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Decision: To award contracts to provide Care and Support in the Home Phase 2– Supported Living Services to the successful bidders following a procurement exercise and delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health to take relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of and entering into required contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision.
This Decision is to award contracts to additional providers under the pre-existing Supported Living framework which went live on June 15th, 2020, and was agreed under decision 20/00031 – Care in the Home Service
Reason(s) for decision: There is a mixed economy of Care in the Home Services across Kent for older and vulnerable residents with assessed needs, predominantly contracted to external providers and spot purchasing arrangements. The scope of these services includes:
Phase 1 – Home Care Services and Supporting Independence Services (SIS)
The services in scope deliver very similar tasks in people’s homes and there was an opportunity to achieve improved consistency across the market by bringing services together. Additionally, providers delivering services such as SIS are already delivering within an outcomes-focussed approach, whilst the Home Care provision remained time and task focussed.
Phase 2 – Supported Living and Care in the Home Community Vacancies
The contract was retendered in 2019 and was implemented in part in June 2020, a second tender process was opened in March 2021 to add new providers to the contract addressing the market gaps identified since June 2020.
Aligning services under one contractual arrangement has enabled the Council to take a consistent and equitable approach in shaping the market to focus on the personalisation and outcomes agendas and supporting the Council’s strategic outcome that ‘older and vulnerable residents are safe and supported with choices to live independently’.
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Decision published: 19/10/2021
Effective from: 27/10/2021
Decision:
As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, I agree to: a) AWARD contracts to additional providers as detailed in exempt Appendix 1; and b) DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to take relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of and entering into required contract or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision. |
Division affected: (All Division);
Proposed decision:
a) Direct Award of a two-month contract on existing terms and conditions of existing Framework by two months from 1 February 2022 to 31 March 2022.
b) Competitively tender for a new Framework Agreement for Independent Fostering Providers, jointly with Medway Council, from April 2022.
Decision required because total value of contracts will exceed £1m and affects more than two Electoral Divisions.
Reason for the decision
The proposed decision is regarding the commissioning of external fostering placements through a Framework Agreement with Independent Fostering Providers jointly with Medway Council, from April 2022. This will be done through completion of a competitive tender process, and this will support KCC in meeting its Sufficiency Duty.
Background
KCC has a significant in-house Fostering Service, and the vast majority of new fostering placement starts are provided by our own provision. However, there is still a need to search externally for approximately 20% of our fostering placement needs in order to meet our sufficiency requirements.
Externally commissioned fostering placements are called-off from the current Kent and Medway Independent Fostering Provider (IFP) Framework Agreement which is a joint arrangement between KCC and Medway Council. It went live on 1 February 2018 and is due to end on the 31 January 2022.
It is proposed that a short contract will be awarded (effectively an extension) to the existing Framework Agreement taking the expiry date up to 31 March 2022. This will enable the new Framework Agreement once it has been tendered and awarded to be aligned to financial years which will greatly assist in the reporting of performance and financial data, and internal budget build processes.
Through the commissioning and tendering of this contract, we will support the following strategic outcomes of KCC:
• Kent children have the best start in life and families get the right help and support when they need it.
• Kent children get the education, skills and experiences they need for a successful future.
In addition, this service will support achievement of the following priorities in KCC’s Children in Care and Care Leavers Strategy 2018-2022:
• Work more closely and innovatively with providers of accommodation.
• Review our approach to current spot purchased services and, where appropriate, develop new contracting models.
• Improve the matching process to create greater placement stability.
• Review mental health support for children in placements with Health colleagues.
• Deliver a new value model for placements which are highest cost.
• Explore the potential for collaboration with other authorities.
