Purpose

This report seeks approval to utilise the remaining 21 months
extension to the contract for the Family Drug and Alcohol Court
Service (FDAC), delivered by Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust FDAC
is a therapeutic intervention delivered in partnership with the
Courts’ Services. The objective of the service is to keep
families together, where drug and alcohol misuse are a presenting
factor together and to divert children from entry to the care
system.
 
FDAC has been operating in London since 2013 as a partnership
between eight Local Authorities, the Family Court Service and
Tavistock & Portman as the provider of the clinical and
therapeutic intervention.  Participating Local
Authorities act through a lead commissioner to contract T&P (or
another approved clinical and therapeutic provider as in other
regions of the country), who undertake all liaison with the
District Judges, Court Service, and participating Children’s
Services Departments. 
 
The current contract is led by London Borough of Wandsworth,
overseeing the contract for eight London boroughs and leads on the
procurement of this agreement. The eight London boroughs have an
agreement with Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, to
refer in total 39 families to them each year (which was an
amendment from the original 57 families agreed in the original
contract).
 
The current contract was extended for 3 months in December 2023
from 1st January 2024 until 31st March 2024. Following ongoing
discussions since August 2023 with the Tavistock and the
partnership Local Authorities (LA), Wandsworth has led negotiations
and discussions with the Provider and commissioners, and decision
makers, to find a preferred solution for the future of the
contract. To allow additional time to consult with commissioners
and budget holders in each LA, on the variation required, and agree
a future model of delivery that matches budgets and need, the first
3 months of the allowable extension was agreed with Tavistock at no
further cost until 31st March 2024.
 
All Local Authorities within the Partnership wanted to continue
to work with the FDAC programme with the Tavistock, however due to
the need for cost savings and reduced budgets, there was a need to
reduce the number of cases they agreed to allocate within the
contract. The current contract agrees for 57 cases to be delivered,
and this needed to reduce to 39; Camden continue to refer five
cases per annum.
 
The extension of the contract with Tavistock would allow for the
service to embed agreed changes within the stability of an existing
provider and a service known by the LA’s. Where work has been
started with identified families, this can continue with the
extension of this contract. 
 
This report will subsequently be presented to the Director of
Health and Wellbeing for approval in line with Contract Standing
Orders. 

Content

THAT the Director of Health and Wellbeing approves the extension
of the contract for the delivery of the Family Drug and Alcohol
Court (FDAC) South London consortium service to Tavistock and
Portman NHS Foundation Trust (Tavistock) for a period of 21 months
from 1st April 2024 until 31st December 2025 for an estimated total
value of £157,500 (Camden).