Agenda and draft minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Animashaun.

To approve the record of the meeting held on 2 December 2025. 

The record of the meeting held on 2 December 2025 was agreed and signed as correct.

The Chairperson will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. 

There were none.

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 4.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none

Other interests

Councillor Howcroft-Scott disclosed that she was a Trustee for Medway Parents and Carers Forum.

Councillor Jackson disclosed that she was a Trustee for Medway Parents and Carers Forum.

Councillor Nestorov disclosed that he was the Chair of Governors at Barnsole Primary School.

Following consultation with the Director of People and Deputy Chief Executive, it was agreed that this meeting would be Education themed.

Discussion:

The Committee received a presentation on the items under this theme, and this was followed by questions and discussions.

Retaking GCSE English and Maths - it was commented that sixth forms did not always take on young people that did not pass GCSE English and Maths  who wanted to study other subjects, and they had to go onto college to take English and Maths, when they should be able to attend sixth form to retake those subjects alongside other A-level subjects. The Committee was informed that some sixth forms did still take on pupils and allowed them to retake GCSE English and Maths alongside other subjects at A-level. Ultimately it was down to individual schools and providers to make the decision and determine their offer, a decision based on what was feasible for them to deliver as well as the young person’s capability.

It was further commented that even if a young person had not passed GCSE English and Maths, they should not be prevented from taking other subjects, as taking other subjects was better than not being in education at all. The Committee was informed that discussions continued to take place with partners on the offer for young people. Schools could not be compelled to take on young people  for sixth form education, it was difficult for schools to make sixth forms financially viable, and they needed to consider the number of courses offered as well as funding available. The service continued to work with schools to make sixth form provision and offer accessible for young people and feasible for schools.

Exclusions – in response to a comment that the report highlighted high exclusion rates and the impact on Not in Employment Education or Training (NEET) figures, the officer informed the Committee that the suspensions and exclusions data presented were for 2023/24 and since then there had been significant progress made in reduction of permanent exclusions which would be evident in the validated published data for 2024/25. As a result of the revised Fair Access Protocol (FAP) schools Trusts had developed internal programmes of suspensions which enabled children to remain onsite and receive support rather than being sent offsite.

Sharing of learning – it was asked if the service was confident that sharing of good practice took place between schools. The Committee was informed that schools were viewed collectively, the school to school agenda focused on celebrating successes and highlighting this in correspondence such as in school bulletins. The local headteacher network worked proactively and supported each other, Academies participated and engaged with the schools forum and there was good collaboration and sharing of practice between maintained and academy schools in Medway.

Tracking progress post Covid- in response to a question on what provision had been put in place as some of the effects on young people following Covid was only now emerging and what support was in place for teaching and school staff, the officer said that work continued to be undertaken nationally to understand needs of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 587.

The Medway Annual Schools’ Performance Report 2024-25 is attached in Appendix 1. This report summarises the Medway’s schools performance the academic year 2024-25.

Discussion:

Discussion of this item can be found at minute no 587.

Decision:

The Committee noted the Annual Report on School Performance for the Academic Year 2024 to 2025.

This report provides Members with an update on the position regarding NEET and Unknown destination young people and provides an overview of the current situation as well as looking at what initiatives are available to the council to progress this agenda positively.

Discussion:

Discussion of this item can be found at minute number 587.

Decision:

The Committee noted the Update on NEETs - Not in Employment, Education or Training report.

This report provides an update on the Youth Service Peer Review conducted by the National Youth Agency (NYA) in July 2025. The review was part of a national programme funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and aimed to support Medway Council in strengthening its youth service provision. The findings highlight both strengths and areas for development, with a set of recommendations to guide future improvements.

Discussion:

The Head of Service – Provider Services introduced the report which provided a synopsis of the review completed by the National Youth Agency (NYA) in July 2025. The peer review identified strengths such as knowledge of the community and need, retainment of open access to youth service, targeted provisions and leadership.

Members then raised comments and questions including the following:

The Youth Service was commended on their inclusivity at all their events and the difference made to the lives of children and families across Medway.

Staff were viewed as role models and were instrumental in the support provided to children not in the school system or attending school  for various reasons.

The Youth Service should continue to encourage young people that access their service to look into apprenticeship schemes to become future youth workers themselves and continue to give back.

Mapping and Phasing - in response to a question regarding the recommendation by the NYA on mapping and phasing of service provision,  and if this had been completed, the Committee was informed that priorities included reviewing the needs assessment, stakeholder engagement, consultation and mapping of all the different elements that made up the youth offer. There has been some extensive work undertaken working with children’s services to strengthen the participation strategy, and understanding of different needs to identify gaps in services.

It was further commented that mapping exercises had been completed across services over the years, and it was asked how the information previously gathered would be utilised. The officer said that it was not intended for a significant amount of time to be spent on mapping or duplication of work, as pointed out, mapping had taken place across services, the issue was that there was no central point for the information gathered. The exercise was being completed as it was crucial to know exactly what was happening across all sectors, including sectors such as faith and the voluntary sector as this improved awareness as well as the offer and  access to extra provision for young people. Any information and support with this exercise would be welcomed.

