Decision details

Proposed decision –

The Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services is asked to agree that community support services for disabled children and young people (currently spot purchased) be included in the procurement exercise for the upcoming extension to the Adults Care and Support in the Home contract with future buying taking place through this provision for the duration of this contract.

Further Information –

There is currently a mixed economy of home care/community support services for disabled children, young people, and their families across Kent, secured via externally sourced providers under spot-purchase arrangements.

These arrangements do not facilitate a holistic approach to the market across the county. They generate a wide range of locally agreed rates and costs which are difficult to manage and administer. Information and intervention regarding effectiveness and performance is difficult within disparate working arrangements and inconsistent contractual arrangements.

It is our ambition to find a better commissioning solution to the provision of home care/community support services for the support for disabled children and young people.

Adults Social Care faced similar challenges and have recently procured a Care and Support in the Home Framework which contains a common set of terms and conditions, performance and reporting criteria as well as the opportunity to make more informed decisions about provision requirements as identified by Social Workers.

Opportunities now exist to align support to disabled children, young people and their families with this framework. Analysis suggests strong alignment of at least 80% between providers of spot purchased for support to children & young people and those included in the Adult’s Care and Support in the Home Framework.

Options -

1.  Do Nothing – this option would allow the continuance of local spot purchasing of community support for disabled children and all of the current risks (financial and otherwise) that are inherent in this approach. This option has been discounted for this reason.

2.      Procure new Framework ringfenced to Disabled Children (0-25) – this option is viable and would provide commonality of terms and conditions alongside the opportunity to manage performance, costs and provision in a more holistic fashion.

Our proposal is to utilise the Care and Support in the Home Framework recently let by the Adult’s Commissioning Unit to include provision for children and young people (0-25). The Framework already provides support to individuals 18+ and given the high correlation of suppliers to current arrangements there should be minimal disruption to the market in taking this approach.

How the proposed decision meets the objectives of ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’

This service is purchased to meet the KCC Strategic Outcome of

‘Children and young individuals in Kent get the best start to life’.

The main supporting outcomes of the above are:

·           Kent communities are resilient and provide strong and safe environments to successfully raise children & young individuals

·           We keep vulnerable families out of crisis and more children and young individuals out of KCC care

·           Children and young individuals have better physical and mental health

As Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Support services, I agree to:

follow a competitive procurement process for children’s community support services within the Adults ‘Care and Support in the Home’ contract.

Delegate decisions on the implementation to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, or other Officer, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health as appropriate.