Available Options
1. Do Nothing
Fostering placements would continue to be sourced via spot purchase arrangements. no additional staff resources would be required. There is likely to be a decline in availability of placements due to IFPs working closely with contracted local authorities, thereby limiting choice and availability for our children in care. In addition, this option does not comply with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
2. Competitively tender for a new Framework Agreement
The proposed decision to competitively tender for a new Framework Agreement will cause the least disruption to KCC and to the market. It allows for clear pricing mechanisms linked to placement types and categories of need. Strong contract management arrangements ensure the service is delivered in accordance with agreed performance and quality levels. This type of arrangement makes it easier to maintain and develop strong supplier relationships. The local market has expressed a view that they favour this type of arrangement and there is a willingness to continue working and collaborating with KCC.
This is the preferred and recommended option which was presented to CYPE DMT and they agreed this recommendation.
3. Establish an alternative approach to a Framework, for instance a Qualified Provider List (QPL) or Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
Working with a QPL to source fostering placements will require additional work on negotiating individual placement costs based on child needs to be carried out by the Total Placement Service (TPS). For referrals not planned with sufficient time and of a more reactive nature there is the potential to be pushed into an “emergency” price.
Using a DPS would allow new providers to join the Framework, however it would also allow existing providers to leave and re-join with a different indicative pricing mechanism which would reduce any cost leverage with this market.
4. Agree a block contract arrangement with a select group of Providers
This type of arrangement lacks flexibility and does not take into account increases in demand and service pressures. Individual providers can feel they are being forced to take placements which may be unsuitable and there is a risk that matching a child’s needs to the skills and expertise of individual foster carers becomes less important. Close monitoring would be required to ensure maximum use made of the block arrangement. Engagement with the market on different contracting models has shown that there is little appetite for block contract arrangements.
5. Join a Regional Arrangement
The Department for Education and relevant national bodies are generally supportive of regional arrangements as they bring consistency of approach to the market. However, it would be considerably harder to maintain and manage provider relationships in their current guise. It is difficult to evidence that combined buying power as part of a larger regional arrangement would bring savings.
Responsibilities in terms of contract management differ between models; this would either be carried out by the agency running the arrangement or each local authority would take responsibility on behalf of the region for provider inspections in their respective geographic boundary. For an Authority the size of Kent with a sizeable provider market, this could be a big commitment which would require dedicated resources.
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Integrated Children's Services
Decision published: 18/10/2021
Effective from: 26/10/2021
Decision:
As Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, I agree to:
i) Directly award a two-month contract on existing terms and conditions to existing Framework Providers from 1 February 2022 to 31 March 2022.
ii) Competitively tender a new Framework Agreement for Independent Fostering Providers, joint with Medway Council, effective from 1 April 2022.
iii) Delegate decisions and necessary actions regarding the award of the contract to the Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education, or other Officer as instructed by the Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education
Division affected: (All Division);
Lead officer: Sarah Challiss
· Proposed Decision: To commission a dedicated service that offers robust and consistent support to parents whose child has either received a diagnosis, awaiting diagnosis, or considering a referral to the Neurodevelopmental (ND) Pathway. The scope of the new service aims to address the issues raised by parents by offering a range of options that can be delivered in addition to services currently on offer across the County. The Key Decision is to allow Commissioners to commence formal procurement activity to tender for a service, award a contract and develop internal provision for ownership and oversight of the activity.
Background:
· This proposal is to develop a new dedicated service that offers robust and consistent support to parents who are concerned their child may require some additional support, linked to Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC).
· The Service will be facilitated jointly by parents, utilising lived experience, building resilience and developing self-help strategies amongst fellow parents. The overarching aim of the service is to reduce the emphasis on needing to wait for diagnosis before being able to access support, in turn it is hoped that this will have a positive impact on the diagnosis backlog and waiting lists.
· In January 2021 a working group was set up with multi-agency partners and parent representatives to co-produce key components required of the new Model. This group captured good practice, issues, and current gaps in the provision.
· In addition to the development of the ‘Supporting Parents Service’, this work will be used to further support future SEND inspections.
