Purpose

This report is submitted under the General
Exception category as an urgent item because it concerns the
continuance and stability of the Council’s case management
system, which is critical for supporting statutory functions under
the Care Act 2014, Children Act 1989 and 2004, and Education Act
1996. These systems underpin safeguarding, care planning, and
service delivery for vulnerable adults and children, as well as
compliance with statutory duties in education.

Failure to approve this matter promptly would risk disruption to
essential case management processes, potentially leading to
breaches of statutory obligations, safeguarding failures, and
significant operational and reputational risk. The urgency arises
because this requirement could not have been reasonably foreseen or
included in the Forward Plan, and deferral would compromise the
Council’s ability to meet its legal duties and maintain
continuity of care and support.

Content

RESOLVED:
 

1.   
That Cabinet gives approval to procure 2 contracts (one for
Children’s Social Care and Education and the second for all
Adult Social Care), via a compliant Direct Award under a Framework
Agreement for the provision of case management systems and
associated modules to support Children’s, Education, and
Adult Social Care operations, ensuring compliance with statutory
requirements and enabling efficient case management and service
delivery. The new contracts will cover the period from 1st January
2026 to 31st December 2029, a period of four years (three years
initial commitment with the option to extend for a further 12
months).
 

2.   
That Cabinet approves the delegation of contract award decisions to
the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Resources, in
consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources,
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Cabinet Member for
Children, Families and Lifelong Learning.
 
Reasons for
decisions:
 
Liquidlogic has
successfully provided case management systems for both Adults (9
years) and Children’s Social Care (15 years), to approx. 5900
staff, demonstrating reliability and adaptability. The internal
IT&D team retains full control of system hosting, ensuring
robust security and governance, while also delivering ongoing
support and in-house system enhancements. See Annex report A, B and
E.
 
Over the years, internal audits have provided
substantial or reasonable assurance, with one instance of partial
assurance for the LIFT module in early 2025. The latest update on
the LIFT audit was shared in the recent Audit and Governance
Committee held in September 2025. The latest LIFT audit report
rates the assurance as reasonable. All
of those audits are reinforcing confidence in the
system’s integrity. The platform has expanded effectively in
recent years, integrating the large Education System (EYES) in
2022, and adapting existing in-house built Early Years (EY)
services in 2024. The EY module replaced an in house built, but
non-integrated bespoke system with one that is fully integrated
within EYES.
 
The collaboration between Quality Partnership,
Relationships and Support System Development team, Performance
team, the IT&D applications team and Early Years service
resulted in winning the Stars in Surrey 2024, in category the Best
Use of Technology Award - Single View of a Child/Early Years
Service, Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, Surrey County
Council.   These developments
highlight System C (Liquidlogic’s) capability to support
strategic growth and service integration and
also provide assurance that internal support teams working
at their best to provide for the staff they support.
 
Surrey County Council proactively collaborates
with System C to identify and prioritise system enhancements that
improve practice, engaging through Local Authority User Groups and
supplier contract meetings. The details of recent improvements are
included in Annex reports A, B and E. Developing integration
opportunities between LCS and LAS to strengthen transition planning
remains a key ambition for SCC.
 
(The decisions on
this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong
Learning & Culture Select Committee or the Adults and Health
Select Committee)