Interaction with schools - in response to a question on what the relationship was with education providers in Medway, the Committee was informed that the service had a good relationship and worked extensively with some schools and Trusts. They were currently working on a number of projects with schools such as reduction of exclusions and with those at risk of youth offending.

Recruitment and Retention- in response to a question on what other teams could learn from the ability of the service to recruit and retain staff, the officer said that recruitment and retention of staff across services in general was always a challenge. The strength of youth work was that is it a community related provision. There was a very dedicated team of staff, many of whom had been in the service for a considerable number of years, and whilst this is not unique to Medway, it had been aided by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 588.

This report outlines the current progress with the Regional Care Co-operative Southeast and development of Children’s Residential Services in Medway.

Discussion:

The Head of Children’s Services Commissioning and Placements introduced the report which detailed the progress made in the ‘Homes and Future’ and also with the residential care services. Medway officers ensured that their voice continued to be heard within the co-operative, made up of 16 LAs. The Regional Care Co-operative (RCC) had now set up as a community interest company under the ‘Homes and Future’ title to allow for some independence to be able work separately as well as jointly with other local authorities.

Members then raised comments and questions including the following:

The standards and delivery of service at Eden House and Parklands was  commended for being exceptional.

Staff abilities to sensitively liaise between the service and families was commended for being of outstanding.

Grants -  in response to a comment that the report refenced the £900k grant for Aut Even which must be spent by March 2026, and what the likelihood of the unused part of the grant being returned to the DfE, the officer said that the project was on target with its scheduling, with some of the early stages already completed

The Finance Business Partner- Children’s, added that in the event that the funds were not fully utilised by the March 2026 deadline. The local authority would submit a request for the funds to be retained on the basis of having met the requirements for substantial compliance of the project.

Delays to opening of Eden house – it was commented that there has been delays to the Eden house project and it was asked what lessons had been learnt. The officer acknowledged delays were experienced with the project and many lessons had been learned, however, some of the delays were outside of the local authority control. Some delays were experienced as a result of Ofsted timelines, which had since improved.

In house provision for complex needs - it was asked more could be done to improve resource in Medway to prevent the number of young people with complex needs having to receive care outside of Medway. The Committee was informed that work was being undertaken across networks to positively influence the market. There were also conversations across the RCC on how to share resources.

The Head of Children’s Services Commissioning and Placements acknowledged that staff at EDEN were inspirational and had created an environment where young people felt safe, they always went the extra mile and deserved recognition and accolade for their hard work.

Decision:

a)     The Committee noted the continued engagement and membership of the Regional Care Co-operative (RCC).

b)     The Committee noted the progress and plans for development of Medway Residential Children’s homes.

This report provides a written update to CYP Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Children’s Services continuous improvement journey.

Discussion:

The Assistant Director Children’s Social Care presented the report which provided an update on the continuous improvement journey since the service was rated good in 2023, and particularly over the last year. It was highlighted that:

• Two Ofsted focused visits had taken place in 2025 with good outcomes.
• External reviews had been invited for the Youth Service and the Fostering Service.
• The monitoring of progress of the continuous improvement journey was overseen by the Improvement Board.
• The service continued to prioritise recruitment and retention.

Members then raised comments and questions including the following:

The service was commended for all its hard and transformational work.

The priorities and focus of the service was evident throughout the report and on interaction with social workers and other staff at different events, it was clear that they were proud to work for Medway and were here for the long term. This provided assurance on the level of service being received by children and young people in Medway.

The feedback received from carers and foster carers on the difference the Mocking Bird approach had made was inspiring.

Staff turnover – it was asked what was being done to address issues with staff turnover and whether it was still difficult to retain staff. The Committee was informed that the overall retention of staff had improved. There were particular services over different periods which experienced more movement. There had been recent recruitment of a permanent service manager post which meant that all service managers were now permanent staff members. The service continued to ‘grow our own’ in terms of social workers and practitioners as the aspiration was to retain staff. There had also been a strong focus on the induction programme, for which there had been positive feedback received from staff.

Ofsted observation – it was commented that Ofsted referred to variance and fragility in the practices for children, and it was asked what improvements were being made to address concerns The Assistant Director Children’s Social Care said that this was mainly in relations to recruitment and retention of staff and the term used by Ofsted was ‘fragility of workforce’. This was in reference to permanency of staff and continuity of practice. An induction program had been devised for interim and locum staff  which supported the quality of work expected by Medway, to be achieved within a 3 month period. It was however expressed that until consistency and performance in the workforce was achieved, fragility would remain. The service continued to work towards a more permanent workforce which would in turn translate to stability in service. It was important to remain honest and transparent about any issues experienced in the service.

Decision:

The Committee noted the report.

Discussion:

The work programme was presented for information.

The Democratic Services Officer referenced the efforts being made to recruit co-opted members and asked for Members’ support.

Decision:

The Committee noted the report, agreed the work programme as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, and accepted the proposed changes, outlined in italic text on Appendix 1.