Issue - meetings

Report CS14142

Report CS14142 sought approval for the release of ‘ring-fenced’ funding for cohort 4 of the Department for Education’s Step Up To Social Work Programme, the funding to be released in instalments over two financial years: 2015/16 and 2016/17.

As part of the cohort 4 delivery, L B Bromley was required to commission a higher education institute (HEI)/university to ensure the programme produces skilled, confident and capable social workers for front line child care teams. The report set out a procurement strategy for commissioning the HEI and Members were asked to approve the strategy. It was proposed that the contract to procure the HEI service begin on 29thJune 2015 and end on

30th April 2017 and include recruitment and selection of the students, design of the course, course delivery and close –down, and evaluation of the course.

L B Bromley would take the lead authority role in a Regional Partnership (RP), receiving total grant funding for the programme on behalf of other partnership authorities and managing both the project and contract with the HEI. Known as the Surrey and South East London RP, the partnership now included the London Boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Surrey County Council. Partnerships were able to work closely with their chosen HEI to create a bespoke course and the Surrey and South East London RP was looking to recruit 35 trainees across the authorities with L B Bromley looking to take on six students. It was estimated that L B Bromley would receive total funding of £1,211,750 over the financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17 (based on 35 trainees being taken on to the programme). The funding would be released in stages on meeting certain milestones, Report CS14142 outlining timescales for its release.

L B Bromley had previously participated in and had lead authority role for Cohorts 2 and 3 of the Step Up Programme and details were provided of outcomes.

Further details of the Programme as applying to L B Bromley were outlined to Members including its benefits. Councillor Fawthrop (Chairman of Executive and Resources PDS Committee) understood that only one student had withdrawn from the third cohort of thirty two students. 

RESOLVED that:

(1) release of the ‘ring-fenced’ funding for 2015/16 and 2016/17 related to cohort 4 of the Step Up To Social Work Programme be approved; and

(2)  the procurement strategy to deliver cohort 4 be agreed.