Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Richard Smith, Councillor Tanisha Bramwell, Councillor Aafaq Butt and Councillor Ashleigh Robinson.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 6^th February 2026.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 6^th February 2026 be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Committee.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

The Panel will consider a report on the Progress of the Ofsted Improvement Plan.

Contact:        Vicky Metheringham, Service Director

The Panel considered a report on the Progress of the Ofsted Improvement Plan, which was presented by Vicky Metheringham, Service Director for Family Help, Safeguarding and Permanence.

Vicky Metheringham provided an update on the progress made within Children’s Social Care since the Ofsted inspection in 2024. The inspection had identified significant improvement, judged Children’s Services in Kirklees as being ‘good’ and acknowledged that leaders had clear action plans in place to address challenges.

Areas of improvement identified by Ofsted during the inspection were -

1. The effectiveness of practice with every child who was experiencing harm from neglect and / or domestic abuse.
2. The quality of written plans, records and meeting minutes for the minority of children in care and care leavers where these documents were weak.
3. The availability and choice of homes for children in care and care leavers.

The Panel were informed that -

• A rigorous improvement plan, overseen by elected members and the Executive Leadership Team, was ensuring that services enhanced opportunities and experiences for families in Kirklees
• Improvement activities related to neglect and domestic abuse had been supported by the Kirklees Safeguarding Partnership.
• Self-evaluation was updated annually and incorporated feedback from practice audits, thematic focus deep dives, and practice learning days.
• Self-evaluation activity had highlighted progress made against a range of areas of practice and identified what further actions were needed.
• Positive progress had been made in all areas identified in the inspection.

Vicky Metheringham advised the Panel that the report provided an overview of the progress made in addressing the areas for improvement and identified where there was more to do.  Areas highlighted were -

·       Concern remained that domestic abuse continued to be a significant issue and was the primary reason for repeat child protection plans and repeat referrals. A Child Safeguarding Practice Review was supporting multi agency practice after the tragic murder of a parent.  A task and finish group had been established to determine how practice could be strengthened where domestic abuse was a driving factor, with the key priority being to address the identified gap in perpetrator focused work

·       The improvement of language use in children's records was a priority during 2025. External facilitators had worked alongside all practitioners and significant progress had been made.

·       A proactive, targeted approach had been taken to recruit more local foster carers and supported lodgings carers for specific cohorts of children

·       Challenges still existed in finding timely homes for a small minority of looked after children.

·       Since the Ofsted inspection in 2024, further improvements had been made and changes embedded for the provision of support for care leavers.

In conclusion, the Panel were informed that -

• The leadership team were clear about priorities and had well established plans to drive progress.
• The workforce was the most stable it had been for the last three years.
• The quality of supervision and consistent management oversight had significantly improved.
• Vacancies would be filled through apprenticeships and student social workers.
• Services and support to care leavers had been transformed and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

The Panel will consider a report on the Re-design of the Leaving Care Service.

Contact:        Vicky Metheringham, Service Director

The Panel considered a report on the Re-design of the Leaving Care Service, which was presented by Joel Hanna, Head of Service for Corporate Parenting.

Joel Hanna highlighted the following key points -

• The report set out the journey of the improvements made since November 2023, when the national government adviser on care leaver services, Mark Bradell, visited Kirklees to provide a benchmark of services in comparison with other services nationally.
• There had been a clear focus on the strategy and resources needed, and the structure required to underpin the planned improvements.
• The Kirklees Parenting Board had been redesigned from the previous Corporate Parenting Board, and had set out six priorities.
• One of the priorities was to develop a care leaving partnership to support care leavers going forward.
• Ambassador events had been held with partners including Kirklees College, Huddersfield University, small charities and community services, to help design the priorities, the structure and the board arrangements.
• Two hubs, Number 11 in Huddersfield and Number 12 in Dewsbury, offered a welcoming environment for care leavers with kitchen, shower and laundry facilities.
• Partners used the hubs as a marketplace to offer their services.
• In July 2024 the report signalled that the improvements had already started to show a real benefit, but more time was needed to show sustainability, which accounted for the disparity between the report and the judgment.
• A service review was carried out to build on the improvement. Additional funding was applied for to engage with care leavers, and the number of 21 to 25 year olds who engaged with the service had increased. This allowed care leavers to make better use of the wider partnership and achieve success in education and accommodation, the two main challenges for care experienced adults.
• Case loads were significant, but would be reduced by the appointment of new staff.
• Scrutiny Panel Members had recently visited Number 11 and seen how the hub hosted specialist services.