· Partners included, but not limited to, Kent PACT, Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Information Advice and Support Kent, Specialist Teaching and Learning Service, Voluntary and Community Sector, Public Health, Disabled Children and Young People Services, SEN Early Years, Early Help, Adolescent and Open Access.
· The scope of the proposed new service aims to address the issues raised by parents and carers by offering a range of options that can be delivered in addition to services currently on offer across the County.
· The SEND inspection of 2019 highlighted issues regarding the following:
o The widely held concern of parents that the local area is not able, or in some cases not willing, to meet their children’s need.
o The limited role parents and carers have in reviewing and designing services for children and young people with SEND.
· Key to delivery will be facilitators with lived experience. Parents as service users have robustly reported that it is lived experience that is key to the success of their engagement with the programmes. In addition, having parents at the heart of delivery will ensure continuous improvement of the Offer.
· Following discussions with Kent & Medway CCG, they support the proposed Model and have agreed to add £100,000 to the funding pot for each year of the contract/Service Level Agreement, to support a Countywide multi-disciplinary ND resource.
· Year One of this provision will focus on children and young people currently in receipt of an Integrated Children’s Service intervention. The new service will increase the total Countywide Offer to parents by 42%.
· Whilst it is not anticipated to reduce demand, the overarching aim is to reduce levels of anxiety and reduce those parents reaching crisis point whilst on the waiting list. This work will also join up with the Parent and Place Workshops that will bring together a range of professionals that parents can access as part of their ND journey. The Model will include provision for a KCC Countywide Co-Ordinator post, whose primary objective will be to develop, join up and expand the parenting offer.
Options
1. Do Nothing:
Support and advice to parents relating to the ND Pathway will continue to be fragmented, inconsistent across the County and difficult to find, resulting in a postcode lottery and additional stress for parents and families.
2. Create the new service In-House:
This option may impact on the capacity within teams, with the risk of staff being pulled back to their ‘day job.’ Also, parents have told us they are nervous/not likely to approach KCC regarding initial worries and support delivered with lived experience is more meaningful.
3. Externally commission the new service via Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS):
VCS are already set up to deliver the whole range of support to parents/families and benefit from long-standing relationships with parents as well as being very experienced in managing volunteers. Robust contract management will be in place.
4. Hybrid Model - Externally commission the new service via VCS – with additional oversight via KCC Co-ordinator post:
As above in Option 3, with additional dedicated KCC Service Co-ordinator post for robust oversight of whole County Offer. Service provision will be in addition to current in-house delivery.
Risks
· The main risk is to do nothing. The numbers awaiting diagnosis have doubled during COVID with a wait time between two and a half and three years. The overarching aim of the new service is to support parents to build resilience and robust strategies that help to reduce levels of anxiety and reduce those parents reaching crisis point whilst on the waiting list.
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Integrated Children's Services
Decision published: 06/10/2021
Effective from: 14/10/2021
Decision:
As Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, I agree to:
A) Allow Commissioners to commence formal procurement activity to tender for a service, award a contract and develop internal provision for ownership and oversight of the activity.
B) Delegate authority for the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education to award a contract following a competitive tender process, in consultation with the Cabinet Member.
Division affected: (All Division);
Lead officer: Sarah Challiss
Proposed decision.
i. agree to provide £4,930,041 from the Children, Young People and Education Capital Budget for the permanent expansion of Highsted Grammar School by 1FE for September 2022.
ii. Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with the General Counsel and Director of Education to enter into any necessary contracts / agreements on behalf of the County Council.
iii. Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.
· Reason for the decision
To allocate £4,930,041 from the Capital budget for the expansion of Borden Grammar school by 1FE from September 2022. The figure of £4,930,041 will be finalised following the planning process, in the report to the Children and Young People’s Cabinet Committee Report.
