Agenda item

(1)

the commencement of a commissioning and procurement exercise by Sefton Council for the provision of residential care and fostering placements for the children and young people of Sefton, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as outlined in this report be approved;

(2)

following the procurement exercise the establishment of the purchasing approach for individual placements be approved. This will include ensuring value for money services and support such as emergency provision, therapeutic wrap around support linked to evidenced need and the future development and consolidation of local provider partnerships within the Borough;

(3)

decisions regarding the procurement exercise which includes  evaluation criteria, service specifications and contracted terms be delegated to the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education and to the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health  in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, based upon advice from procurement and legal colleagues to ensure such decisions are in line with the Councils Contract Procedure Rules and current procurement legislation/guidance. Such decisions will be made in advance of the commencement of any procurement exercises;

(4)

authorisation of contracts called off the Sefton Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System be delegated to the Executive Director of Children’s Care and Education and in alignment with the scheme of delegation and the Council’s Constitution; and that to ensure effective governance regular reports on expenditure be made available to the Cabinet Member - Children’s Social Care; and

(5)

where there may be an impact on Adult Social Care budgets due to the transition of young people into Adult Social Care authorisation be sought from the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health.

(1)

The Commissioning Strategy and Market Position Statement for Children and Young People in Sefton was approved by Cabinet in January 2020 and included the need to encourage and develop the closer working relationships with local providers who can demonstrate good quality and value for money;

(2)

The Joint Commissioning Strategy for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) 2020-2023 was agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board in March 2020 which included the improvement of the local offer so that the experiences of children and young people with SEND and their carers and families received joined up services which were easy to navigate, accessible and available;

(3)

The market in Sefton has reached a point of significant concern which is mirrored nationally and regionally with the need to improve if not radically change its current purchasing and commissioning approach to improve outcomes for children and young people, improve the quality and safety of services and to reduce costs;

(4)

The current market approach is over reliant on the response of the regional purchasing arrangements and LCR Purchasing System which due to escalating demand and insufficient responsive capacity has led to increased costs and concern in relation to the quality of provision, placement of children and young people outside of the borough and variable outcomes for Sefton Children and Young People;

(5)

The development of a Sefton Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing system would enable the growth provision within Sefton which would focus on outcomes, would be more cost effective and responsive and would enable a partnership approach with providers; and

(6)

The Sefton Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System would enable a stronger commissioning grip on quality and cost and would support the introduction of social value with a focus on local provision for local children with the continuation of the regional purchasing systems and LCR Partnership Agreement as and when required.

(1)

Maintaining the Status Quo- this was not considered a viable option due to the lack of current market capacity and escalating costs associated to the current use of the regional and LCR  Purchasing Systems which is the only option currently for the Children and Young People of Sefton;

(2)

There are increasing cost pressures and placement of children at distance which contravenes statutory requirements and good practice guidance; and

(3)

The Local Purchasing System will enable the collection of local placement data and intelligence which can be utilised to develop and strengthen a local commissioner and provider relationship with a clear line of sight to Sefton Children and Young People and associated costs