Agenda item

Report CS17073

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report setting out the need for block beds to be secured for residential placements for young people coming into care and the benefits and implications of this to the Local Authority. 

Young people were taken into care for a number of reasons including family breakdown and child protection, and could have a range of complex support needs.  The Local Authority currently identified emergency residential placements for young people through spot purchasing arrangements.  In recent months it had become increasingly challenging to identify suitable placements through these arrangements and it was proposed that market testing be undertaken for up to twelve block bed placements comprising of emergency and non-emergency beds, and that discussions be held with a local provider to block book four emergency residential care beds for a period of nine months in an in-Borough home currently used by other local authorities whilst a full tendering exercise was undertaken for the longer term offer.  It was also proposed that discussions continue with Drake Court, which was a supported lodgings provision for young people aged 16 years and over.

The Head of Social Care: Care and Resources explained that the block bed placements would provide an opportunity for young people entering care to be assessed to find the best-fit foster placement and enable a robust package of support to be developed to meet their needs prior to placement. 

The Vice-Chairman underlined the potential to utilise emergency beds to provide respite for foster carers, which could realise better outcomes for children looked after by preventing the breakdown of their placements.  The Chairman also suggested the possibility of introducing a staged introduction process between foster carers and young people looked after, and that work be undertaken with the Living in Care Council around the breakdown of foster placements and whether young people looked after would welcome the chance to return to previous foster placements.  The Head of Social Care: Care and Resources noted that work was also underway to formalise support mechanisms between foster carers.

The Chairman requested that a strategy on placement breakdowns for adolescents looked after be developed and that clarification be given on when children looked after should be considered as ‘missing’ and that this be reported to the meeting of Care Services PDS Committee in June 2017.

RESOLVED that the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Agree to market test residential placements for young children aged 13 to 17 years, block booking up to twelve beds within ten miles of Bromley for a period of four years with the option to extend for a further four years (two plus two), in line with the Commissioning Strategy as set out in Paragraph 5.6 of Report CS17073, with a whole contract value of £15.4m;

2)  Agree to enter into discussions with a local provider in the Borough to block book four emergency residential care beds for young children aged 13-17 years for a period of nine months as set out in Paragraph 5.5 of Report CS17073, with an estimated contract value of £540k; and,

3)  Note the ongoing discussions with Drake Court, a provision for 16+ children which will need further investigations as set out in Paragraph 8.3 of Report CS17073.