Redbridge Council has extended its Emergency Duty Team (EDT) service agreement for another three years, ensuring continued support for vulnerable children and families in the borough. The four-borough Children's Emergency Duty Team (EDT) provides a consistent, high-quality, and cost-effective out-of-hours service.
The Redbridge Cabinet approved the extension at its meeting on 16 October 2025, endorsing a new agreement that will run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. This four-borough partnership includes Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham, and Waltham Forest.
The decision underscores the council's commitment to providing consistent, high-quality, and cost-effective out-of-hours services. The collaborative model enables the boroughs to share resources, streamline governance, and foster strong inter-borough cooperation, which would be difficult to replicate through individual arrangements. The partnership also aligns with the wider east London infrastructure, including police and health arrangements, supporting integrated multiagency responses. This alignment enhances the ability to assess and manage risk effectively, ensuring timely safeguarding interventions and reducing the likelihood of escalation.
The four borough EDT budget for 2025/26 is £1.103m distributed as follows: Barking and Dagenham 0.336m, Havering 0.244m, Redbridge 0.305m, Waltham Forest 0.217m.
A key risk of discontinuing the four-borough EDT arrangement is that Redbridge would need to establish its own standalone service, leading to increased financial and staffing pressures. This could compromise service quality, reduce resilience, and lead to higher overall costs. A further risk is the potential withdrawal of one borough from the partnership, which could affect the financial viability and operational efficiency of the current model. While the four-borough arrangement remains the most cost-effective, a reconfigured three-borough model would still be more economical than each borough operating a standalone service. In the event of a borough giving notice to exit, the break clause provides a period during which the remaining authorities can reassess the arrangement, explore alternative options, and potentially identify a new partner to maintain service efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
The agenda for the meeting also included discussions on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), the Corporate Peer Challenge Feedback Report, and the Modernising Redbridge Programme, but the focus of the decision was on the Emergency Duty Team Service.
The reports pack provided to the attendees included a report on the Continuation of the 4 Borough Emergency Duty Team Service, which detailed the benefits of the partnership and the proposed new agreement.