Decision details

To seek Cabinet approval to:

Lapse the Council’s membership of the current regional collaborative pseudo–Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for 16+ Supported Accommodation into the new pseudo-DPS led by South Gloucestershire Council.

Develop and then procure a multi-supplier Gloucestershire Open Supported Accommodation Framework Agreement that will better serve the needs of children in care and care leavers aged 16+ in Gloucestershire.

To implement spot purchasing arrangements in accordance with Council spot-purchasing standards for new supported accommodation placements in the interim whilst the proposed new Framework Agreement is in development.

The proposed Framework Agreement will support the core ambitions within Gloucestershire County Council’s (the Council) Sufficiency Strategy Home@theHeart to take steps to secure, so far as reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation within the authority’s area which meets the needs of its children in care. This will be achieved through the provision of good quality homes for children and young people and improve their outcomes through proactive engagement with the market, market shaping, and driving value-for-money commissioned arrangements.

Cllr Stephen Davies sought Cabinet approval to develop and then procure a multi-supplier Gloucestershire Open Supported Accommodation Framework Agreement that will better serve the needs of children in care and care leavers aged 16+ in Gloucestershire; and implement spot purchasing arrangements in accordance with Council spot-purchasing standards for new supported accommodation placements in the interim whilst the proposed new Framework Agreement is in development.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

Agree point 1 and 3 and delegate authority for point 2 to the Executive Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, to:

1.    Develop and then procure a multi-supplier Open Framework Agreement for the provision of Supported Accommodation for children in care and care leavers aged 16+ in Gloucestershire (the “Supported Accommodation Framework Agreement”). Such framework agreement shall continue for a period of up to 5 years.

2.    Procure and then award, subject to the financial restrictions set out in the Resourcing Implications section of this report below, as many call-off contracts under the above- mentioned Supported Accommodation Framework Agreement as may be required by the council for the provision of supported accommodation placements for children in care and care leavers aged 16+ for the duration described in their statutory care and permanence plans.

3.    To implement spot purchasing arrangements as an interim measure for new supported accommodation placements between the 1st August 2024 and 31st March 2025 whilst the proposed Supported Accommodation Framework Agreement is awarded.