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The Panel considered the Child and Family Services Annual Wellbeing Report for 2025-26 and the Children's Reviewing Team Annual Report for 2025-26, and looked at its 2026-27 work plan. The minute records no decisions on the reports. The Panel asked for information on staffing levels, vacancies and agency staff.
The Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 28 July 2026 to hear three updates. Members heard about demand for Swansea Bay child and adolescent mental health services, the work of the West Glamorgan Safeguarding Board, and the Care Inspectorate Wales inspection of the council's children's services. The minutes record no formal votes, only follow-up actions.
At its first meeting of the 2026-27 council year, the Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel appointed Cllr Mark Tribe as Convener and agreed its role. It received a verbal update on the Care Inspectorate Wales inspection and agreed to consider the full report in July, and it reviewed April 2026 performance figures and agreed its 2026-27 work plan.
The Panel considered the inspection of Western Bay Adoption Service, the December 2025 performance report and an update on the Child and Family Improvement Programme. It agreed to add a review of residential property purchases to its work plan, and officers will bring the CIW inspection headlines to the 1 April 2026 meeting.
At its meeting on 6 January 2026, the Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel considered the council's annual complaints and compliments report for 2024-25 and an annual report from the Corporate Parenting Board, which oversees the care of looked after children. The minutes record no formal decisions; the panel asked for positive feedback to be shared with teams and supported developing a new Corporate Parenting Strategy.
The Panel met on 25 November 2025 to consider the Annual Wellbeing Performance Report for Child and Family Services for 2024-25 and the Children's Reviewing Team Annual Report. The minutes record questions and discussion on both reports but no decisions. A letter from the Convener (the Panel's chair) to the Cabinet Member, dated 16 December 2025, sets out the Panel's views, and no formal reply is needed.
The minute records no decisions on either item. It records two actions on the Safeguarding Board item: further information on youth projects is to be provided, and the Panel is to consider a joint scrutiny meeting with Neath Port Talbot Council in future years.
The Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 22 July 2025. It confirmed Cllr Paxton Hood-Williams as Convener for 2025-26, agreed the Panel's role and agreed its draft work plan. It also considered the performance monitoring report for May 2025, but the minutes record no decision on it.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Child and Family Services, a group of councillors who check the council's children's services, met on 6 May 2025. It considered monthly performance figures for February 2025, progress on the council's policy commitments in 2024-25, and its own review of the year. The minutes record no decisions, only an action to add a briefing on the target operating model to the 2025-26 work plan.
At its meeting on 1 April 2025 the Panel heard an update on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), a briefing on the Virtual School for looked-after children, and an update on services for young people aged 16 and over. The minutes record no decisions on these items. The Panel's letters to Cabinet Members followed the meeting, and one asks for a written reply by 8 May 2025.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Child and Family Services met on 25 February 2025 to hear briefings on supported living for young people leaving care and on the work of the Corporate Parenting Board. The minutes record no formal decisions; the Panel asked questions and agreed actions, including providing homelessness team contact details and a Head of Service follow-up with Education on data about looked-after children.
The Panel met on 7 January 2025 to consider an update on the Child and Family Improvement Programme and a performance monitoring report for October 2024. The Panel agreed that the Cabinet Member would share fostering information with all councillors, that a presentation by Bays+ would be included in a future item on supported living for young people leaving care, and that the Chair would look at trends in the data with the Head of Service early in the new municipal year.
The minutes record no decisions on the two reports, which the Panel discussed mainly through questions. The Panel also noted letters about its September meeting and noted its work plan.
The Panel considered the annual performance report for Child and Family Services for 2023-24 and a briefing on respite and short breaks for disabled children. The minute records no decisions. It records one action: the Panel asked for information on how young people's belongings are carried and monitored when they move between placements.
At the first meeting of the 2024-25 council year, the Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel confirmed Councillor Paxton Hood-Williams as Convener. It considered inspection reports on two children's homes, an update on council policy commitments, and its review of 2023-24. The Panel agreed its 2024-25 work plan and added an item on child and adolescent mental health services; no decisions on the reports were recorded.
At its meeting on 12 March 2024, the Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel considered the Council's 2022-23 social services complaints report, a briefing on the Youth Justice Service and performance figures for January 2024. The Panel agreed to revisit supported living for young people leaving care and to keep an eye on performance trends that are moving the wrong way. No formal decisions were recorded on the other items.
The Panel heard a presentation on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) from Swansea Bay University Health Board. It also received an update from the Corporate Parenting Board, the council group that oversees care for children in council care. The minutes record no formal decisions, but the Panel noted progress and agreed several follow-up actions.
The Panel reviewed performance for September 2023, the Child and Family Improvement Programme, and the work of the Contextual, Missing, Exploited and Trafficked (CMET) team. The minutes record one action: the Panel will receive more information on a new computer system that Welsh Government plans to introduce.
The minutes record no decisions. Panel members asked questions and made comments, and the reports asked councillors to receive, endorse or note the material.
The Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel heard a video presentation from young carers and discussed the Adolescent Strategy and Action Plan. The Panel agreed the minutes of its 2 August 2023 meeting and considered its work plan. The minutes record no decisions on the two main items, only questions and discussion.
The Panel considered the Annual Wellbeing Report for 2022/23 and plans for in-house children's residential care, including an update on Ty Nant. The minutes record no formal decision on either report, but the Panel agreed to hold a session on qualitative auditing and to include it in reports each quarter.
The Panel met on 20 June 2023 to review the April 2023 performance report for Child and Family Services and to hear an update on the Western Bay Regional Adoption Service. Officers agreed to add a new measure on children who return to the child protection register within a year, and the Panel agreed its work plan for 2023-24. The Panel said it would monitor the fall in the number of approved adopters.
The Panel met to confirm its Convener for 2023-24 and to consider three items: the 2021-22 complaints annual report, progress on policy commitments for Child and Family Services, and a review of the Panel's work in 2022-23. The minute records one decision: Councillor Paxton Hood-Williams was confirmed as Convener. No decisions were recorded on the other items.
The Panel met on 7 March 2023 to consider support for carers, the monthly performance report for December 2022, and a briefing on the Youth Justice Service. The minute records no formal decisions. It records two actions on carers: a presentation by young carers, and a definition of carer to be shared with the Panel.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Child and Family Services considered an update on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and an update on the Child Disability Team. The minutes record no decisions on either item. The Panel's views were sent to the Cabinet Member for Care Services in a letter dated 17 February 2023.
The minute records no formal decisions on these items. The Panel also noted the items for its next meeting and agreed an action on the child and adolescent mental health item.
The minutes record no formal decisions, only one action: adding a briefing on the focused inspection of Ty Nant to the panel's future work programme.