Agenda and draft minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2^nd December, 2025 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 2^nd December, 2025 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 receive a verbal update from the Vice-Chair following the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board meeting held on 3^rd February, 2026.

Councillor Brent, Vice-Chair, provided an overview following the last two meetings of the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board held on 9^th December, 2025 and 3^rd February, 2026.

In December the Board received an update following the Ofsted inspection of Children and Young People’s Services. Although the formal judgement could not be shared at the time, the judgement had since been published.

Young people from the Children in Care Council presented their views on what made a good home, aligning with Priority Six of the work plan. Their input, supported by preparatory discussions with the Fostering Champion and Assistant Director, emphasised the importance of stable relationships, commitment and everyday essentials that contributed to a sense of safety and belonging. Officers provided a complimentary presentation on the qualities required from carers, showing strong alignment between service priorities and young people’s lived experiences.

Further updates included a progress report on the action plan, headline performance indicators for children in care, and a joint presentation from the ICB and RDaSH on emotional and physical wellbeing. This highlighted ongoing work within the wellbeing group, new health priorities and improvements in areas such as dental and health check recording.  Annual reports from Voice and Influence and the Independent Reviewing Officer were also shared for Board review.

At the February meeting, alongside a previously reviewed Ofsted update, the Board received a powerful and candid account from a young person in care. He described the impact of housing, financial pressures, loneliness, and unsafe environments on his wellbeing, stressing the importance of supportive relationships. His testimony prompted immediate responses from leaders in Social Care and Housing, who acknowledged the challenges raised and outlined opportunities to strengthen support for young people. Owing to the significance of his contribution, the agenda was adjusted to give it proper consideration and then went on for Board Members to provide further feedback to the Service Director for Social Care regarding the draft Corporate Parenting annual report.

Resolved:-  That the updates from the Corporate Parenting Board be received and the contents noted.

To receive and note the outcome of the Ofsted inspection regarding the effectiveness of Children’s Services in Rotherham and endorse the priorities identified for continued focus.

Consideration was given to the report which advised the Improving Lives Select Commission of the outcome of the Inspection of Children’s Services by Ofsted in November 2025. This was a judgement Short Inspection and the Local Authority received an Overall Effectiveness grade of Outstanding. All sub-categories also received a grade of Outstanding with the exception of ‘the experiences and progress of Care Leavers’, which received a Good. There were two improvement actions, both related to Care Leavers.

In inviting introductions to the report the Chair wished to place on record her congratulations and thanks and appreciation for all the hard work involved by all in this result.  This was also endorsed by the Select Commission.

Councillor Cusworth, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member, introduced the report which provided an overview of the recent Ofsted inspection and summarised the key findings, areas of strength and priorities for improvement identified during the visit.

It also outlined the actions already underway in response to the inspection, as well as the next steps required to ensure continued progress. Bringing this to Scrutiny supported transparent oversight, enabled constructive challenge and helped to ensure the Council remained focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families.

Moving forward there was no sense of complacency. Activity within Children’s Services had not slowed down and all involved would continue to work hard to maintain high standards and to address the areas identified for improvement, particularly in relation to care leavers and the few specific actions highlighted by Ofsted.

The Chair invited the Executive Director to deliver her presentation which covered:-

·              Background to the ILACS Short Inspection.

·              Judgement Criteria.

·              Outcomes:-

v   Children who need help and protection – Outstanding.

v   Children in care – Outstanding.

v   Care leavers – Good.

v   Impact of leaders – Outstanding.

v   Overall Effectiveness – Outstanding.

·              National context – Top 10.

·              Overall Assessment.

·              Detail of the Judgement – Help and Protection.

·              Detail of the Judgement – Experiences and Progress of Children in Care.

·              Detail of the Judgement – Care Leavers.

·              Detail of the Judgement – Impact of Leaders.

·              Impact on Staff.

·              Actions that were needed.

·              Final Words.

Councillor Cusworth, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member, emphasised the importance of staff stability in Rotherham and the significant difference it made to the work taking place. Rotherham had low agency staffing rates which meant the authority was in a strong position regarding locality vacancies. That stability was essential to achieve “Outstanding”.

Furthermore, the senior leadership team had been stable for some time and remained very strong.

One area that remained strong was the Virtual School. Many places only had one head of Virtual School; Rotherham had two, one for primary and one for secondary and both worked tirelessly to ensure that Personal Education Plans (PEPs) were completed from birth, meaning babies’ development was now fully captured.

Rotherham also had one of the strongest youth voices through the Care Leavers’ Forum and the Children in Care Council.  Young people also sat on the Children and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

To receive a comprehensive overview of Education and Inclusion performance in Rotherham for the 2024/25 academic year with highlights where outcomes are improving and where concerted action is required It frames performance through the lens of improving life chances, tackling inequalities (disadvantage, SEND and ethnicity), and strengthening inclusion across the system.

Consideration was given to the report which provided a comprehensive overview of Education and Inclusion performance in Rotherham for the 2024/25 academic year. It built on the detailed Education Performance Outcomes briefing to present the information in a format tailored and highlighted where outcomes were improving and where concerted action was required.  It framed performance through the lens of improving life chances, tackling inequalities (disadvantage, SEND and ethnicity) and strengthened inclusion across the system.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member introduced the report and highlighted how over the past year schools, early years settings and post?16 providers have been working hard to raise standards and support every child to succeed.

