An apology for absence was received from Councillor Thomas Clayton (Substitute: Dawn Husemann – Remotely).

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

Councillor Mark Morris declared that he operated a private hire business which provided school and SEND transport.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 22^nd April and 14^th May 2026. [Minutes attached]

Contact: Shelley Davies – Committee Officer.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 22nd April and 14^th May 2026 be confirmed as an accurate record.

To receive any questions from members of the public of which notice has been given. The deadline for this meeting is 12.00 pm, Thursday 25^th June 2026.

There were no public questions.

To receive any question of which Members of the Council have given notice. The deadline for this meeting is 12.00 pm, Thursday 25^th June 2026.

There were no member questions.

The Chairman advised that, having reviewed the reports, she considered that the Local SEND Reform Plan would address a number of issues likely to arise during discussion of the Ofsted Shropshire Area Thematic Visit report. Therefore in order to avoid duplication and make the best use of the Committee’s time, the order of the agenda would be amended for Item 9, Local SEND Reform Plan, to be considered before Item 8, Ofsted Shropshire Area Thematic Visit and that questions on both items be taken together.

To receive the Quarterly Performance Monitoring Report – Care and Wellbeing.

Contact: Cezar Sarbu - Service Manager Safeguarding DoLS integrated funding and OT.

REPORT TO FOLLOW – This is due to unplanned additional workload arising from the announcement of the imminent regulatory inspection.

Cezar Sarbu, Service Manager Ops Central, presented the Quarterly Performance Monitoring report, outlining the continued challenges facing Adult Social Care due to sustained demand, increasing complexity of need and the challenges of delivering services across a large rural county. He advised that despite these pressures, the service had maintained a strong focus on prevention, early intervention and supporting people to remain independent.

Members were updated on the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme, including the Prevent, Reduce and Delay and Complex Pathway approaches. The report also highlighted performance against national comparators, safeguarding activity, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), recent legal changes arising from a Supreme Court ruling, and preparations for the forthcoming Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. Cezar advised that data submissions to the CQC were due in July, with the on-site inspection expected in September.

The Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Councillor Ruth Houghton, commended the comprehensiveness of the report and thanked officers for their work in preparing for the CQC inspection, noting the significant effort required to meet the inspection timetable.

In response to a question about which areas of performance officers were most proud of, Cezar Sarbu explained that it would be difficult and unfair to single out particular teams, as all areas of Adult Social Care made valuable contributions. He highlighted the importance of safeguarding work and the service’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement. Laura Tyler, Service Director Commissioning agreed that it was difficult to identify only one or two areas of performance because there were strong examples of good practice across the service. She highlighted that Adult Social Care was seeing positive outcomes through its preventative approach and that there were good examples of support helping people remain independent.

Members queried how the Council worked with partners to avoid duplication, delays and unnecessary costs within health and social care pathways. In response it was explained that a range of checks, communication processes and escalation routes were in place between social care, NHS partners, district nurses and care providers.

In response to a query about how carers and family members could raise concerns or report issues, Cezar Sarbu advised that care and support plans contained details of allocated social workers and team contact numbers and duty arrangements operate during office hours, supported by an Emergency Duty Team out of hours, while the First Point of Contact service provided a clear route for members of the public to raise concerns and access support.

Councillor Houghton, the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care added that one of the service’s key strengths was supporting more people to remain living independently in their own homes and communities, which aligned with the preferences of residents. She highlighted recent examples of successful hospital discharge arrangements and reassured members that robust communication systems and safety nets were in place to support people when issues arose.

The Chairman asked officers to identify the greatest risks ahead of the CQC inspection. Officers advised that the greatest challenges remained the waiting lists for Occupational  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive the Children’s Services Quarter 1 Performance Report and National Local Outcomes Performance Framework Scorecard. [Report attached]

Contact: David Shaw - Director of Children's Services

David Shaw, Director of Children's Services, introduced the Quarter 1 Performance Report and National Local Outcomes Performance Framework Scorecard and advised that officers had sought to provide a comprehensive picture of performance across Children's Services, including the development of a draft performance scorecard requested by the Committee.

