Agenda item

To receive a report which provides Members with an update on the commissioning of generic support services for vulnerable homeless adults and highlights new and emerging legislative change.

(Clare Maynard (Head of Commissioning Portfolio – Outcome 2 and 3) and Melanie Anthony (Commissioning and Development Manager) were in attendance for this item)

1.    Clare Maynard introduced the report which provided an update on the commissioning of generic support services for vulnerable homeless adults and the new and emerging legislative change.

a)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that extensive work had been undertaken to understand the diverse needs of vulnerable homeless adults. She said that some of the feedback received suggested that integrating services together to have 1 comprehensive assessment meant that Kent would be able to deliver appropriate services to people at a time of need.

b)    In response to a question Mel Anthony said that the current arrangements meant that services were not connected. Bringing the services together would better enable information to be shared, and this would also make things easier for the people who need to use them.

c)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that the prevention of homelessness and earliest intervention possible was critical. She said that work with the district and boroughs was ongoing in light of the Homelessness Reduction Act to ensure that any new service complemented rather than duplicated the work of the housing authorities.

d)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that the Voluntary Sector had been given the opportunity to inform, advise and shape proposals.

e)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that there was an agreed county-wide housing protocol for 16-17-year olds which described how the county and districts would interact with one another. She said that young offenders would be supported by the young person’s accommodation offer.

f)     In response to a question, Mel Anthony confirmed that Adult Social Care in Kent had 9 different providers, although many of the providers had several contracts.

g)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that there were ongoing conversations with districts and boroughs in relation to where the areas of demand were for the service. She added that there was a great deal of homelessness in rural areas, and therefore the offer needed to extend out to rural communities.

h)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony talked about the consultation that had been undertaken for the service and said that a questionnaire had been taken to different environments to ensure that both people that did and did not use the service were able to comment on the proposals.

i)     In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that ex-service personnel represented a high number of the rough-sleeper population. She said that they were included in the provision and creating the service would help them.

j)     In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that a key element of the service was to provide support to individuals to access their rights. She said that it was very difficult for people who had been multiply disadvantaged, and that support service do and would continue to pursue those pathways.

k)    In response to a question, Mel Anthony said that Kent County Council had had conversations with CCG’s who were considering a different way to offer GP services to homeless vulnerable adults within the new service.

1.    RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, to

a)    undertake a procurement exercise for the provision of new generic support services contracts for vulnerable homeless adults, which will commence from 1 October 2018;

b)    procure a new short-term contract for offender-specific services to run from 1October 2018 to 31 March 2019 at which point this contract will end; and

c)    delegate authority to the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health, or other nominated officer to, implement the decision,

be endorsed.