Purpose

The County Council needs to source a range of
services for children we care for, including placements in
residential homes and with independent fostering agencies
(IFA).  Although the primary mechanism
for sourcing these placements is currently the Council’s own
Children’s Placements and Other Support Services Dynamic
Purchasing System (CPOSS), there are occasions whereby the
providers who are part of that framework are unable to offer
placements which meet the needs of individual children and young
people.
 
The County Council is currently party to a
regional framework for the commissioning of children’s
residential placements, namely the South-Central Children’s
Residential Care framework.  Being a
member of this arrangement increases the ability for the Council to
source appropriate placements from providers who are part of that
framework but who are not part of CPOSS.  There is also a South-Central Children’s
framework for procuring placements with IFAs which the County
Council is not currently a member of. 
It is proposed that the County Council joins this framework to
increase the available options for sourcing placements with
IFAs.
 
The South-Central Children’s Residential
Care framework expires on 30th September 2024.  The consortium of partner local authorities is led
by Southampton City Council, and a new framework is in the process
of being procured for a maximum period of 8 years (4 years initial
period with potential to extend for a further two periods of 2
years). 

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People,
Learning and Skills has approved:

(1) That the County
Council will to continue to be an approved member of the
South-Central Children’s Residential Care framework until the
existing framework expires on 30th September 2024.

(2) The County Council
joining the new Children’s Residential Care framework for an
initial period of 4 years from 1st October 2024 with the option for
the contract to be extended for a maximum of 4 further years to the
end of September 2032.

(3) The delegation of
authority to the Director for Children, Young People and Learning
to take any action necessary related to recommendation (2) above
including entering into and signing the agreement and approving the
County Council’s continued use of the framework during any
extension period, if required, should the delivery and performance
of the framework be satisfactory.

(4) That the County
Council joins the South-Central Children’s Independent
Fostering Agency framework at the earliest possible opportunity and
delegates authority to the Director for Children, Young People and
Learning to enter into an agreement to join for the initial period
until 31 March 2026 and approve the County Council’s
continued use of the framework during any extension period as
required.