Issue - meetings

Intensive Support for Staffordshire Children with Disabilities

 

 

Meeting: 21/07/2021 - Cabinet (Item 17)

17 Intensive Support for Staffordshire Children with Disabilities pdf icon PDF 376 KB

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Cabinet Member for Education (and SEND)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

“Whilst we know that families value the support they receive, we aspire to improve it further and make it easier to receive this as early as possible. This not only helps prepare these young people for when they move into adulthood but helps reduce the long-term demand on services”.

 

Mark Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

 

“This proposal builds on work implemented since 2018 to develop choice, quality and value for money in the provision of support for children with disabilities. The current framework has continued to meet the needs of this group of children and young people, despite an increase in demand over that period.

 

The key here is to redouble our efforts to ensure parents understand what support is available without a formal Social Care assessment, to allow them to continue to care for their children in a way which is sustainable for them and remains affordable for the local authority in the medium to long term”.

 

Jonatan Price, Cabinet Member for Education (and SEND)

 

Reasons for the Decision – To consider proposals to bring together the commissioning of the previously separate arrangements for Children with Disabilities’ Community Support and Aiming High 1-1 intensive support and short breaks into one contracting arrangement.

 

Decision – (a) That the commissioning of the previously separate arrangements for Children With Disabilities’ Community Support and Aiming High 1-1 intensive support and short breaks be brought together into one contracting arrangement, to achieve a more seamless and flexible system of support for eligible children, and one that is administratively more efficient for SCC to manage;

 

(b) That the open tender approach and implementation of a Flexible Framework (including delegated approval to relevant officers to award contracts) detailed in the costed Options Appraisal to secure the required provision at optimal Value for Money commencing from April 1st 2022, be supported;

 

(c) That the regular break clauses in the proposed contracts (2+1+1 years), which will allow time to develop joint approaches to the commissioning and procurement of this provision with Adult Social Care colleagues and other Authorities including with other West Midlands Authorities to attempt to overcome the current challenges for providers (and especially new entrants) with respect to service volumes, be noted; and

 

(d) That the first two years of the new contract be used to further investigate the merits and risks associated with In-house delivery of this support, and the efficacy of this model within the proposed new Children’s System, as the Options Appraisal demonstrated a number of potential strengths to this approach.