Agenda item

To receive a briefing on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill outlining the reforms to Children’s Social Care and the Families First Partnership Programme.

The Director: Children’s Services presented an overview of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, a major legislative proposal aimed at reforming children’s social care and education. The Bill built upon a series of national reviews and strategic publications, including the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (2022), the CMA’s review into placements, and the government’s Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy (2023). These developments, alongside the Kinship Strategy, Working Together 2023, and the National Framework for Children’s Social Care, had laid the foundation for a more integrated, family-first approach.

Members were informed that the Families First Partnership Programme, launched earlier in the year, supported this direction and aligned with the government’s publication Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive (November 2024), which set expectations for the 2025/26 transformation year. There were three key enablers underpinning the Bill:  prioritising effective multi-agency working, ensuring leadership drove good practice, and building a skilled and supported workforce. The Committee were advised that these enablers aimed to deliver the four core outcomes of keeping families together with the right support, strengthening family networks, providing stable, loving homes for children in care and care leaver and ensuring that the Council were well placed to deliver these outcomes through cross-directorate and external partnership working.

The Director: Children’s Services highlighted several reforms within social care, including the introduction of a more integrated Family Help model, combining early help, Child in Need, and Child Protection services. Locally, this involved developing “team around the family” approaches, bringing together family support workers and social workers. Members heard that Family Group decision making was to become mandatory prior to care proceedings, with the Council adopting a “Circles of Support” model to ensure needs were met. Multi-agency safeguarding teams were to be established to identify harm quickly and build family resilience. Enhanced support for care leavers was to be provided through the Staying Close initiative, alongside improved training and support for the workforce and kinship carers.

The Committee heard that structural reforms proposed in the bill had included the regulation of agency worker use, improved quality and accountability in children’s homes, the creation of Regional Care Cooperatives, and financial oversight measures including a proposed profit cap on care providers.

The Director: Education & Skills outlined that the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill introduced practical measures such as breakfast clubs, reduced costs for school uniforms, and provisions for home-schooled children. It also outlined that academies would be required to adhere to the national curriculum and teacher conditions. Members were informed that there were new duties for local authorities relating to admissions and planning, which aimed to ensure fairness between local authority schools and academies. Members heard that the bill was expected to strengthen safeguarding through education by introducing a unique child identifier and extending the duties of virtual heads to all children with a social worker or in kinship care. The Director: Education & Skills noted that whilst the bill did not prescribe the future of academisation, it shifted the focus toward school improvement, regardless of structure. The Committee were asked to note that statutory induction programmes and national terms and conditions will apply to teachers, including those in academies. The Bill also allows for the opening of non-academy schools moving forward.

Members were advised that governance arrangements were currently being finalised, with many elements of the Bill already in pilot phases. Ongoing briefings were being held with staff and partners, and the Council was co-producing its response through workshops and think tanks. The transformation journey was expected to begin in April 2025.

During discussion, Members emphasised the importance of the Holiday Activities and Food programme, noting its vital role in supporting families during school holidays alongside increasing levels of demand. The Committee was informed that funding for the programme had been secured for a further three years.

Members raised concerns regarding gaps in mental health provision and the impact of increasing waiting lists. The Director: Education & Skills advised that emotional wellbeing was not addressed within the Bill but would be considered in a forthcoming paper. It was reported that current provision included mental health teams and mentors working within schools, with ongoing work to align resources to strengthen preventative support. The Committee also heard that recent scrutiny work had highlighted the need for collaborative approaches in response to national consultations, and that a joint workshop on this topic was planned. The Director: Children's Safeguarding and Family Support highlighted the role of Family Hubs in delivering therapeutic support and early intervention, including assistance linked to parental mental health and noted that local priorities continued to focus on the development of community?based, multi?agency teams, with an emphasis on improving parental wellbeing.

Members suggested that Youth Mental Health First Aid be incorporated into staff training within schools. Officers confirmed that such training was available at no cost to schools through existing partnership arrangements and undertook to provide further information regarding staff uptake.

The Committee was assured that the Council’s response to the Bill was being developed through extensive engagement with the workforce, young people and parents over the previous year, ensuring that reforms were shaped around local needs.

Members thanked officers for the comprehensive update and acknowledged both the ambition and the scale of the proposed reforms. The Committee noted that further updates would be provided as the transformation programme continued to progress.