Brent has seen a slight decrease in the number of looked after children, according to the Annual Corporate Parenting Report 2024-2025. The report, presented at the Corporate Parenting Committee meeting on Monday, showed that as of 31 March 2025, there were 296 children in care, compared to 307 the previous year, a decrease of 3.6%.
Brent's rate of 40.1 children per 10,000 child population is notably lower than the rate for England, which stands at 71 per 10,000.
The decrease is attributed to robust entry and care oversight, gatekeeping, and increased use of pre-proceedings, according to the report. The Annual Corporate Parenting Report 2024-2025 also suggests that improved pre-proceedings may lead to local authorities resolving issues earlier, reducing the need for court intervention.
The committee also reviewed the Brent Looked After Children Annual Health Report 2024-2025 and the Annual IRO Report.
The Health Report notes a small downward trend in performance across health-related measures compared to the previous year. Areas of focus for improvement in 2025/26 include:
- Improvement in timeliness for Under 5's six-monthly health assessments.
- Completion and recording of Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs).
- Recording of immunisations.
- A focus on substance misuse and the support available to young people.
The Annual IRO Report notes that in 2024/25, IROs raised 27 escalations, with the main concerns being the lack of an available care/pathway plan at the time of the review meeting, placement planning meetings not regularly taking place, and drift in PLO actions.
Priorities for 2025/2026 include:
- Continuing to drive to make LAC reviews more child-led
- Ensuring that at least 90% of LAC reviews take place within statutory time frames
- Robustly tracking all escalations until resolution.
The committee also received an update from representatives of Brent Care Journeys 2.0 (BCJ 2.0), providing feedback on recent activities. BCJ 2.0 amalgamates Brent's Children in Care Council (previously called 'Care in Action') and projects for care leavers (previously called 'Care Leavers in Action'), providing space and opportunities for different groups to meet in a safe environment to take part in participation activities throughout the year and engage in trips and events in school holidays.
Feedback from young people involved in BCJ 2.0 included enjoying the 'routine' of sessions, finding sessions therapeutic
, and feeling happy to participate.
