Decision details

The County Council has a statutory responsibility to ensure the sufficiency of a variety of accommodation based services and educational placements for children, young people and young adults. This responsibility extends beyond Children who are Looked After (CLA) and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and includes care leavers, those on the edge of care, Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers (UASC) and those at risk of homelessness.

Whilst the County Council provides some of these services, the demand is such that a significant number of placements are purchased from the external market and evaluation shows this trend is expected to continue.

In July 2018 the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills jointly approved the procurement of a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), to facilitate the purchasing of placements for individual children from providers of accommodation based services and educational placements including independent foster and residential care and independent and non-maintained special schools, as and when they are required (Decision reference CYP03 (18/19)). The maximum term of the DPS is to be 7 years starting on 1 March 2019 and concluding on 28th February 2026.  The Cabinet Members also delegated authority to the Director of Children and Family Services to implement the DPS.

A procurement process has now taken place and the Director of Children and Family Services is being asked to approve the commencement of awards to providers qualified to join the DPS.

The Director of Children and Family Services has approved the award of DPS Agreements to providers who have met the relevant selection criteria for joining the Children’s Placements and Other Accommodation and Support Services (SEND and Children’s Social Care) Dynamic Purchasing System. The maximum term of the DPS will be 7 years starting on 1 March 2019 and concluding on 28th February 2026 as detailed in paragraph 1.9 of the report.

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