Agenda item

To receive the report of the Head of Children’s Social Care and Early Help.

NB Pls note that the appendix is Non-Public.

The Committee received the report of the Head of Children’s Social Care and Early Help.

The Committee congratulated the relevant officers on the excellent outcome of the Ofsted inspection of September 2024.

A Member asked for further information on the Department’s relationship with the City of London Police, and whether custody visits are being undertaken in the correct manner. The meeting heard that while there is always room for improvement, the relationship with the Police is good and custody visits are properly conducted and encompass child exploitation concerns as well as interventions to support those children.

A Member asked whether there were any City-specific aspects of child exploitation. The meeting noted that the City’s connections to finance were such that the drug trade was active because of the existence of people with high levels of disposable income, leading to children being involved in county lines.  The meeting also heard that interventions are also taking place to ensure that hotel staff are vigilant about child exploitation taking place at hotels, and (in response to a Member question) that areas of concern are referred to the City’s licensing team, particularly where instances of suspected or actual criminal behaviour are not reported.     

A Member asked for further information on reports of higher levels of mental illness among children since the Covid pandemic, and what were the prognoses. The meeting noted that the issues were widespread and included children in the City, and that mental health risks were identified by the City of London at a very early stage of the pandemic and mitigating action taken. Members heard that early intervention is critical on these issues, though funding is a key area of concern.