Croydon's Youth Engagement Services are to be scrutinised as part of a review into the effectiveness and future provision of children's services. The Scrutiny Children & Young People Sub-Committee met on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, to discuss the ongoing transformation of the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Directorate.

The committee received an update on the transformation of the CYPE Directorate, which serves approximately 95,000 children and young people in Croydon. Councillor Andy Stranack, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, highlighted significant demand pressures on services. These pressures include high referral rates to children's social care and a rapid increase in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The root causes are attributed to a system under strain, where unmet needs in education can contribute to safeguarding pressures, a lack of early intervention can lead to escalation into costly statutory services, and insufficient local provision drives reliance on high-cost external placements. The scale of SEND demand is particularly challenging, with a significant increase in children and young people with an EHCP, placing sustained pressure on services and contributing to a structural deficit within the Dedicated Schools Grant.

The long-term goals for the CYPE Directorate's transformation are to deliver a sustainable, high-quality model of services that improves outcomes for children and families while addressing increasing demand and financial pressures. This includes moving towards a joined-up, preventative and family-led model of delivery with closer alignment between education, social care and partners, with shared ownership of outcomes and aligned pathways. Key ambitions include embedding relational practice as the foundation of all service delivery, supported by systemic approaches and trauma-informed principles, and a simpler and more coherent pathway model, with clearer routes into support, better alignment between early help and statutory services, and reduced duplication across the system. The transformation also aims for a step change in how data is used and improved organisational efficiency and effectiveness through clearer structures and alignment of roles to end-to-end pathways.

Map of Croydon showing the localities of Family Hubs, Libraries, and Children's Centres.
Map of Croydon showing the localities of Family Hubs, Libraries, and Children's Centres.

The committee also reviewed the Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education performance dashboard for March 2026. Councillor Michael Neal, Chair of the Sub-Committee, noted that the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment, or training (NEET) had improved to 4.4%. This improvement is attributed to the work of a temporary NEET Tracker and Engagement Worker, whose consistent and proactive engagement has demonstrably improved outcomes. The tracker's efforts have led to more effective verification and tracking activity, and while NEET numbers remained static, the number of young people recorded as 'not known' decreased, partly due to tracking individuals who had moved out of the borough.

The reviewed dashboard for March 2026 included several key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets:

  • Proportion of 16 and 17 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET + not known): Target of 4.9%, current position 4.4% (Green).
  • Percentage of care leavers in employment, education or training (EET) now aged 19 to 21: Target of 60%, current position 64% (Green).
  • Percentage of Education Health & Care Plans issued within 20 weeks (excluding exceptions): Target of 62%, current position 50% (Red).
  • Percentage of contacts to children services actioned within 1 working day: Target of 90%, current position 85% (Amber).
  • Percentage of current Child Protection Plans lasting 2 years or more: Target of <4.2% of cohort, current position 4.3% (Amber).
  • Rate of local CLA per 10,000 under 18 years population: Target of 47, current position 48 (Amber).
  • Juvenile first time entrants to the criminal justice system per 100,000 of 10-17 year olds: Target of 262, current position 231 (Green).

A diagram illustrating the 'Layers of support' for children and young people, categorizing them into Targeted, Targeted Plus, and Specialist support.
A diagram illustrating the 'Layers of support' for children and young people, categorizing them into Targeted, Targeted Plus, and Specialist support.

The committee concluded that Youth Engagement Services should be included in the latter half of the 2026/27 Work Programme. The full public reports pack for the meeting can be found here.