Sonya Miller, Service Director for Children and Young People, explained that the scorecard was designed to complement the existing Children's Services Analysis Tool (ChAT) by providing a clearer strategic overview of key performance indicators and outcomes and had been developed around the themes of the National Outcomes Framework. She advised that existing performance data showed Children's Services continuing to perform strongly overall, although demand across the system remained high and added that the scorecard would provide an important baseline against which future improvements could be measured.

The Chairman welcomed the inclusion of comparative and benchmarking data within the scorecard, noting that it provided useful context regarding areas of strong performance and areas requiring further improvement.

Concern was raised about adoption timeliness, particularly the length of time taken to place children with adoptive families. Sonya Miller advised that increased case complexity, particularly involving sibling groups, had contributed to delays despite an increase in adoption activity since joining the Together for Children Regional Adoption Agency. She confirmed that the matter had been raised with the Together for Children Board and that performance continued to be closely monitored.

Members requested that future reports should more clearly link performance information with financial data, enabling members to understand both the effectiveness and efficiency of Children's Services activity and demonstrate how Children's Services activity was contributing towards reducing financial pressures on the Council. David Shaw acknowledged the need to strengthen links between performance and financial reporting and advised that officers were exploring cost and outcome benchmarking to inform future reports. He highlighted the long-term financial benefits of prevention and early intervention and agreed to consider how these savings could be presented more clearly to members. He also agreed to circulate Local Government Association benchmarking information.

Sonya Miller added that much of the financial pressure within Children's Social Care related to residential placements for children in care. She explained that while the majority of looked after children were placed in family-based settings, around 100 children were in high-cost residential placements, which represented the greatest area of financial challenge. She advised that significant work was being undertaken to safely step children down from residential placements into family-based care wherever appropriate, and that officers would consider how to better report both cost reduction and cost avoidance achieved through this work.

Laura Tyler, Service Director Commissioning added that while financial pressures remained significant, officers needed to improve how they communicated both the cost avoidance achieved through placement negotiations and commissioning activity and the work underway to reduce future costs across Children's Services and Adult Social Care. She advised that considerable work was being undertaken behind the scenes and agreed that improvements could be made in reporting this more transparently to members.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To receive an update on the Local SEND Reform Plan and identify areas that may require further investigation by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [The Local SEND Reform Plan attached]

Contact: Natasha Moody - Families First Partnership (FFP) Strategic Lead.

Natasha Moody, Families First Partnership (FFP) Strategic Lead presented the Local SEND Reform Plan, which was developed in response to national SEND reforms and increasing financial pressures. She explained that the Government had invited Local Authorities to submit reform plans to address High Needs deficits, with the potential for significant historic SEND debt to be written off if approved. The plan aims to create a more inclusive and sustainable system through earlier intervention, stronger mainstream provision, improved access to specialist support and greater delivery of services closer to home.

Natasha advised that the plan was the first stage of a wider programme of reform and had been developed within challenging timescales. While the Department for Education supported the direction of travel, further work was required on data, financial management and performance oversight. The national report shared by Grant Thornton, taking learning from their national client base, had also highlighted that strong financial governance, commissioning and partnership working, alongside addressing wider system limitations within the national SEND system, were key components of developing a sustainable local and national SEND system.

Natasha Moody then presented Item 8, Ofsted Shropshire Area Thematic Visit. In accordance with the approach agreed by the Chairman at the start of the meeting, members considered Items 8 and 9 together, with questions taken across both reports due to the overlap in subject matter.

To receive an update on the Ofsted - Shropshire Area Thematic Visit and identify areas that may require further investigation by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [Summary note attached]

Contact: David Shaw - Director of Children's Services & Natasha Moody - Families First Partnership (FFP) Strategic Lead.

