Agenda

To approve the record of the meeting held on 5 March 2026.  

The Chairperson will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. 

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 4.

On 10 March 2026 Medway Youth Council (MYC) delivered its annual Young Peoples Conference DigiCon: The impact of Digital Technology on young people. With an ever-digitising society, MYC sought to capture young people’s experiences of living, learning, socialising and developing in the current digital landscape. The report makes key recommendations from young people about how these issues raised could be addressed.

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Report to follow.

This report presents data on Initial Health Assessments for Medway’s Children in Care covering the 12?month period from April 2025 to March 2026.

Estimated time: 25 minutes

The report sets out the three year plan to improve outcomes for children and young people of Medway. The report details what will be delivered each year, drive in improvements, workforce development and framework for accountability.

Estimated time: 40 minutes

A sufficiency strategy for children’s services is a mandated document for all local authorities and needs to be published on the Council website. Local authorities have a statutory duty under Section 22G of the Children Act 1989 (introduced by the Children and Young Persons Act 2008) to: “Take steps to secure, so far as reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation for looked after children within their area.”

A sufficiency strategy focuses on ensuring there is enough high-quality, appropriate support and provision available locally to meet the needs of children and families. It prioritises early help, prevention, and effective placement planning so that children can remain safely within their families or communities wherever possible, reducing reliance on high-cost or out-of-area provision while improving outcomes and stability. This will update on the previous 2023-26 strategy and propose areas of development for the Council over the next 3 years.  It needs a wider collective of Council Services to deliver the plan and so has wider commitment outside of Childrens Social Care.

Estimated time: 25 minutes

The One Medway Council Plan (OMCP) 2024/28 sets out the Council’s priorities and the performance indicators used to monitor performance. This report and appendices summarise how we performed in Quarter 4 2025/26 on the delivery of these priorities. This report also presents the Quarter 4 2025/26 review of strategic risks.

Estimated time: 20 minutes

This item advises Members of the current work programme and allows the Committee to adjust it in the light of latest priorities, issues and circumstances. It gives Members the opportunity to shape and direct the Committee’s activities over the year.

Estimated time: 5 minutes