Durham County Council
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Information request
Reference Number: FOI20186674NB
12 April 2018
Date Received:
Date: 23-Mar-18
You Requested:
Requestor: Niilesh Bhalanee
Dear Durham County Council,
1. Can you please explain your commissioning processes for providers of
accommodation and/or support in respect to looked after children in
residential care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care
leavers/uasc. Do you spot purchase, have framework agreements or have
block contracts in each of these categories?
2. If you have framework agreements and/or block contracts for
accommodation and/or support in respect tolooked after children in residential
care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc,
please specify when each of these are due to be re-tendered.
3. Do organisations need to go through a pre-registration process to
accommodate looked after children in residential care/looked after children in
semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc on a spot purchase basis?
4. Do you have local authority run provisions for looked after children in
residential care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care
leavers/uasc? If so, how many of each category are currently accommodated
in these facilities?
5. Please specify the number of looked after children in residential
care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc
accommodated currently via:
a. spot purchase
b. framework agreements
c. block contracts
6. How many care leavers/uasc aged 16-17 years old and specified in the
answer to question 4 are are accommodated in residential children's homes?
7. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a looked after child
aged under 16 year in a private residential children's home?
8. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc
child aged 16-17 in a private residential children's home?
9. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc
child aged 16-17 in a 24/7 supervised semi-independent provision?
10. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc
child aged 16-17 in an unsupervised semi-independent provision? Please
include the cost of floating support. Please advise if you do not place 16-17
year olds in an unsupervised semi-independent provision.
11. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc
aged 18-24 in a 24/7 supervised semi-independent provision? Please advise
if you do not place 18-24 year olds in a supervised semi-independent
provision.
12. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing care leavers/uasc 18-
24 year olds in an unsupervised semi-independent provision? Please include
the cost of floating support.
13. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating
looked after children in residential children's homes? Who is the specific
named point of contact?
14. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating
and/or supporting care leavers/uasc aged 16-17 years old? Who is the
specific named point of contact?
15. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating
and/or supporting care leavers/uasc aged 18-24 years old? Who is the
specific named point of contact?
16. Who should be approached within the council to discuss framework
agreement/block purchase commissioning for accommodating looked after
children in residential care/looked after children in semi-independent
placements/care leavers/uasc? Who is the specific named point of contact?
17. Please can you provide me with a list of all of your current suppliers
signed up to framework agreements/block purchase contracts for
accommodating looked after children in residential care/looked after children
in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc?
Our Response:
1. Can you please explain your commissioning processes for providers of
accommodation and/or support in respect to looked after children in residential
care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc. Do you
spot purchase, have framework agreements or have block contracts in each of these
categories?
Residential Care – Durham County Council is part of the NE12 Regional
Commissioning Framework enabling us to access placements in residential
care and education settings. If we are unable to meet placement needs through
the framework, off framework providers will be approached on a spot purchase
basis.
Semi-independent placements – contracts which are accessed on a spot
purchase basis by care leavers
Care Leavers (over 18’s) – Durham County Council has in place a range of
commissioned services providing supported accommodation with 24/7 support
and support Monday to Friday. These services were originally part of the
Supporting People Programme and are now part of the ‘preventative’ range of
services.
UASC - depending on the needs of the UASC, a range of provisions are
offered: Supported Lodgings (in-house provision), placements with
Independent Fostering Agencies which are commissioned through the NE7
Regional Framework (there are currently no UASC living in foster care
placements).
2. If you have framework agreements and/or block contracts for accommodation
and/or support in respect to looked after children in residential care/looked after
children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc, please specify when
each of these are due to be re-tendered.
NE12 Residential Children’s Homes and non-maintained special schools – this
was tendered late in 2017 and a new framework commenced in February 2018.
This flexible solution will be opened regularly throughout its lifetime to enable
new providers to join.
NE7 IFA Framework – this is in place until March 2019. During 2018 the
regional contract will be retendered, market engagement will take place and
new providers given an opportunity to join the framework, which will
commence on the 1 April 2019.
Supported Lodgings (in-house provision) – ongoing recruitment of supported
lodging providers.