· Background
The Kent Commissioning Plan 2021-2025 identified the need for additional selective places for the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Planning group. Forecasts indicted a deficit of up to 64 Year 7 places for 2022 and a continual need through the plan period of between 1.5FE and 2.5FE of additional selective school places. Discussions have been held with both grammar schools in Sittingbourne and each school has agreed to progress a 1FE expansion, delivering a total of 60 additional places from September 2022.
· Options (other options considered but discarded)
There are two grammar schools in Sittingbourne, and they have both agreed to a 1FE expansion. Neighbouring planning groups, including Faversham and Canterbury Selective and Maidstone Selective planning group, have a deficit of year 7 places.
· How the proposed decision meets the objectives of ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’
This proposal will help to secure our ambition “to ensure that Kent’s young people have access to the education, work and skills opportunities necessary to support Kent business to grow and be increasingly competitive in the national and international economy” as set out in ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2017 - 2022)’.
The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2021-2 identified the need to commission additional capacity in Sittingbourne Selective Schools.
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Decision published: 04/10/2021
Effective from: 12/10/2021
Decision:
As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to:
i. Agree to provide £5.460m from the Children, Young People and Education Capital Budget for the permanent expansion of Borden Grammar School by 1FE for September 2022.
ii. Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with the General Counsel and Director of Education to enter into any necessary contracts / agreements on behalf of the County Council.
iii. Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.
iv.
This decision is subject to planning permission being granted.
Division affected: Sittingbourne North; Sittingbourne South; Swale East; Swale West;
Lead officer: Jackie Marks
(i) Issue a public notice to permanently expand Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2022.
And, subject to no objections being received to the public notice
(ii) Expand Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2022.
(iii) agree to provide £1.5 million from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget for the permanent expansion of Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2022.
(iv) Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with the General Counsel and Director of Education to enter into any necessary contracts / agreements on behalf of the County Council.
(v) Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.
This decision is conditional upon planning permission being granted.
· Reason for the decision
To agree to provide £1.5m from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget for the permanent expansion of Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2021. Decision is required to publish a public notice and to proceed with the project as the project costs have increased to £1.5m
· Background – Provide brief additional context
Whistable has two junior schools and they historically have operated for many years with organisationally inoperable Published Admission Numbers (the number of pupils it can take in each year group). In December 2018 Whitstable Junior School ran a consultation to reduce its Published Admission Number from 75 to 60 with effect from September 2020 onwards. This reduction was agreed by the Schools Adjudicator but was conditional on Whitstable and Seasalter CE Endowed consulting on a proposal to increase its PAN from 48 to 60 to ensure that there were sufficient Junior places to match the number of places in the Whitstable Infant schools. This proposal will ensure the financial viability of both junior and infant schools in Whitstable and ensure that all children attending the infant schools can have the opportunity to move onto a Whitstable Junior school. Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School is a popular school judged “Outstanding” by Ofsted.
A report was taken to Children, Young people and education Cabinet Committee on 15 January 2021 as it was envisaged that planning was to be submitted in February. Due to a number of factors including Covid, method of construction, roofing and drainage issues have all contributed to the costs of the project increasing and planning permission not being submitted until 1 June 2021.
· Options (other options considered but discarded)
There are only two junior schools in Whitstable and therefore there were no other options available.
This proposal will help to secure our ambition “to ensure that Kent’s young people have access to the education, work and skills opportunities necessary to support Kent business to grow and be increasingly competitive in the national and international economy”
The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2020-2024 sets out the need for commissioning additional school places.
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Decision published: 04/10/2021
Effective from: 12/10/2021
Decision:
As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to:
(i) Expand Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2022.
(ii) agree to provide £1.8 million from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget for the permanent expansion of Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed CE Junior School from 48 to 60 PAN from September 2022.
(iii) Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with the General Counsel and Director of Education to enter into any necessary contracts / agreements on behalf of the County Council.
(iv) Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.
This decision is conditional upon planning permission being granted.
Division affected: Whitstable West;
Lead officer: Jackie Marks