The Together for Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 4 March 2026 to discuss significant reforms to children's services, review Key Stage 4 education attainment, and explore enhanced collaboration with the Cornwall Youth Council. Key decisions included welcoming progress on the Families First Partnership reforms, acknowledging areas of strength and development in Key Stage 4 education, and agreeing to foster closer working relationships with the Cornwall Youth Council.

Families First Partnership Programme Reforms

The Committee welcomed the progress made in implementing the national Families First Partnership reforms in Cornwall. These reforms aim to modernise children's services by updating expectations for how local areas support and safeguard children, collaborate in child protection, and promote family group decision-making. The reforms are seen as a significant opportunity to build on Cornwall's existing strengths in early intervention and family support.

Key developments highlighted include:

• Reorganisation of Staff: Over 200 staff have been reorganised into multi-disciplinary Family Help Teams, with strengthened management oversight and a more flexible approach to matching practitioners with children's needs.
• Enhanced Support: Dedicated domestic abuse specialists have been introduced into every Family Help Team to improve responses to affected children and families.
• Child Protection Improvements: A pilot programme with NHS and health partners has been developed to create a dedicated health safeguarding team, aiming for strong integration with existing Multi-Agency Referral Unit (MARU) processes. A specialist assessment team using the Parent Assess framework for complex parenting assessments has also been established.
• Alignment with Universal Services: The service has been integrated into Education and Community Health to form part of the universal offer accessed through schools and community health teams. This aims to reduce barriers for families, promote earlier community-led support, and help schools navigate existing resources.

The Committee noted that schools are not being asked to take on additional duties but will receive training to engage with the parenting support offer more effectively. The approach aims to frame parenting support in a strengths-based way to encourage engagement and avoid stigma. Safeguarding concerns must still be referred through the Designated Safeguarding Lead to the MARU. The quality of referrals from partner agencies such as the police and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) was generally reported as good, with a welcoming and conversational approach at the front door to encourage joint problem-solving. Learning from pilot work will inform wider rollout to schools, with a focus on aligning early help, SEND, and school effectiveness work around evolving local footprints.

The Committee resolved to welcome the progress made, provide comments on the statutory proposals and Cornwall's approach, and receive a further report on implementation in January 2027.

Key Stage 4 Education Attainment

The Committee reviewed the provisional Key Stage 4 attainment outcomes for 2024/25, noting areas of strength and continued development. This data represents the first full set of comparable post-pandemic examination results.

Key findings included:

• Improving Trends: Cornwall's Attainment 8 score increased to 45.1, outperforming the national rate of improvement and narrowing the gap with the national average.
• Strong Pass Rates: The percentage of pupils achieving a strong pass (Grade 5+) in English and Maths increased to 43.1%, significantly narrowing the gap with the national figure. Standard pass rates (Grade 4+) also improved, with Cornwall's performance sitting one percentage point below the national average.
• EBacc Entry: Entry into the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) increased to 28%, continuing an upward trend, although still below the national average. Cornwall's EBacc Average Point Score also rose, with the gap to the national average narrowing.
• Disadvantaged Pupils: While disadvantaged pupils remained below national comparators, the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in Cornwall remained static. Officers noted that the disadvantage gap is a long-standing national issue influenced by multiple factors, including poverty and historical low aspiration.
• SEND Support: Pupils with SEND Support were slightly below national averages for Attainment 8, while pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) matched national performance.
• Post-Pandemic Recovery: Cornwall demonstrated signs of strong post-pandemic recovery, with some measures improving at a faster rate than nationally.

During discussions, the Committee explored the persistence of the disadvantage gap, with officers explaining its complex national drivers. The performance of academies versus local authority-maintained schools was also discussed, with officers cautioning against direct comparisons due to varying influencing factors. A positive trend noted was the narrowing of the gender gap, with boys' outcomes improving relative to girls.

The Committee resolved to acknowledge the performance outcomes, noting areas of strength and continued development, and to continue supporting the work of the Education Service and its officers in ensuring a high standard of education for secondary-aged children in Cornwall.

Working Collaboratively with Cornwall Youth Council

The Committee engaged in discussions with members of the Cornwall Youth Council to explore ways to strengthen their collaborative working relationship. This initiative is particularly relevant following Cornwall Council's adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), with a focus on Article 12, which ensures children's voices are heard and taken seriously in decisions affecting them.

Key points from the discussion included:

• Shared Priorities: Both the Committee and the Youth Council recognised the need for better communication and mutual understanding of priorities. The Youth Council highlighted that they had largely operated separately from the Scrutiny Committee, leading to limited awareness of each other's work plans.
• Strengthening Engagement: The Youth Council proposed a phased approach to collaboration, starting with strengthening connections and support for Youth Council activities, developing mechanisms for two-way communication, and using the outcomes of discussions to inform future committee practices and work programming.
• Youth Council Structure: The newly formed 2026–28 Youth Council will consist of eighteen elected members across six constituencies, enabling more focused campaigning.
• UNCRC Implementation: The adoption of the UNCRC was highlighted as a driver for ensuring children's rights are considered in decision-making, with a particular emphasis on Article 12 and Article 3 (best interests of the child).
• Scrutiny Work Programme: The Committee explained how its annual work programme is developed, including considering suggestions from councillors, the public, and partner organisations. It was agreed that the Youth Council should be formally invited to contribute to this process.
• Data and Insight: The Youth Council elections and the Right On survey, which gathered input from over 13,500 young people, were identified as valuable sources of insight into issues affecting young people in Cornwall.

The Committee expressed strong agreement with the Youth Council's concerns and supported greater collaboration. Members welcomed the phased approach to engagement and the idea of holding more meetings in the evening. The importance of ensuring youth voices were heard throughout decision-making processes was stressed.

The Committee resolved to create opportunities to connect with and support Youth Council activity to strengthen collaborative working in line with Article 12 of the UNCRC, develop mechanisms for two-way communication between the Committee and the Youth Council, and take on board the outcomes of the discussions to inform their committee role and work programme.