To receive apologies for absence.

No apologies had been received.

To receive details of members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the committee.

There had been no named substitutes.

To receive declarations of interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2025..

The minutes of the previous meeting were received.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2025 be confirmed as a correct record and be signed by the Chairperson.

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

No questions had been received from members of the public.

To receive any written questions from members of the council.

No questions had been received from members of the council.

To provide a progress update on the outcome of the ILACS inspection and next steps

The Corporate Director Children and Young People, Service Director, Early Help, CIN and Safeguarding, and Service Director Corporate Parenting provided an overview of the report and answered questions from the Committee: 

1. The Director explained that Herefordshire had a strong internal leadership pipeline, a stable and increasingly permanent workforce, and a robust Quality Assurance (QA) framework -- using KPIs, random audits, and random service?user feedback -- that ensured continuity and sustained improvement beyond individual leaders. It was emphasised that simple plans, clear expectations, and an embedded child?centred culture had made the service resilient to organisational or political change.

2. Members questioned how vital services such as early help would be protected if future administrations pursued budget cuts. The Director explained that Children’s Services was a statutory function and that Herefordshire had learned the cost of under?investment. It was noted that any future political group would be informed by officers and lead members around the potential risks of cutting preventative services, however early help would need to continue demonstrating impact to justify investment.

3. A query was raised about how early warning signs of deterioration would be identified to prevent a repeat of past failures. The Director explained that the improved QA framework -- quarterly data, random audits, and direct feedback from families -- would highlight problems quickly. It was further noted that previous issues had stemmed from overly complex reporting, whereas current reporting was simpler and therefore easier for councillors to interpret and challenge.

4. In response to a question, the Director did not feel that the previous “Inadequate” judgment had represented a governance failure, and stated that although various oversight boards had existed, information had been too complex and had lacked meaningful connection to frontline practice. The improved simplicity and alignment of reporting now provided clearer and stronger governance.

5. Questions were raised about Government proposals to reduce/remove fostering panels. The Director stated that the service opposed the reforms, explaining that panels provided essential scrutiny, challenge, and quality assurance. The Director warned that removing them would not reduce cost or delays, and might reduce foster carer approval rates because agency decision?makers would lack the depth of information panels helped uncover.

6. Members asked whether future regional devolution or council amalgamation could weaken Herefordshire’s children’s services. The Director clarified that devolution did not merge services and emphasised that Herefordshire now approached partnership discussions from a position of strength. The service would not be “done unto,” and any significant collaborations -- such as regional fostering hubs -- would need to be properly funded, with core resources protected.

7. A question was raised about low resilience among young parents and whether the ECHO service addressed this. The Director confirmed that ECHO had provided rapid, relationship?based support to families experiencing difficulties, helping them stabilise, build coping capacity, and strengthen natural networks to avoid dependency.

8. Members queried whether a 0.5 FTE increase for Family Group Conferencing had been sufficient. The Director pointed out that staffing levels at the time had been adequate, but would be reviewed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the draft work programme for Herefordshire Council’s scrutiny committees for the municipal years 2025/6 and 2026/7.

1.     The committee agreed that several additions to the work programme were needed, including briefings on upcoming SEND changes, the schools’ white paper, and the consequences of losing funding for the SEND school. Members also suggested adding updates on the Baby Steps project and exploring the high percentage of 16–17?year?olds not in education, employment or training.

2.     Members discussed whether school capacity planning was keeping pace with changing housing projections and considered involving the scrutiny committee responsible for planning.

3.     Councillors provided an update on the launch of the Child Friendly Herefordshire programme and agreed to meet the participation lead to embed the voices of children, young people and families across all scrutiny committees. This approach was expected to be reflected in future versions of the work programme.

Tuesday 12 May 2026, 2pm

Tuesday 12 May 2026, 2pm.