Tower Hamlets' Children's Services directorate is navigating significant national reforms while striving to maintain strong social care outcomes, a recent scrutiny sub-committee meeting revealed.
Despite high child poverty rates, the borough has achieved positive inspection results, including an outstanding
rating from the ILACS inspection and favourable feedback from a Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI). Thirteen key performance indicators (KPIs) were reported as green,
with one KPI for care leavers into employment and training being amber
but still above London and national averages.
Corporate Director Steve Reddy and Cabinet Member Councillor Faisal Ahmed presented the successes, priorities, and challenges for the 2026-2027 municipal year. Key successes highlighted included positive inspection outcomes, strong performance metrics, good staff satisfaction, and effective service delivery.
However, the directorate faces significant challenges, including the impact of ongoing national reforms. These include SEND reform, the Families First
social care reform, and youth justice reform. These government-mandated changes, for which local authorities are held accountable by the Department for Education (DfE), aim to increase prevention, early intervention, and regional working.
Specifically, SEND reform requires local authorities to produce and implement plans focused on supporting children with additional needs in mainstream education. The Families First
reform aims to join up social work and early health functions and create specialist roles. There is also a push for regional working in areas like fostering recruitment and commissioning of children's homes.
Councillor Mohammed Hasan Mahmud inquired about improvements to Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs). Steve Reddy reported that while the timeliness of EHCP assessments had improved to over 60% within the 20-week target, there was still room for improvement. He noted that an investment of nearly £2 million in SEND services the previous year had contributed to this progress.
The primary challenge associated with the national SEND reforms is the pace of change, with a commitment to ensure implementation occurs at a pace that suits Tower Hamlets' children, families, and staff. The reforms are influencing the timeliness of EHCP assessments, with an expectation that lower-level needs will be supported through SEN support rather than EHCPs. This shift is partly a response to a trend of parents applying for EHCPs due to perceived inadequate support through SEN support. The reforms also involve a focus on supporting children with additional needs in mainstream education, requiring investment in staffing and potentially building modifications within mainstream settings.
Other priorities for the directorate include managing school place planning amidst falling birth rates, recruiting foster carers, and a strong focus on equity and challenging anti-racism. The committee was assured that regular inspections provided assurance that risks were being managed.
More details on the directorate's work can be found in the Public reports pack.
