The Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee of Tower Hamlets Council was scheduled to discuss updates on the Young Mayors team and the Healthy Weight programme. The meeting's report pack also included information on the council's approach to child exploitation and serious youth violence, as well as corporate parenting accountability.

Young Mayors Team

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to receive a report on the Young Mayors team, focusing on its leadership and engagement activities. This report was intended to provide the Committee with an opportunity to hear directly from young people about their experiences, concerns, and aspirations, and how these are informing the youth service's priorities and focus areas. The recommendation was for the Sub-Committee to note the young people's attendance and presentation and provide any further comments and feedback.

Healthy Weight Update

A report was scheduled to provide an update on the progress made following the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee's (CESSC) report on Child Healthy Weight, published in May 2024. This report detailed the actions taken to address eight recommendations made across three themes: Food, Physical Activity, and Psychology and Culture. Progress included improvements to school meals, the development of the health and wellbeing offer in Young Tower Hamlets, and healthy weight training for professionals. Draft proposals to the Local Plan aimed to improve play, exercise, and green spaces. The report also highlighted the provision of healthy food through food banks and vouchers, and audits to improve the healthiness of social spaces for young people. Future work on child healthy weight is proposed to be structured into three programmes: Move Well, Eat Well, and Specialist Support, with a potential expansion to include adult health and wellbeing for a whole-family approach. The recommendations were for the Sub-Committee to note the progress made and the next steps for the child healthy weight agenda.

Child Exploitation and Serious Youth Violence

The report pack indicated that the Sub-Committee was to be briefed on multi-agency responses and prevention methods used to address child exploitation and serious youth violence. This briefing was to include local data on victims and suspects of violence under 25, as well as data on missing children. The report was also to detail the Local Missing Hub (LMH), a dedicated service launched by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to improve responses to missing people. Multi-agency approaches, including partnership intelligence meetings, specialist intervention, and parent support, were to be discussed. The report was expected to cover the Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) panel meetings, the Integrated Gang Unit, and partnership mitigation measures such as the Public Protection Royal London Hospital Team, primary school risk awareness sessions, 'Bleed Control' Kits, and Knife Bins. The work undertaken to support young people, including targeted youth support via the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team (MAST) and the Rapid Response/Detached Team, was also to be presented. Achievements such as good working relationships with partner agencies and robust information sharing were to be highlighted, alongside areas of focus including developing partnership relations with Adult Social Care and improving responses to disproportionality and anti-racism.

Corporate Parenting Accountability

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to receive an overview of the current progress and achievements for Looked After Children and care leavers in the borough. This report was to highlight that Children's Services had been rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, commending the Council's strong progress in education, housing, and health for care-experienced young people. The report was to detail that 96% of care-experienced young people are in suitable accommodation and 72% are in employment, education, or training. The local offer includes a Council Tax exemption until age 25 and priority housing. Recent achievements mentioned were the adoption of Care Experience as a protected characteristic and the progress of the Care Experience Pre-Apprenticeship Programme. New youth participation initiatives were also to be discussed, enabling young people to contribute to strategic discussions. The refurbishment of the Kit Kat Terrace Hub, designed for physical and emotional wellbeing, was to be outlined, along with the Through Care team's support for specialist education, employment, and training advisors. Key priorities were to include reducing CAMHS referral waiting times and improving access to specialist support, alongside national placement pressures and challenges in fostering recruitment. Members were to be asked to support care-experienced young people by raising awareness of care experience as a protected characteristic, collaborating with stakeholders to facilitate opportunities, and considering mentoring roles.

Other Business

Under Any Other Unrestricted Business Considered to Be Urgent, members were scheduled to raise concerns regarding updated RHS guidance, which was still outstanding, and the rationale for its continued use by the Council. Members were also to question why the public consultation on Transport Unit and Passenger Services for children with SEND was closed and strongly recommend that it be re-opened.

The next meeting of the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee was scheduled for Monday, 16 March 2026.