Agenda and minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 28^th April,2026 as a true and correct record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission, held on 28^th April, 2026 be approved as a correct record of proceedings.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

There were no items of business on the agenda that required the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

There were no questions from members of the public or press.

To seek a representative from the Improving Lives Select Commission to sit as a member on the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel.

Consideration was given to the request to nominate one representative to sit as a member of the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel for 2026/27 on behalf of Improving Lives Select Commission.

Resolved:- That Councillor Garnett be appointed as the representative on the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel for 2026/27.

To receive a verbal update on the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board following the meeting held on 5^th May, 2026.

Councillor Sutton, Vice-Chair, provided an overview of the last meeting of the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board held on 5^th May, 2026.

It was noted that the Board was updated on the forward plan and proposed 2026/27 work programme, noting that all outstanding actions related to newer workstreams were progressing well. Work had commenced on refreshing the 2027–2032 Corporate Parenting Strategy, with members and officers working collaboratively.

An update was also provided on the in-house residential care programme, which aimed to deliver safe, stable homes for children within their communities. Progress included operational homes rated good or better by Ofsted, alongside developments in registration and construction. Recruitment remained a priority, with 21 appointments made since January, supported by a refreshed training offer. However, challenges persisted in recruiting Registered Managers, reflecting a national issue.

Performance updates highlighted strong education outcomes for children in care, while timeliness of health assessments on entry to care remained an area of focus. Progress against the action plan showed that 39 of 42 actions were complete or on track, with delays in three areas considered reasonable and appropriately managed.

Updates were also provided on health-related priorities, including improving access to health information for children in care and care leavers. While an app-based solution had been requested, this presented information governance challenges, and alternative options such as the NHS app were being explored.

The Board received updates on the work of ‘In Care Youth’ in supporting the health theme, as well as upcoming activities for Foster Care Fortnight.

The next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board was scheduled for 30 June, 2026 and an update would be provided to Improving Lives in due course.

Resolved:-  That the update be received and the contents noted.

To note the progress made in developing and implementing the Kinship Local Offer.

Further to Minute No. 5 of the meeting of Improving Lives Select Commission held on 17^th June, 2025, consideration was given to the report that detailed how in July 2025, Cabinet approved the publication of the Council’s Kinship Local Offer which was adapted to be an interactive, online offer which was made available online in October 2025.

This update, therefore, outlined the progress in developing and implementing the Kinship Local Offer to date.

Councillor Cusworth, Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader, introduced the report and highlighted how the number of kinship carers had been increasing and this update had been brought forward for scrutiny, which had shown a strong interest in this area. It had become an increasingly important aspect of how children were cared for, with a focus on keeping them within their families wherever possible.

This approach had been supported primarily through family group conferencing and the provision of early intervention and additional support. Where it had been necessary for children to be removed from their birth parents, efforts had been made to ensure they could remain within their wider family network.

By way of a presentation Chris MacDonald, Head of Safeguarding, shared with the Commission:-

·              Kinship Local Offer and DfE definition of Kinship Care.

·              RMBC’s Kinship Local Offer.

·              Kinship Local Offer and what was included.

·              Role of the Kinship Care Delivery Group.

·              Membership of the Kinship Care Delivery Group.

·              Progress of the Kinship Local Offer to date.

·              Expectations of the Kinship Local Offer over the next twelve months.

A discussion and answer session ensued with Improving Lives Members and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

-               When introducing a new offer, regardless of how many years the programme had been running, how did the service ensure it reached people who have been involved for longer, such as those participating since 2020 or 2021? Were these carers offered the same level of support as someone joining this week, or were they not revisited.  Also in terms of financial support, was there a difference between an accredited foster carer and, for example, grandparents caring for a child or was the financial support consistent across both groups.

The Deputy Leader pointed out that Kinship care had always existed, with pathways allowing carers to become temporary foster carers, be formally approved, or transition to a special guardianship order, after which social care typically stepped back. Support had always been available, as these arrangements were longstanding, often occurring informally within families.

Efforts had been made to strengthen and promote this support, particularly to reach individuals already acting as kinship carers who might not identify as such. Outreach through GP surgeries, libraries and community spaces aimed to raise awareness, including among those in private family arrangements, that support was now a statutory duty of the authority. Increased promotion, including support from Elected Members in sharing information locally, was seen as key to extending this reach.