3. Do organisations need to go through a pre-registration process to accommodate
looked after children in residential care/looked after children in semi-independent
placements/care leavers/uasc on a spot purchase basis?
Yes.
4. Do you have local authority run provisions for looked after children in residential
care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc? If so,
how many of each category are currently accommodated in these facilities?
In-house children’s homes – 32 Looked After Children (LAC).
Supported Lodgings (in-house)– As of 31st March 2018 there were the following
number of young people in placement:
Care Leavers – 14 young people.
UASC – 9 young people ( 3 young people under 18 years and 9 yp over
18 years).
Looked After – 5 young people.
5. Please specify the number of looked after children in residential care/looked after
children in semi-independent placements/care leavers/uasc accommodated currently
via:
a. spot purchase
Current number of off framework children’s residential placements – 7
Number of semi-independent arrangements – 20 (see response to Q4 LAC and
Care Leaver numbers in external provision)
b. framework agreements
There are currently 12 LAC in residential home placements with on framework
providers.
c. block contracts
There are no block contracts.
6. How many care leavers/uasc aged 16-17 years old and specified in the answer to
question 4 are accommodated in residential children's homes?
There are no care leavers / UASC 16-17 year olds accommodated in residential
children’s homes.
7. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a looked after child aged
under 16 year in a private residential children's home?
£3,817 average cost per week.
8. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc child aged
16-17 in a private residential children's home?
Care Leavers and UASC are currently not placed in private residential homes,
therefore no average weekly cost can be given.
9. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc child aged
16-17 in a 24/7 supervised semi-independent provision?
Costs range from £256.50 to £855.77 per week.
10. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc child
aged 16-17 in an unsupervised semi-independent provision? Please include the
cost of floating support. Please advise if you do not place 16-17 year olds in an
unsupervised semi-independent provision.
Care Leavers and UASC aged 16-17 are not placed in unsupervised semi-
independent provision. There is always an element of supervision.
11. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing a care leavers/uasc aged 18-
24 in a 24/7 supervised semi-independent provision? Please advise if you do not
place 18-24 year olds in a supervised semi-independent provision.
Care Leavers/UASC are placed in supervised semi-independent provision.
Young people aged over 18 would be expected to claim housing benefit to
cover/go towards the cost of the placement.
Weekly costs range from £196.85 and £855.77 per week.
12. What is the 2017/18 average weekly cost of placing care leavers/uasc 18-24 year
olds in an unsupervised semi-independent provision? Please include the cost of
floating support.
Semi-independent provision is not unsupervised.
13. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating looked after
children in residential children's homes? Who is the specific named point of contact?
Mark Smith, Strategic Commissioning Manager. 14. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating and/or
supporting care leavers/uasc aged 16-17 years old? Who is the specific named point
of contact?
Mark Smith, Strategic Commissioning Manager.
15. Who should be approached within the council to discuss spot purchase
commissioning, service provision, rates and referrals for accommodating and/or
supporting care leavers/uasc aged 18-24 years old? Who is the specific named point
of contact?
Murray Webb, Commissioning Policy Planning Officer.
16. Who should be approached within the council to discuss framework
agreement/block purchase commissioning for accommodating looked after children
in residential care/looked after children in semi-independent placements/care
leavers/uasc? Who is the specific named point of contact?
Mark Smith, Strategic Commissioning Manager.
17. Please can you provide me with a list of all of your current suppliers signed up to
framework agreements/block purchase contracts for accommodating looked after
children in residential care/looked after children in semi-independent
placements/care leavers/uasc?
NE12 Residential Homes Framework:
Aberlour Child Care trust
Action for Children
Appletree
Bryn Melyn Care
Chaigeley
Holme Farm
Howard House
Huntercombe
ID Support
Kedlestone
Meadows Care
NEAS
North Lakes
Nugent
Partners in Care
Pathways Care
Pear Tree Projects
Pebbles care
Radical care
Rite Directions
Spark of Genious
St Cuthberts care
Talbot House
There are no frameworks or block contracts in place in relation to semi-
independent placement provision for LAC.
Attachments: not applicable
Exemptions Applied: not applicable
The Public Interest Test: not applicable
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Christine Paciorek
Freedom of Information and Data Protection Officer
Information Management Team
Durham County Council