Decision details

Proposed Decision:

Reception and Safe Care Service – premises and management tender

a) approve the delivery of additional Reception and Safe Care Centres via the procurement of the provision of premises, landlord and management services (hard and soft facilities management).

b) following a compliant process, delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services to negotiate, finalise, award and enter into the required contracts; and

c) delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, to take other the necessary actions including but not limited to negotiating, finalising and entering into contracts or other legal agreements as required to implement this decision. relevant legal agreements such as the award of the contract, as required to implement this decision.

Reason(s) for decision:

·    Decision required because total value of the contract will exceed £1m and impact across multiple districts of the Local Authority.

Background:

·       Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) who arrive in Kent are accommodated by KCC as part of the Local Authority’s statutory duty for children in care.  They are placed in Reception Centres for temporary accommodation for up to eight weeks during which time they undergo a series of assessments including a Children and Family Assessment, a Health Assessment and Age Assessments.  They receive basic orientation and independence skills and associated training programmes to support their transition to independent accommodation.  This assessment period is significant in assessing both the risk to self and any risk to others.  Having identified facilities makes the risk assessment more robust and supports the Governments PREVENT agenda.

·       The Reception Centres provide accommodation and support for male UASC entering Kent aged 16-18.  Other arrivals, either female or those with clear safeguarding concerns, are placed in foster care. 

·       There are two Reception Centres in Kent. One is in Ashford and one is in Cranbrook. The agreed Protocol with the Home Office has recently been reviewed in light of the increases to the ratio of UASC to Children in Care population which recently increased from 0.07% to 0.1%.

·     The National Transfer Scheme was also mandated and has had varying success.

·      KCC negotiated an Agreement with the Home Office in 2021 for the Kent Reception and Safe Care Service operating at a maximum of 120 (although through Summer this number was exceeded to support with the high numbers of UASC).

·     The Ashford Reception Centre has 49 single rooms, with 38 single rooms at Cranbrook. In addition, KCC commissions Independent Fostering Agencies (IFA)/Semi-independent placements for the under 16 males and under 18 females. The Agreement includes the Home Office funding the costs of the Reception Centres.

·     KCC manage the support services funded by the Home Office across both Reception Centres and would assume this would be the same in an expanded model.

·     Summary points of the key service delivery expectations (pre-procurement) are set out in the associated report.

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

a) approve the delivery of additional Reception and Safe Care Centres via the procurement of the provision of premises, landlord and management services (hard and soft facilities management).

b) following a compliant process, delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services to negotiate, finalise, award and enter into the required contracts; and

c) delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, to take other the necessary actions including but not limited to negotiating, finalising and entering into contracts or other legal agreements as required to implement this decision. relevant legal agreements such as the award of the contract, as required to implement this decision