The Family and Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Northumberland Council was scheduled to discuss the annual report of the Children's Principal Social Worker, the Children's Social Care Annual Self-Evaluation for 2026, and an update on the Local Area SEND Reform Plan. The meeting's agenda also included a review of the Forward Plan and the committee's work programme.

Annual Report of the Children's Principal Social Worker

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the input and work of the Principal Social Worker for the 2024/25 period. This report was intended to provide an overview of the quality of practice and development needs of frontline social workers. The report highlighted key issues such as the recruitment and retention of children's social workers, managing workloads, and continuous practice improvement. It noted that Northumberland's social work turnover and vacancy rates were lower than national and regional averages. The report also detailed the ongoing implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme, a national reform aimed at shifting the system towards early intervention and improved integration. The Principal Social Worker, Su Kaur, was listed as the author of this report.

Children's Social Care Annual Self-Evaluation 2026

This item was scheduled to provide the committee with an update on the self-evaluation completed by Children's Social Care to support its annual conversation with Ofsted. The report covered the period from December 2024 to December 2025, detailing achievements and areas for further strengthening. Key priorities and achievements highlighted included advancements in prevention and early support, aspirations for cared-for and care-experienced children, efforts to keep children safe and support their thriving, and the development of the workforce. The report noted the successful integration of services within Family Hubs and the positive impact of the Stronger Together team, which aims to prevent children from entering care. It also detailed improvements in educational outcomes for children in care and the ongoing efforts to recruit and retain social workers. The report was authored by Vicky McKay, Head of Service for Quality Assurance.

Local Area SEND Reform Plan Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on the Local Area SEND Reform Plan. This agenda item aimed to update members on the progress and developments related to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within the local area.

Reports of the Scrutiny Officer

Under this item, two sub-points were scheduled for discussion:

• (a) Forward Plan: Members were to note the decisions taken by Cabinet since the previous meeting and review the latest Forward Plan of key decisions. Any changes to the Forward Plan were to be reported at the meeting. The report pack included a summary of decisions made by Cabinet on 10 March 2026 and 07 April 2026, covering a range of topics including energy programmes, economic strategies, business support, capital projects for training facilities, bus stops, community transport, housing, virtual infrastructure, biodiversity, environmental policy, local transport, and regulatory policies.
• (b) Family and Children's Services OSC Work Programme: A monitoring report for the 2025/26 period for the Family and Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee was to be noted. This report detailed the committee's activities and decisions from previous meetings, including discussions on the Children's Social Care Annual Self-Evaluation, the Northumberland Skills Ofsted Inspection Summary, the Annual Report of the School Improvement Team, the SEND Strategy, Care Proceedings and Public Law Outline reports, the Virtual School Headteacher Annual Report, and the Early Help Annual Report.

The meeting was chaired by Councillor W Daley, with Councillor M Horncastle serving as Vice-Chair. Other members of the committee included Councillors S Fairless-Aitken, K Green, G Hill, M Jackson, V Jones, R Mathieson, and M Morris. Co-opted members were S Bird, A Hodgson, Reverend D Lennox, and J Lewis. Councillor G Renner-Thompson was the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.