The Corporate Parenting Panel met to discuss significant changes to its structure and function, aiming to increase the participation of care-experienced young people and improve the council's support for them. Key decisions included the endorsement of a plan to review and redesign the panel's operations, with a target for the new structure to be in place by September 2026. The panel also received updates on the progress of the Care Leavers Improvement Plan, highlighting advancements in financial education, employment opportunities, and the overall support offered to young people leaving care.

Development of the Corporate Parent Panel

The panel discussed a significant review aimed at transforming its structure and function to better serve children in care and care leavers. The proposed changes include moving towards a more participatory, young-person-centred model, with a focus on creating a defined scrutiny committee function. This new structure would allow for a closed, non-public meeting for the Corporate Parenting Board, enabling greater participation from young people, potentially including a co-chair who is a care-experienced young person. The aim is to foster more fluid and direct conversations with children, young people, foster carers, and service providers. The plan involves a series of steps to gather input and develop options for the new structure, with a target implementation date of September 2026. This initiative is informed by observations from other local authorities, such as Islington, and aims to embed the voice of young people in decision-making processes.

Update from Care Experienced Young People

Joy Bell, the Participation Officer, provided an update on the work of the Participation Service. This included a successful Christmas gift drive, supported by Flamingo Investment Group and the Sai School of Harrow, which provided personalised gifts to children looked after. A significant development has been the expansion of the Money Ready training programme, with ten learners successfully completing the first cohort and achieving Level 1 qualification in financial education. This programme is projected to be completed by ninety care leavers by 2026, a 500% increase.

The annual Care Leavers Survey, conducted in November 2025, revealed key themes:

• Financial well-being: Over half of young people reported not having enough money for daily needs, with many borrowing to cover basic expenses like food and heating. This indicates a persistent issue of food and heat poverty, although the percentage has decreased since the previous year.
• Mental health: Up to 37% of care leavers reported feeling anxious and lonely in a typical week.
• Housing: Almost all young people expressed uncertainty about permanent housing, with delays impacting their goals and ambitions.
• Personal Advisors (PAs): While a majority of young people found their PAs easy to contact and trustworthy, with a significant increase in trust compared to the previous year, the completion of co-produced Pathway Plans remained statistically low.
• Education, Employment, and Training (EET): 60% of respondents were in EET, with 40% not.

The survey also highlighted positive progress, with a significant increase in trust in Personal Advisors and improved contactability. The council is exploring ways to address the financial challenges faced by young people, including referrals to food banks and partnerships with organisations like the London Community Kitchen. There is also a focus on improving communication and access to support services, including council tax exemptions.

Update on Improvement Plan

An update was provided on Harrow's Care Leavers and Corporate Parenting Improvement Plan, which aligns with recommendations from Mark Riddell, Ofsted monitoring visit findings, and wider Children's Services priorities. Key areas of focus include:

• Governance and Corporate Parenting Panel: A review is underway to expand the panel's membership to include all partners, such as Health, Education, Housing, and the Voluntary Sector. The plan is to implement themed Corporate Parenting Boards and explore the recruitment of experts by experience to ensure young people's voices are central. The aim is to have a new structure in place by September 2026, following a period of consultation and necessary constitutional changes.
• Workforce: Efforts are being made to increase the number of permanent staff, including Personal Advisors (PAs) and Team Managers, to provide stability and build lasting relationships for young people. Recruitment is ongoing, with a strong cohort of candidates for PA roles and a focus on ensuring clear guidance on the distinct roles of social workers and PAs.
• Young People's Engagement: Continued development of participation activities, including the Care Leavers Forum and involvement in staff recruitment. The Care Leavers App is expected to launch in July 2026, and work is progressing on a multi-agency Local Offer to be presented to the Corporate Parenting Board.
• Family Business: The council is developing a whole council approach to education, training, and employment opportunities for care leavers, moving beyond apprenticeships to include work experience, shadowing, and try before you buy options. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive offer in collaboration with departments and local businesses.
• Transitions: A Transitions Protocol is being developed to ensure care leavers understand their journey through transitional services, with a focus on collaboration with housing, adult transitions, and mental health services. Specific offers are being developed for care leavers over 21, including those who are Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), those leaving custody, and young parents.

The report highlighted that while significant progress has been made, further work is needed in areas such as housing provision, engagement with harder-to-reach care leavers, and ensuring consistent support for young people over 21.

Discussion on Next Steps

During the discussion, Councillor Matthew Goodwin-Freeman raised questions regarding the timeline for the redesign of the Corporate Parenting Panel, the timing of Partners in Redesign workshops, and the progress on payment summaries and recruitment of permanent staff. Councillor Hitesh Karia, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services, explained that the redesign process would involve extensive consultation and would likely be ratified post-May elections, with full implementation by September 2026. He also confirmed that efforts to recruit permanent staff and reduce reliance on agency workers are ongoing as part of a wider strategy to improve stability within children's services.

Councillor Aneka Shah-Levy inquired about the provision of corporate parenting training for elected members, suggesting it be made mandatory. Councillor Karia and Alex Dewsnap, Managing Director and Statutory Director of Children's Services, indicated plans to offer more flexible and engaging training, potentially involving young people, and to make it available on an annual basis. They emphasised a desire for members to engage due to genuine interest rather than obligation.

Valerie Griffin, a foster carer, highlighted the importance of financial literacy and budgeting skills for young people, suggesting that education on these topics should start earlier. Joy Bell confirmed that the Money Ready training has been brought forward to start at age 17.

Councillor Simon Brown asked about common themes and barriers for the 40% of care leavers not in education, employment, or training. It was noted that there were no statistically significant demographic commonalities, but a range of initiatives and partnerships are in place to support young people in finding suitable pathways.

The panel also discussed the importance of ensuring care leavers are aware of and can access council tax exemptions. Joy Bell confirmed that messaging on this has been strengthened, and the council is taking on more of the administrative burden to ensure uptake.

The discussion also touched upon the need for improved mental health support for care leavers, with a working group exploring the feasibility of a dedicated Care Leavers Nurse role. The importance of early intervention and proactive support was stressed, with a suggestion to create flagship actions from the panel's discussions to target key concerns for young people.

The meeting concluded with an endorsement of the approach to review and redesign the Corporate Parenting Panel, with a commitment to ongoing collaboration and engagement with young people and partners.