Decision details

An initial Officer Execution Decision Notice relating to this open framework was issued on 5 March 2024 (Initial OED). This Officer Decision Notice supersedes the Initial OED, in order to be clear that approval is being given for:
a)any past, current and future procurement rounds that are run in order to bring new providers onto the open framework for Children’s Care and Support Services. Each provider will be awarded and enter into a separate open framework agreement with the Council, on substantively the same terms; and
b)any past, current and future call-off contracts (which may be spot-purchases or block purchases) with providers pursuant to any of the open framework agreements for Children’s Care and Support Services, provided the maximum total spend across all call-off contracts by 1 January 2029 does not exceed £12.3m across five years.
Each open framework agreement term will be for three years from 1 January 2024, with the potential to extend for a further two years (i.e. not beyond 1 January 2029). The open framework agreements will include the option to call off block arrangements to secure support services over a longer period of time. Block contracting often offers better value for money and framework providers will be assessed on both quality and price when making block call offs.
Supporting information (copied from the Initial OED):
In the past year the Council has experienced high demand for specialist support and care (often nurse-led) for children and young people, often in emergency situations. This includes support delivered in the home, in care placements and in short breaks services for disabled children.
Urgent and specialist services are used for a small number of children and young people with complex and sometimes challenging needs and behaviours, that can include mental health problems, autism, trauma and attachment disorders and learning difficulties.
Without using these specialist services these children would otherwise be at risk of entering care (if not already in care), suffering a placement breakdown, or being admitted into Tier 4 mental health facilities. These services support in stabilising the home environment or placement in both the short and long term. This can aide with giving an opportunity to further assess the needs of the child to ensure any future placement is best matched to their individual needs.
Providers of this type of support are often (but not limited to) staffing agencies who specialise in the provision of registered nurses, including mental health nurses, healthcare assistants and other care/support staff at very short notice in order to create specialist packages of care for children with complex needs, either in the home or in placements elsewhere.
In awarding these frameworks and subsequent call-offs, we will have a compliant means of responding to need and reduce the level of risk involved in this area of spend through improved monitoring and quality assurance. This should also increase value for money through a more strategic approach to the market not based on multiple waivers or informal, ad hoc spend.

Approval to award the Children’s Care and Support Services Open Framework Agreements (in multiple rounds) and all subsequent call-offs, in order to provide personalised care and support for children, in the family home, in care placements or within short breaks services for disabled children, where existing contractual arrangements are unable to.

No other options – the alternative was to do nothing. No existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system (DPS) is available at present to enable the Council to purchase the type of care that meets the needs of these vulnerable children due to the specialist services required and the short notice periods given. As such we are currently spot purchasing this support, in contravention of the procurement rules.