Havering Extends Children's Services Improvement Plan Following DfE Notice

Havering Council is extending its Starting Well Improvement Plan into its second year, aiming to bolster its children's social care services. The council aims to strengthen management oversight, supervision, and quality assurance within these vital services¹.

The decision, endorsed by the cabinet on Wednesday, 13 August 2025, follows a statutory improvement notice issued by the Department for Education² (DfE) in March 2024. Should the council fail to comply with the Improvement Notice, the DfE may choose to invoke their statutory powers of intervention³.

The second phase of the Starting Well Improvement Plan, running from May 2025 to May 2026, will address key areas identified for improvement. Specific goals and measurable outcomes are outlined in the Starting Well Improvement Plan May 2025-May 2026 document. For example, under 'Theme One; Impact of Leaders and Managers', the document states what we will see when improvements have been made in this area :

Supervision and Management Oversight • Most practice audits show supervision is rated Good or Requires Improvement • Supervision is consistently timely across all service areas • Actions from supervision, audits, and Practice Overview Meetings are tracked and lead to improved outcomes • Management oversight is timely, robust, and includes clear rationale and contingency planning • Oversight is evident at key points: case transfers, 10-day reviews, and significant events • Managers authorise high-quality assessments and plans in a timely manner Planning and Escalation • Case files consistently show parallel and contingency planning • IRO and CPC involvement is clearly recorded • Timely, well-documented escalations by IROs and CPCs help address delays in children's plans • Children, young people, families, and IROs report positive experiences with plans progressing on time Staff Experience Social workers and practitioners feel supported and receive clear, time-bound direction from managers

These include:

• Collaboration with the DfE Improvement Advisor and sector-led improvement partners.
• Relaunching the systemic practice model with staff and partners.
• Workforce development through recruitment, retention, training, and accredited systemic development. The plan includes an ongoing Active Recruitment and Retention Programme focused on purposeful, and child focused to permanence and stability improve outcomes.
• Utilising artificial intelligence and technology to reduce administrative tasks. The council is committed to developing our use of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology to reduce time spent undertaking administrative tasks, so our teams can spend more time with children and families. Under 'Theme 4; Removing Barriers', one of the actions is the roll out of AI tools and improving digital literacy to support administrative tasks, ensuring practitioners and managers are provided with effective equipment to undertake their roles.

The additional costs for the year two improvement plan total £0.395m. The DfE is contributing £0.2m, with Havering Council covering the remaining £0.1935m from its general fund.

The agenda for the meeting also included reviews of the workforce strategy and corporate plan performance.

The minutes from the previous meeting on 11 June 2025, were approved as a correct record.