Issue - meetings

In families where there are significant child protection issues, well-informed social work assessments concerning the ability of parents to keep their children safe and meet their developmental needs are essential to making appropriate decisions about whether children can be safely supported at home or whether they should be looked after by the Local Authority.

Residential Parenting Assessments conducted in Residential Family Centres are intended to provide robust, fair and evidence based assessments of parenting skills and capability for local authorities and the Courts.

The Cabinet is asked to approve establishment of a four year Residential Parenting Assessments Framework Agreement and award places on this framework to two suppliers. This framework will commence on 1 May 2017.

Due to the commercial sensitivity involved in the contract award process, the names of the providers, all financial details and evaluation scores have been put in the Part 2 report.

N.B. An annex containing exempt information is contained in Part 2 of the agenda – item 18.

[The decision on this item can be called in by either the Social Care Services Scrutiny Board or the Council Overview Board]

RESOLVED:

That the establishment of a Framework is endorsed by Cabinet and award of a place on the Framework be made to the two suppliers for Lot 1, as detailed in the Part 2 report.

Reasons for Decision

There is a duty on local authorities to provide parenting assessments under section 38 (6) of the Children Act 1989, when directed by the Courts during care proceedings.

Establishing a new Framework Agreement will facilitate a long term partnership with suppliers, creating the working environment to support continuous improvement for high quality, child centred assessment services.

Value for money will be secured through a clear pricing structure which will help to ensure transparency and clarity around costs with fixed prices for the first two years of the framework. In addition to this, there will be robust contract management.

The recommended awarded providers met the tender evaluation criteria as well as  demonstrating their experience and ability to deliver robust and high quality assessment reports that would inform care planning decisions.

Changes to UK procurement regulations (the Public Contracts Regulations 2015) means that spot purchasing services above specified financial thresholds

(£589,148 per annum for social services) is no longer an appropriate form of procurement.

[This decision may be called in by either the Social Care Services Board or the Council Overview Board]

An introduction to the item was provided by the Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement who stated that the Council aimed to formalise arrangements for conducting Residential Parenting Assessments (RPAs) by agreeing a framework for contracting providers to undertake these assessments. Mrs Kemeny highlighted that spending on RPAs by SCC had increased significantly over recent years and the introduction of this framework was designed to make spending on these assessments more cost-effective. The Cabinet was advised that SCC was an outlier in undertaking more RPAs than other local authorities and that steps were being taken to reduce these. The Courts were, however, able to require local authorities to undertake an RPA and so it was important to ensure that a framework was in place to manage costs in such cases.

Mrs Lewis followed up by detailing the efforts that were being made deliver improvements in Children’s Services. This included enhancing the skillset of social workers empowering them to recognise and intervene at earlier stage on potential child safeguarding issues thereby reducing the need for SCC to conduct RPAs.

The Cabinet Members for Wellbeing and Health stressed the importance of County Councillors being aware of their responsibilities as corporate parents and asked whether the induction programme for new Members joining SCC following Council elections would include any information on this. The Cabinet Member for Business Services and Resident Experience stated that informing new Members of their responsibilities in relation to corporate parenting was central to the induction programme.

RESOLVED:

That the establishment of a Framework is endorsed by Cabinet and award of a place on the Framework be made to the two suppliers for Lot 1, as detailed in the Part 2 report.

Reasons for Decision

There is a duty on local authorities to provide parenting assessments under section 38 (6) of the Children Act 1989, when directed by the Courts during care proceedings.

Establishing a new Framework Agreement will facilitate a long term partnership with suppliers, creating the working environment to support continuous improvement for high quality, child centred assessment services.

Value for money will be secured through a clear pricing structure which will help to ensure transparency and clarity around costs with fixed prices for the first two years of the framework. In addition to this, there will be robust contract management.

The recommended awarded providers met the tender evaluation criteria as well as  demonstrating their experience and ability to deliver robust and high quality assessment reports that would inform care planning decisions.

Changes to UK procurement regulations (the Public Contracts Regulations 2015) means that spot purchasing services above specified financial thresholds

(£589,148 per annum for social services) is no longer an appropriate form of procurement.

[This decision may be called in by either the Social Care Services Board or the Council Overview Board]