Agenda item

            The Board received a report from the Strategic Director – Children and Young People which provided an update on the development of a Joint Commissioning Team and highlighted the work undertaken by the team to assess the contracts which would be decommissioned or redesigned in the light of the funding cuts.

            It was reported that the Commissioning and Contracts team was now fully staffed and had responsibility for over 50 contracts plus the responsibility for the contractual function for Residential, Independent Fostering Agency placements and Leaving Care placements.

            It was reported that the team had joined up with Halton and St. Helens PCT Commissioners to create a Joint Commissioning Unit (JCU) which met once a month and all members of the JCU had attended a three-day Commissioning Skills Training event.

            The Board was informed of five priority areas that had been identified by the Children’s Trust and had been allocated to commissioners within the JCU and individual action plans were currently being developed. Some of the elements that would be covered in the plans were set out in the report for information.

            It was further noted that the action plans would be finalised early in 2011 and would evidence a move towards efficiency savings through reductions in duplication of services and support functions with clear recommendations to achieve this.

            The Board discussed the number of children from out of Borough in care homes in Halton and were informed of new statutory guidance which provided clarification on the ‘sufficiency duty’ placed on local authorities under 22(G) of the Children Act 1989, to secure  sufficient accommodation to meet the needs of their looked after children. It was intended to guide local authorities to:

• modify their commissioning practices to ensure they have sufficient local provision to meet their needs; and

• ensure they have a strategic plan for commissioning placements for their looked after child population

            It was further reported that when a local authority placed a child, their overriding aim, was to secure the most appropriate placement for the child, in order to safeguard and promote his/her welfare. For the majority of looked after children, the ‘most appropriate placement’ would be within the local authority area.

            Reference was also made to the decommissioning of services, it was felt that resources should be focussed on the most vulnerable and hard to reach areas. The Board was advised that the end result of the action plans was to obtain better value for money, improved delivery of services and find enhanced ways of working.

            Members requested a brief explanation be circulated of what services were offered by providers and which budget they were funded from, from the table detailed in 4.5.3 of the report.

            RESOLVED: That

(1)       the report be noted and the Board ask for a further report to be                         provided in the impact of the budget efficiencies on                                               commissioned provision in Halton; and

            (2)       the PPB endorse the development of an outcome based                                   accountability framework and cost based saving tool for all                                contracts.