The Children's Trust Joint Committee met on Wednesday 28 January 2026 to approve the Northamptonshire Children's Trust Business Plan for 2026/27 to 2028/29 and to note the Trust's 2025/26 forecast position and savings. The committee also approved recommendations regarding the Northamptonshire Children's Trust Business Plan 2026/27 - 2028/29 and the 2026/27 Contract Sum, Savings and Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

Northamptonshire Children's Trust Business Plan 2026/27 - 2028/29

The committee approved the Northamptonshire Children's Trust Business Plan for 2026/27 to 2028/29. This plan outlines the vision and strategic objectives for the Trust, building on the previous inspection of Local Authority Children's Services which saw both North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire councils move from an 'inadequate' judgement to 'requires improvement to be good'. The plan sets out shared commitments to support families, keep children safe, support children in care and care leavers, listen to those supported by the Trust, recruit and retain a skilled workforce, deliver quality services, and ensure the effective use of resources. The committee recommended that the full councils of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire note the business plan.

Northamptonshire Children's Trust 2026/27 Contract Sum, Savings and MTFP

The committee noted that the provisional contract sum for 2026/27 was negotiated in accordance with the Service Delivery Contract (SDC). The provisional contract sum for 2026/27 was agreed at £200.773 million. The committee also noted the Northamptonshire Children's Trust Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026-2029, which incorporates this provisional contract sum. The reasons for these recommendations included noting the budget for the Trust for 2026/27, facilitating the councils' budget setting duties, allowing the councils to incorporate the Trust's MTFP into their own, and meeting the requirements of the SDC.

Northamptonshire Children's Trust Annual Report of the Service Delivery Contract 2024/25

The committee noted that the 2024/25 Annual Review of the Service Delivery Contract (SDC) between Northamptonshire Children's Trust (NCT) and West and North Northamptonshire Councils, including the 2024/25 Annual Report, was ratified by the Strategic Group. The committee also noted the contents of the 2024/25 Annual Report. The reasons for these recommendations were to provide a procedure through which the councils can review the SDC and NCT's performance in delivering its functions.

Northamptonshire Children's Trust 2025/26 Forecast Position and Savings

The committee noted Northamptonshire Children's Trust's Period 8 reported forecast of £210.033 million and the resulting pressure on the councils of £24.383 million when compared to the original contract sum. This forecast indicates a significant overspend, primarily driven by increased costs in placements, particularly residential care, and pressures related to staffing, including agency costs and vacancy factors. Savings delivery programmes are also facing challenges, with a substantial portion rated as red and unlikely to be achieved, particularly in areas such as Circle to Success, care leaver accommodation, and the Early Help model. The report highlighted that if mitigations are not identified, the pressure would ultimately fall back to the councils to fund, based on their respective contract splits.