Issue - meetings

Purpose of report

(1)   To secure authority to spend from the Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care in relation to the procurement of a new intensive family support service.

(2)  An urgent decision is required ahead of the next scheduled Portfolio Meeting due to the procurement timetable necessary to ensure service continuity (the current contract ending on 1 July 2017), which depends on the contract being let no later than the beginning of April 2017 if the council is to meet its commitment to allow the successful provider as close to a three-month mobilisation period as possible (as per the Portsmouth Compact).

RECOMMENDED

The Cabinet Member is recommended to give authority to spend up to the maximum contract value proposed for the procurement of a new intensive family support service.

(TAKE IN REPORT)

The report was introduced by Nicola Waterman (Head of Troubled Families). 

The Cabinet Member invited Councillor Wood as opposition spokesperson to ask questions. 

Councillor Wood said that it was clear that the Council is seeking to do more for less in relation to the provision of intensive family support and asked officers to give a brief explanation of how this will be achieved.  Nicola Waterman and Alison Jeffery (Director of Children's Services) outlined the changes to the current service model, advising that they are not unprecedented and that the current provider, Barnardo's, is already working differently to increase the service's capacity in response to increased demand.  Additionally, children's centres and public health delivery has been re-shaped to provide a much stronger early help offer that will complement the external contract.  Councillor Wood commented that it was important to note that doing more for less may have unintended consequences in relation to the outcomes families achieve but recognised the necessity for doing so in the current financial climate.

The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their report and said that he felt that the proposals were pragmatic and risk sensible on how the council will achieve the targets set by the government. 

DECISION: The Cabinet Member gave authority to spend up to the maximum contract value proposed for the procurement of a new intensive family support service.