RESOLVED –

1)    That the report be noted and officers thanked for their contributions.

2)    The Panel agreed that following their visit to Number 11 they had found it to be a safe space for care leavers, where engagement with other partners could start on a positive footing.

3)    The Panel noted the optimism within the team about the additional funding and extra capacity, that would enable the fulfilment of the plans.

The Panel will receive a verbal update on the published SEND White Paper - Every Child Achieving and Thriving (Every child achieving and thriving (HTML version) - GOV.UK).

Contact:        Tom Brailsford – Director for Children and Families

The Panel considered a verbal update on the SEND White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which was presented by Tom Brailsford, Director for Children and Families.

Tom Brailsford highlighted the following key points -

• The comprehensive SEND White Paper had been published after delays, and formed part of the wider schools White Paper.
• Events had been organised locally to consult with a range of professionals, parents and partners about the proposed reforms, and this SEND White Paper consultation closed in mid-May.
• Responses would be sent to the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Health and Social Care.
• The government had tasked Directors of Children’s Services with writing a reform plan, to be signed off by mid-June.
• National consultation had taken place with parents about the approach, which moved towards supporting mainstream inclusion for young people within their local areas and communities.
• The White Paper suggested three levels of support: targeted support, targeted plus within a unit in mainstream schools, and support in special schools where children had a complex Education, Health and Social Care Plan (EHCP).
• Every secondary school would be expected to have a unit/additionally resourced provision (ARP).
• The White Paper acknowledged that schools would need extra support to undertake this approach and the government proposed a 1.8 million fund called “Experts at Hand”.
• There could be challenges around the workforce due to pressures across the board and there were changes within the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
• The local authority would be the ‘convenor’ for the system and would hold responsibility for the co-ordination of the changes.
• If the municipal year allowed, the reform plan would be brought back to Children’s Scrutiny Panel, if not, this would be done post-submission.

In answer to questions from the Panel, Tom Brailsford advised that -

• The reform plan would be shared with the Panel for their input.
• Two events, in North and South Kirklees, would take place to invite parents and multi-agency partners for feedback on the White Paper and establish ongoing consultation and inclusion with partners. The Chair confirmed that they would attend one of the engagement events.
• Schools in Kirklees were positive about inclusion, and it was possible that they may have further questions around capital funding, wraparound support, the curriculum, and the focus of the inspection regime.
• Prior to the White Paper, the DfE had held webinars primarily directed at parents during the evening.
• The Our Voice Team had carried out direct engagement to find out the views of children and young people.

RESOLVED –

1)    That the update on the SEND White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving, be noted and officers thanked for their contributions.

2)    That the SEND Reforms Plan be considered by the Panel early in the 2026-27 municipal year.

3)    That the Panel would attend the SEND Reforms Event on the 25th March 2026 and report back on their findings to the Panel.

The Panel will consider a verbal update on the performance highlights from the latest Children’s Services data report covering period ending 31st January 2026.