Encouraging improvements across key areas was continuing, including attainment and attendance and the progress made by most vulnerable learners was noted.

This report set out the challenges that remained and highlighted the focused work already underway to ensure that all learners, regardless of background or need, could thrive and reach their full potential.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member was also pleased to be attending a meeting of the Rotherham Education Partnership, where Head Teachers from across the borough would come together to share best practice and drive further improvements in attainment.

The Chair invited the Service Director for Education to deliver his presentation which covered:-

·              Overview of:-

•              Educational Performance.

•              Key Successes and Challenges.?

•              Focus on Inclusion and Equity.?

•              Strategic Priorities and Collaboration?.

·              School Landscape and Governance.

·              School and early years inspections (end of summer term 2025).

·              Strengths.

·              Areas of Focus.

·              The Next Twelve Months.

The Chair invited questions from the Commission and a discussion and answer session from officers ensued with the following issues raised and clarified:-

-               There was continued focus on disadvantaged and SEND gaps for gypsy and Roma outcomes so were these children being tracked.

The performance of all children were tracked including children who were identified as having disabilities.

-               Detail on the Grade 4 mathematics outcome recognised that with academies this accountability sat mostly at a central level, but what specific work was being done to improve this benchmark, particularly because Grade 4 was key for pathways into apprenticeships, education, and employment. Was the gap compared with national statistics influenced by staffing vacancies, and if so, was there anything the Council could do to help address or influence that work.

Communication had been established with the regional Maths Hubs identified by the DfE. After meeting with the local hub lead, it became clear that while primary schools engaged strongly, secondary engagement was much lower. To address this, secondary engagement with the Maths Hubs was made a focus area for the Rotherham Education and Strategic Partnership Board, working with attending leaders to encourage increased participation.

Evidence from the hubs showed that schools that engaged tended to improve their performance, so strengthening this link was a priority. In addition, the Council and ROSIS already bought in specialist maths support and exploration was taking place to better align and expand these  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

To consider and approve the Commission’s Work Programme.

The Chair drew attention to the Commission’s current Work Programme.

Currently a workshop was scheduled for 2 March, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. This session was intended to focus on support for vulnerable women in pregnancy, following the cessation of the PAUSE Project.

Due to the low attendance at the previous two workshops the Commission were asked to consider whether they preferred to receive a more detailed written briefing on this topic instead of attending a workshop. Feedback could then be provided via email and picked up accordingly.

The Commission fully supported an off agenda briefing note and this would be prepared and circulated in due course.

Resolved:- That the Work Programme, with the revisions to the workshop as detailed above, be received and the contents noted.

For the Chair/Project Group Leads to provide an update on the activity regarding sub and project groups of the Improving Lives Select Commission.

The Chair provided a progress report on sub and project group activity.

Consideration had been given to the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences/Abuse Strategy 2026–2029 as part of the pre-decision scrutiny process.  This was undertaken by way of a dedicated workshop on Monday, 26th January, 2026 allowing for review, challenge and input into the proposed Cabinet decision before being presented for formal adoption.

The Select Commission welcomed the opportunity to scrutinise the Strategy refresh at an early stage and to consider in detail of the recommended review which reaffirmed the Strategy’s vision and a streamlining of previous priorities.  It was clear this enabled a more focused driven, co-ordinated and effective response to key areas of need.

Taking into account the key aims and the partnership action plan  the Strategy should provide a consistent, survivor and family centred approach to tackling Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences/Abuse, including tackling violence against women and girls.

The following recommendations were made by Members who participated in the workshop:-

·        That the Strategy was clear in its inclusivity of all those at risk of Domestic Abuse throughout.

·        To ensure the capture of reporting and victim data were included.

·        A specific identification of “more vulnerable” people when there was a risk to the public.

·        The colour scheme used in the Strategy made sections difficult to read and perhaps could be improved to enhance accessibility and clarity.

·        Consideration of the language used on the title page to ensure it was clear and appropriate.

In addition there was also a Joint Workshop on Threshold of Need  Document and RPCF Impact Report 2024/2025 with visit to Eric Manns Building

This was undertaken by way of a dedicated workshop on Thursday, 29^th January, 2026 and hosted by the Rotherham Parent Carers Forum in the Eric Manns Building.

The aim of the session was to share details of the Threshold of Needs Document that relates to the SEND Sufficiency Strategy which was about ensuring good quality school places for children with SEND.

In addition, Jayne Fitzgerald and other officers shared detail on last year’s impact report 2024/2025 and provided a brief outline of next steps following the opening up of groups and workshops. 

This report celebrated the milestones achieved and shared stories, experiences and evidence of the difference that partnership and living experience could make.  

Rotherham Parent Carers Forum were committed to making Rotherham a better place for families of children and young people with SEND and Neurodivergent people across Rotherham.

Members that did attend welcomed the excellent information that was shared.  A copy of the presentation that was delivered would be circulated to Members of Improving Lives along with a link to the website to allow Members to sign up for the newsletter.

Resolved:- That the update be noted.

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

There was no urgent business.