Issue - meetings

Claire Labdon-West, Commissioning Manager, presented a report on semi-independent accommodation and support for looked after young people to the Committee, highlighting the following points:

(a)  the previous framework had issues with not meeting young people’s needs, and has now come to an end. A new framework will be set up to provide additional capacity and extra flexibility;

(b)  6 self-contained units will be available across 1 or 2 properties. They will be staffed 24 hours to provide support for the residents;

(c)  this will present an opportunity for forward planning and improved outcomes, with an initial period of intensive support to assess needs and develop a support plan. This will provide greater consistency of support, and greater consistency of cost;

(d)  over a year, there is a potential saving of up to £80,000.00, with the main risk being under-usage. There has been a recent reduction in the number of young people placed in semi-independent supported accommodation upon leaving care; the latest figures show 17 young people were receiving this type of support in December 2015. The small number of units is designed to mitigate this risk. Occupancy would have to fall below 60% before it would result in an increase on current expenditure;

(e)  providers will be obligated to demonstrate how they will work in partnership to support young people, to ensure that their transition beyond supported accommodation goes smoothly;

(f)  feedback as a result of the  consultation has been positive, and the Children in Care Council will be involved as  the proposals move forward.

Following questions and comments from the Committee, further information was provided:

(g)  the decrease in children requiring semi-independent accommodation support has mostly come about from more children being placed in foster care rather than residential care. Fostered children are more likely to remain with the foster family or go straight into independent accommodation than those who have lived in residential units;

(h)  the tendering process will go out to all providers. Given the vulnerability of the young people, the tender process will be quality driven, not driven by cost savings.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  procure a block contract for 6 units of Semi Independent Accommodation for 3 years with an option to extend for a further 3 years (at the discretion of the Council) with a maximum annual contract value of £206,824.80, with an option to expand the number of units should the demand for the service grow (at the discretion of the Council) via an open and competitive tender process;

(2)  procure through an open and competitive tender process a Framework to provide further capacity in addition to the units in the block contract for times when that provision is not suitable for a specific young person’s needs. This contract is to be for 3 years. The annual value of the Framework is estimated to be a maximum of £723,175.20. This is the forecasted spend for 2015/16 spend minus the value of the proposed block contract;

(3)  delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47