The Head of Safeguarding also reiterated that where a Special Guardianship Order had been made, which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To review the Experts At Hand delivery model and provide advice on implementation and delivery.

Consideration was given to the report which detailed how the School’s White paper (2026) required all Councils to build an Experts at Hand (EAH) multi-disciplinary teams for children and young people aged 0 to 25 years of age. The EAH teams should include educational psychologists, specialist teachers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and local special schools. This report, therefore, provided an overview of the development and implementation of the EAH model in Rotherham as part of the local SEND reform programme.

Councillor Cusworth, Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader, introduced the report and highlighted how the proposed changes represented a significant shift in how children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities were supported and that there had been considerable discussion on this nationally.

Reference was made to representation on the LGA Children and Families Committee, which had enabled engagement with ministers during the consultation process and the opportunity to provide feedback, including on workforce challenges. This was seen as beneficial in informing local understanding, with relevant updates being shared where appropriate.

It was explained that the model focused on early intervention, ensuring that schools and settings could access the right expertise at the right time, preventing needs from escalating. Through a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach involving education and health professionals, the aim was to strengthen inclusive practice in mainstream settings, improve consistency of support, and achieve better outcomes for children and families.

It was emphasised that the model was not intended to replace existing services, but to enhance them by adding an additional layer of support. This would help schools build confidence, capability and capacity enabling more children to thrive within their local school communities.

The report set out the overall ambition and outlined a phased approach to implementation, allowing for targeted support while enabling learning and refinement over time. It was also noted that significant work had already been undertaken in Rotherham to improve accessibility and inclusion, including investment in resource bases and early years support following the SEND inspection. The additional support from the new model would further strengthen this provision through enhanced professional input into schools.

By way of a presentation Niall Devlin, Service Director for Education and Inclusion, shared with the Commission:-

·              Purpose of the report.

·              An overview of the Experts at Hand (EAH) model.

·              Rationale for SEND system reform.

·              How the model will work in Rotherham.

·              Expected impact on inclusion and outcomes.

·              Feedback on implementation approach.

·              National and Rotherham Context.

·              SEND system reform set out in Schools White Paper (2026).

·              Introduction of national Experts at Hand model.

·              £1.8 billion investment over three years.

·              Focus on early intervention and mainstream inclusion.

·              Existing strong universal SEND support infrastructure.

·              Includes education, health and specialist services.

·              Access to support is uneven.

·              Capacity often focused on statutory activity.

·              Limited early intervention in some areas.

·              Current System Challenges.

·              Capacity tied up in statutory processes.

·              Variability in early intervention.

·              Reliance on traded services.

·              Reduced support post-16.

·              Imbalance across phases.

·              Too much reactive support at point of crisis.

·              Not enough early,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Shared for information purposes only.

Consideration was given to the Improving Lives Select Commission’s Terms of Reference which had been included purely for reference and information.

Resolved:-   That the Commission’s Terms of Reference be noted.

To consider and approve the Commission’s Work Programme for the 2026/27 municipal year.

The Chair invited the Commission to consider the Work Programme which had been circulated with the agenda and invited any comments  or suggestions for inclusion for the 2026/27 municipal year and respective scheduling.

The Work Programme set out clearly the dates of the Commission’s meetings for the municipal year and where items may be scheduled for respective agendas which were updated whenever there were changes.

There had already been a slight change to include the SEND Reform draft report for consideration at the July meeting as part of the pre-scrutiny process before its presentation to Cabinet on 14^th September, 2026.

This now meant this report would move from September to July and the CYPS Annual Performance Report would move to September.

It was pointed out that the work programme was very much a live document and the Chair was keen to hear from Members if there were any particular areas of focus or even specific items that were listed so these could be scheduled for consideration.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board confirmed he had also written to all Members regarding work programmes for scrutiny commissions and invited topics for consideration.  The deadline for submitting suggestions was Friday, 12^th June, 2026.

Meetings would then be set up through the appropriate Chairs and Vice-Chairs

to approve any suggestions for adoption using the matrix system developed by the Governance Team.

To date only one item that may fall under the remit of Improving Lives had been suggested, but on taking further advice this was a national set policy which could not be amended.

Resolved  (1) That the draft work programme for 2026/27 be approved with the current agenda items for inclusion and updated with today’s suggestions.

(2)  That the Governance Advisor be authorised to make any required changes to the work programme in consultation with the Chair and Vice- Chair and reporting any such changes back to each meeting for endorsement.

To consider any item(s) the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business.