Agenda item

- Report by Caroline Highwood, Director of Resources, Kent Adult Social Services)

(1)       This report outlined the current progress in developing a new growth bid process and recommended an interim approach. 

(2)       During the course of discussion Ms Christou gave the Commissioning Body an update on the position with the bid relating to Thanet and said that meetings had been held to try and resolve this particular problem.  She said that the circumstances were now such that care needed to be taken to ensure that a suitable long-term solution was identified but in the meantime there was a need for some specialist floating support.  Ms Martin said that the position in Thanet was very fluid and that members of the Supporting People Team were working closely with Thanet in order to identify and provide a suitable long-term solution. 

(3)       Cllr Mrs Belcourt said that the Commissioning Body deferred consideration of this matter at its last meeting so that it could be provided with more information and therefore she had expected to see a much more detailed written report.  She also said that given the present circumstances she could not agree to the proposal to provide interim funding of a hostel prior to a direct access hostel being funded in Thanet.  Cllr Austin also expressed concerns but said that he was willing to support Thanet by providing some floating support.  Mr Porter said that this matter had been discussed by the Joint Policy Housing Board which was supportive of Thanet being provided with some intensive floating support in order to address the particular issues in this area.  That initiative would need to be led by Thanet.  Mr Porter also said that providing alternative hostel accommodation may not solve the existing problems and it was therefore premature to make decisions around that.  On that basis he proposed, and it was agreed that Paragraphs 2.4 and 6.3 of the report should be deleted and that recommendation 7 (iii) should not be agreed without a further report on these issues being submitted to the Commissioning Body as soon as possible.  Ms Highwood said that there was a need to find both interim and long-term solutions to solve the particular problems within this area of Thanet and she also said that there was a need to ensure that the Commissioning Body was kept informed of progress.  Mr Mills said that it was clearly important for the Commissioning Body to be kept fully informed and for some scoping work to be undertaken in order to identify and clarify the interim and long-term issues. 

(4)       Following further discussions the Commissioning Body accepted the Report with the following exceptions;-

·               the deletion of Paragraph 2.4;

·               in Paragraph 6.1 the date on which a report is to be made back to the Commissioning Body on the growth bid process be changed from September to July 2009;

·               paragraph 6.3 be deleted; and

·               recommendation 7 (III) be deleted.

(5)       On the basis of the above the Commissioning Body therefore agreed to endorse the contents of the report as amended, to note that a growth bid process will be recommended to the Commissioning Body at its meeting in July 2009 and that in the interim no growth bids will be approved until the process and framework had been determined.