Contact:        Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director

Vicky Metheringham, Service Director

Vicky Metheringham, Service Director for Family help, Safeguarding and Permanence, gave an update on performance data to 31^st January 2026 -

• Initial child protection conferences – there had been a decline in performance in the timeliness of initial child protection conferences in January 2026. The main reason for the decline was a delay in invitation lists being sent to partners and family. This left insufficient time to schedule the conference given that partner agencies needed time to provide the required information. Solutions to improve the situation included reinstating oversight from the service manager and head of service, and meeting with managers to review the workflow and agreeing practical improvements. The timeliness of section 47 investigations were reviewed twice a week resulting in a notable improvement since January 2026. Where delays had occurred, social workers continued to see those children and clear safety plans were put in place with partners to ensure the delay did not expose the children to unnecessary risk.
• Child protection visits – there had been a reduction in child protection visits according to the data, however weekly performance reports from team managers explained the children were seen, but that there was an issue with recording in a timely way on the electronic social care record. Proactive steps had been taken to address the issue. When children were not seen, this was mainly due to the family not being in at the time that the practitioner made the visit.
• Child protection review conferences – there had been an apparent decrease in the timeliness of child protection review conferences. This was because a small number of child protection reviews had been rescheduled and therefore convened outside statutory time scales. Reasons for rescheduling were mixed, but included ensuring that parents and partners could attend. In two instances the report from the social worker had not been available due to Christmas leave, and the importance of ensuring the reports were ready was recognised. The overall 12-month average of review conferences which had taken place on time, was 91%, which was above the national average picture.

In answer to a question, the Panel were advised that the planned approach was to create a dedicated multi-agency child protection team that would redefine roles and responsibilities. This would bring greater consistency and oversight of decision making, and allow for more reflection during decision-making conversations. The most experienced social work practitioners would lead the child protection decision making.

Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director for Learning and Inclusion, gave an update on the January 2026 exclusion and suspensions performance data and highlighted key points which included -

• 13 notifications of permanent exclusions had been made, of which 4 children were at SEN support, 2 had an EHCP and one was a child looked after. In terms of answering a question on whether exclusions were proportionate, the following assurance was given:
• When a permanent exclusion notification was received for a young person receiving SEND support, the learning and inclusion team would already have reviewed the evidence behind  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

The Panel will consider any potential areas of pre-decision scrutiny in accordance with any cabinet decisions relating to children and young people which are on the horizon and receive updates from senior officers in Children’s Services.

Contact:          Service Directors (Children’s Services)

No items of pre-decision scrutiny on Cabinet decisions were discussed. 

Panel Members who attend the Kirklees Parenting Board, will feed back on key areas of focus considered by the Board on 10^th March 2026, which will be of interest to the Panel.

Contact:        Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director

Vicky Metheringham, Service Director

Councillor Viv Kendrick, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, updated the Panel on key highlights from the meeting of the Kirklees Parenting Board held on March 10^th 2026 -

• Work was ongoing on reciprocal arrangements for care leavers across Yorkshire and the Humber, so that care leavers living across borders would be able to access benefits such as free transport.
• Discussions with Kirklees Active Leisure were ongoing, to ensure the offer better suited the needs of care leavers, in response to their feedback.
• Some care leaver Board Members who had contributed very well to the Board would be leaving as they were no longer of care leaver age; new members would be joining.
• Robust discussion was had about Priority Six, Developing our Care Leavers Partnership to Deliver Success for Life.

The Panel agreed to receive future copies of the minutes of Kirklees Parenting Board as issues raised could trigger an area for future scrutiny focus or prompt questions, and Cllr Kendrick suggested that it was a direct way to hear young people's voices.

RESOLVED –

That the Panel would receive future copies of the minutes of Kirklees Parenting Board.

The Panel will discuss progress of the work programme and agenda plan for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Panel dates for the 2026/27 municipal year will be arranged and approved by Council Annual General Meeting in May 2026.

Contact:          Helen Kilroy, Assistant Democracy Manager

The Panel noted the end of the Work Programme for 2025/26 that significant progress had been made during this municipal year, and that some visits were scheduled to take place in the next municipal year 2026/27.

RESOLVED -

That the progress on the Work Programme and Agenda Plan for 2025/26 be noted.