Decision details

Extension of Dynamic Purchasing System for 16+ services - OKD44 (20/21)

Decision Maker: Executive Director Children, Young People and Learning

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The County Council sources a range of different accommodation options as part of preparing young people aged 16 years and over who are looked after for living independently.  These accommodation services are accessed via a dynamic purchasing system (DPS), a mechanism that enables the Council to match a young person’s needs with a suitable accommodation provider.

 

The 16+ services DPS sets out the minimum standards that the Council requires to evidence that the organisations with which young people are placed are safe, appropriate and of good financial standing.  The DPS is the mechanism used to form a preferred provider list and enables the Council to carry out further inspections to ensure that services continue to operate in a safe and appropriate way. These processes and mechanisms are critical for 16+ services, as they are not regulated by Ofsted and therefore the Council must take full responsibility for monitoring.

 

The current DPS for 16+ services has run for an initial contract term of 3 years, which ended in March 2020.  The contract allows for an extension period of two years and it is proposed to utilise this option. New applicants are currently waiting to join the DPS, which would increase the supply of services available to young people. Extending the DPS will also allow the Children’s Commissioning and Contracts Team the time to consider future options for services for young people aged 16+, including reviewing the service model to enable greater strategic alignment with the goals of Children, Young People and Learning.

Decision:

(1) The Executive Director of Children, Young People and Learning has approved the reopening of the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) portal for accommodation services for young people aged 16 years and over and the extension of the DPS for 2 years from the point of closure, to 31st March 2022.

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Publication date: 20/11/2020

Date of decision: 20/11/2020

Effective from: 02/12/2020