Natasha Moody, Families First Partnership (FFP) Strategic Lead, presented the findings of the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission SEND thematic visit, which reviewed the effectiveness of Shropshire’s SEND arrangements. Inspectors found strong strategic leadership, partnership working and a clear commitment to inclusion, with leaders demonstrating a good understanding of local needs and performance challenges. However, they noted that improvements made at a strategic level were not yet being consistently felt by children and families.

Inspectors also praised practitioner engagement and the work of SENDIASS, although feedback from parents indicated that they did not always feel fully involved in decision-making. While services were found to be inclusive and supported by knowledgeable staff, families reported that the local offer could be difficult to navigate and that personal relationships often helped them access support more effectively than digital information alone. Inspectors concluded that the partnership was moving in the right direction and encouraged continued progress in governance, communication and inclusion.

Questions from members focused on issues discussed in conjunction with the SEND Reform Plan.

The Vice-Chairman asked how the Council would secure enough Educational Psychologists to support the reforms without increasing reliance on agency staff. Natasha Moody advised that recruitment remained a national challenge and that the Council was developing its own workforce through trainee and assistant Educational Psychologist roles. She also highlighted the need to promote Shropshire as an attractive place to live and work. David Shaw added that regional work was underway to manage agency costs, expand training opportunities and lobby Government to increase national recruitment pathways.

Members welcomed the emphasis placed on personal relationships and direct engagement with families rather than relying solely on digital systems. It was suggested that Government workforce policies were restricting recruitment pools for specialist roles and therefore proposed that the concerns be raised with national policymakers. The Chairman supported the principle of seeking reassurance regarding future workforce availability and recruitment challenges and agreed with Councillor Houghton’s suggestion to review workforce recruitment and retention progress across both Adults' and Children's Services in 12 months' time.

Members queried whether sufficient outreach support was available in schools to identify and respond to SEND needs before specialist placements were required. Natasha Moody advised that the reform plan included enhanced outreach from special schools and support to build expertise within mainstream settings. While teacher recruitment was generally stable, challenges remained in recruiting teaching assistants, particularly in rural areas. David Shaw highlighted successful initiatives such as the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme and emphasised the importance of monitoring workforce capacity as the reforms progressed.

Members emphasised the importance of listening directly to children and young people, citing an example of a young person whose engagement improved once provision reflected their interests and aspirations. Natasha Moody agreed and highlighted the development of the Young Ambassadors programme, which would help ensure children's voices informed future decision-making. She also outlined the role of SENDIASS, the Parent Carer Forum and wider engagement activities, including the forthcoming "Big Listen" events, which would gather  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Verbal update on the work programme of the Committee. [Work Programme attached]

Contact: Sophie Foster – Overview and Scrutiny Officer.

Tom Dodds, Strategy and Scrutiny Manager and Statutory Scrutiny Officer presented the draft work programme and reminded members that it reflected the outcomes of the recent strategic work programming session.

A number of themes arising from the meeting which may warrant future scrutiny, including support for unpaid carers, workforce recruitment and retention, SEND reforms and the financial impacts of preventative services were highlighted by Tom Dodds and he suggested that members may wish to hold a dedicated informal session to review the work programme in greater detail and agree future priorities.

In response, the Chairman agreed that the Committee had covered a significant amount of ground during the meeting and identified a number of clear areas for ongoing scrutiny. She supported arranging a further session to review and refine the work programme and thanked members and officers for their contributions to the discussion.

RESOLVED:

The Committee noted the draft work programme and agreed that it should be reviewed to reflect the priorities identified during the meeting, with a further session arranged to consider and prioritise future work in more detail.

To note that the next meeting of the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be held at 6.00 p.m. on Wednesday 21^st October 2026.

Members noted that the next meeting of the People Overview and Scrutiny Meeting will be held on Wednesday 21^st October 2026 at 6.00 p.m..