work programme, and to interview Councillor Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees. The commission also reviewed the work programme for 2025-2026.

Cabinet Member Interview: Children, Education and Refugees

Councillor Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees, was interviewed, covering key strategies and projects within her portfolio, including Breakfast Clubs in Schools. The agenda states that the interview was intended to provide a holistic overview of the work being done in these areas.

Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) Annual Report 2024/25

The commission received the SSCP Annual Report for 2024/25 from Alasdair Smith, Director of Children's Services. The report outlines the partnership's work in ensuring good governance and strategic oversight of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements within Southwark. Key areas covered in the report included:

• Major changes, including the Children's well-being and schools bill in parliament.
• Scrutiny of safeguarding work.
• Core child protection activity.
• Reduction of children in child protection plans.
• SSCP transformation and roles.

The report states that the SSCP's primary objective is to ensure that local safeguarding arrangements and partners act to help and protect children. The partnership holds agencies accountable for their safeguarding responsibilities, ensuring that those working with children know what to do if they are concerned about potential harm, and that action is taken quickly when concerns are raised.

The report also details core child protection activity, including referrals, assessments, and child protection plans. Key statistics from the report include:

• A 1% increase in referrals to Children's Social Care, but remaining below statistical neighbours and above London and national rates.
• A decrease in re-referrals, now in line with statistical neighbours and below London and national rates.
• A 5% increase in completed assessments, with Southwark's rate above all comparator groups.
• A high rate of Section 47 enquiries, above all comparators.
• The lowest number of children on a Child Protection Plan since 2009, with Southwark's rate now below all comparators.

The report also highlights areas of focus for the SSCP, including neglect, child sexual abuse within the family, and adolescent safeguarding.

Connect to Work Programme

The commission received an update from Danny Edwards, Head of Economy, and Nick Wollf, Employment and Skills Manager, on the Connect to Work programme. This programme aims to provide employment support for those facing health and disability-related barriers to work.

Connect to Work is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) funded programme, set to run for five years from April 2025 to March 2030. It aims to support people with health and disability related barriers into good quality, sustainable employment using tested models of support known as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).

The programme is designed to be devolved, encouraging local approaches to its design and delivery, responding to the needs of local populations and labour markets. In London, Connect to Work has been devolved by DWP to sub-regional partnerships, with Central London Forward (CLF) acting as the accountable body for Southwark.

According to DWP modelling, Southwark is anticipated to have the highest number of Connect to Work participants of all central London boroughs, with up to 700 starts per year when the programme is at full capacity. Over the five-year delivery period, over 2,000 people are expected to benefit from support, with a total funding of £8.3 million available for delivery in Southwark.

Southwark has adopted a mixed approach to the delivery of Connect to Work, including a commissioned service working alongside a new in-house delivery team. The council's in-house team began supporting residents in October 2025, and the contracted delivery partner will begin taking referrals in January 2026.

Work Programme 2025-2026

The commission considered the work programme for the 2025-2026 year. The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission Work Programme 2025-2026 lists items to be considered in line with the commission's terms of reference.