|
Report to: |
Lead Member for Children and Families |
|
Date: |
27 February 2023 |
|
By: |
Director of Children’s Services |
|
Title: |
Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List |
|
Purpose: |
To seek approval for the Children’s Services Supported Accommodation Approved List |
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Lead Member is recommended to:
1) approve the establishment of the Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List; and
2) delegate to the application evaluation panel authority to approve the appointment of providers onto the Approved List
_____________________________________________________________________________
1.1 A Children’s Supported Accommodation Framework (SAF) was launched in 2019, running for four years plus the option of a 2-year extension. The SAF has enabled two types of services to be commissioned: high-intensive supported accommodation for 16–21-year-old care leavers and 16/17-year-old young homeless children for whom East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has a duty to accommodate; and moderate to low intensive supported move on accommodation for 18-24 year olds transitioning to independent living. The SAF will expire in August 2023.
1.2 A new Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List (CSAAL) will be established in 2023 to replace the SAF.
1.3 As the value of the CSAAL is over £500,000, the award constitutes a Key Decision.
2.1 Currently 11 providers are registered on the SAF but only three have been successfully contracted to provide high-intensive supported accommodation within East Sussex for our most complex and risky care leavers, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) and young homeless. Two providers have been commissioned to provide supported move on accommodation.
2.2 As demand for, and complexity of, children and young people’s accommodation, care and support needs continue to grow, an increasing number of placements for 16+ have had to be sought from providers who are not on the SAF. These are directly awarded under Individual Placement Contracts, priced at point of referral. These placements represented 75% of all spend on high-intensive supported accommodation for 16–21-year-olds in 2021/22.
2.3 In addition, a growing number of younger Looked After Children (LAC) with increasingly complex needs have been at risk of being placed in unregulated provision due to a shortage in supply of appropriate high-intensive care placements for under 16s.
2.4 There is also a shortage of available social and private rentals for over 18s to move on to independent living, with or without some form of support depending on their needs.
2.5 The Government will be introducing mandatory national standards and Ofsted-led regulation for providers of supported accommodation for LAC and care leavers aged 16 and 17. Registration for regulation will commence in spring 2023, with inspections commencing from October 2023. All providers must have registered with Ofsted by October 2023 in order for ESCC to place 16 and 17year-olds with them.
2.6 As reported to Lead Member on 26 September 2022, the new Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List (CSAAL) is scheduled to be launched in Spring 2023, to:
· take into account new regulatory requirements and ensure providers are compliant with them;
· attract new providers to help expand and diversify the market and improve sufficiency; and
· provide greater flexibility in the types of supported accommodation that can be commissioned for looked after children aged under 16, and 16/17-year-old care leavers, UASC and young homeless that ESCC has a duty to accommodate, and for 18+ who require extended support due their needs to help them transition successfully to independent living.
2.7 In addition, bringing all providers onto the Approved List, whether currently commissioned or directly awarded, will enable ESCC to have:
· a larger pool of Approved Providers who have been subject to full due diligence and an evaluation of both the price and quality of their service(s);
· greater control over the cost of placements; and
· a standardised quality, performance and contract management regime.
3 The Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List (CSAAL)
3.1 It is proposed that the CSAAL runs for 4+2 years to enable call-off contracts up to 4 year duration to be awarded and build in a review at 3years to ascertain the demand for and merits of extending the CSAAL for a further two years and, as appropriate, extend or recommission contracted services while a new commissioning framework is developed.
3.2 The CSAAL will enable the commissioning of high to moderate intensive:
· care placements for LAC aged 16 and younger;
· supported accommodation for 16/17-year-old LAC, care leavers, UASC and young homeless; and
· supported move on for 18–21-year-old care leavers, UASC and young homeless with enduring multiple complex needs to support them while they await a suitable social or private rental tenancy, successfully transition to independent living with or without some form of support, and to reduce the risk of homelessness.
3.3 All low intensive supported move on accommodation for 18+ care leavers, UASC and young homeless will be commissioned off the Adults Supported Accommodation Approved List (ASAAL).
3.4. Whilst the majority of placements will be demand driven, a number of block contracts would be issued via competitive tender to sustain a guaranteed minimum supply and greater stability of provision over a number of years. The indicative budget for the CSAAL has been calculated on the 2021/22 spend on Supported Accommodation Framework contracts for high-intensive provision, directly awarded contracts for high-intensive placements, and the estimated cost of placing under 16-year-olds into high-intensive ‘care’ placements based on predicted demand and cost. A 3% uplift per year has been factored in for potential inflationary increases and other cost pressures, but would not be automatically granted nor, if granted, given to all providers.
|
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Year 6 |
Total |
|
Under 16s |
£1.872m |
£1.928m |
£1.986m |
£2.045m |
£2.107m |
£2.170m |
£12.108m |
|
16-21s |
£6.874m |
£7.080m |
£7.293m |
£7.511m |
£7.737m |
£7.969m |
£44.464m |
|
Total |
£8.746m |
£9.008m |
£9.279m |
£9.556m |
£9.844m |
£10.139m |
£56,572m |
|
|
|
|
|
£36.589m |
|
£19.983m |
£56,572m |
4.1 Although developments are in train to reduce the overall number of children and young people coming into care, current data and trends suggest that there will continue to be a notable cohort of 13+ aged LAC and care leavers who will require high-intensive care and support, for longer periods of time, and which for some will endure into adulthood.
4.2 The establishment of a new Approved List (CSAAL) to commission services from 2023 will contribute to the delivery of our sufficiency needs for this cohort by:
· Further developing and diversifying the market and placements within East Sussex;
· Enabling a wider range of placements to be commissioned and directly awarded;
· Bringing all providers within a single quality, performance, and contract management regime;
· Ensuring all providers of 16/17 year old provision meet Ofsted requirements;
· Enabling services to be commissioned and awarded for the best possible price.
4.3 The Lead Member is recommended to:
1) approve the establishment of the Children’s Supported Accommodation Approved List; and
2) delegate to the application evaluation panel authority to approve the appointment of providers onto the Approved List
ALISON JEFFERY
Director of Children’s Services
Contact
Officer: Lisa Schrevel
Tel. No. 07701 394948
Email: lisa.schrevel@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL MEMBERS
All
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
None