The People Committee of Sutton Council met on Thursday 4 December 2025 to discuss several key areas concerning the borough's residents. The committee was asked to approve the Sutton Youth Justice Plan 2025-2028, to note the pending changes related to the Families First Partnership Programme, and to note the annual reports from the Sutton Safeguarding Adults Board and the Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Adult Social Care CQC Assessment, Strategic Plan and Improvement Plan Update

The committee was asked to note the outcome of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment of Adult Social Care, which resulted in a Good rating with a score of 70%. This places Sutton in the top third of local authorities in England and joint top among South West London authorities. Strengths highlighted included a commitment to equity, effective use of technology, strong partnerships, and visible leadership. Areas for development identified by the CQC included improving access to advice and information for residents and carers, further embedding strengths-based practice, enhancing support for carers during assessments, improving information sharing with care providers, and refining communication with families of young people transitioning to adult services. An updated improvement plan has been developed to address these areas.

Sutton Youth Justice Plan 2025-2028

The committee was asked to approve the Sutton Youth Justice Plan for 2025-2028. This plan outlines strategies to prevent children from offending and reduce reoffending among those already involved in the youth justice system. Key achievements highlighted include a significant reduction in the reoffending rate, which fell to 14.7% in 2022-23, a considerable decrease from previous years. The plan also noted a reduction in first-time entrants into the youth justice system, reaching a decade low of 16 children in 2024-25. The service is focusing on five key priorities for the next three years: improving educational and vocational outcomes, strengthening prevention and diversionary offers, ensuring victims' voices are heard, addressing disparities and disproportionality, and safeguarding children at risk of exploitation. Challenges were noted regarding staffing in partner agencies like the Police and Probation services, and ongoing issues with data accuracy for new Key Performance Indicators.

Families First Partnership Programme

The committee was asked to note the pending changes in legislation and Sutton's Children's Services' response to the Families First Partnership Programme. This government-led initiative, underpinned by the Children and Families Bill, aims to rebalance the children's social care system by focusing on preventative support. Key deliverables include the creation of an integrated 'Family Help' model, the establishment of Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, and the mandated use of Family Group Decision Making. Sutton is proactively preparing for these changes, building on existing strengths such as its integrated front door and locality-based teams. Challenges were acknowledged regarding partner agency capacity and funding, as well as the need for significant adaptations to the case management system.

Sutton Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024-2025

The committee was asked to note the work of the Sutton Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) in 2024-2025 and its priorities for 2025-2026. The report detailed the Board's activities and achievements in preventing and protecting adults with care and support needs from abuse and neglect. Key achievements included strengthening systems assurance, focusing on quality and improvement through initiatives like Making Safeguarding Personal, and promoting prevention through various community events and training. Challenges identified included partner agency restructuring due to financial pressures, ensuring consistent multi-agency training, improving the quality of referrals, and addressing non-engagement and self-neglect.

Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2024-25

The committee was asked to note the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Local Arrangements for safeguarding children in Sutton in 2024-25. The report highlighted strong multi-agency working and a commitment to embedding learning from serious child safeguarding incidents. Achievements included the development of a Child Sexual Abuse toolkit and a Fire Prevention and Safeguarding Toolkit, which is planned for national launch. The report also detailed progress in engaging children and young people, with initiatives like the Youth Summit and the development of a Youth Matters Framework. Challenges remain regarding agency capacity and the impact of financial pressures on service delivery. The report confirmed that Sutton's Local Arrangements are effective in safeguarding children, with priorities for the next year including embedding learning from reviews, launching the Youth Matters framework, and developing a child exploitation strategy.