Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration introduced a report on the proposal to participate in the North East London Commissioning Partnership (NELCP) procurement for the provision of residential placements for Looked After Children (LAC). 

The Cabinet Member advised that the joint procurement, to be led by Havering Council as lead Borough, would seek to secure up to 35 residential LAC placements within the geographical footprint of Northeast London.  The main aims of the joint procurement were to achieve better outcomes for young people by enabling them to stay closer to their local area, as well as providing the local authorities with improved value for money.  In response to a question, the Cabinet Member confirmed that the expected 20% reduction in the average weekly cost of a placement was a realistic target based on experiences elsewhere and could equate to a cumulative saving of over £1.3m in a full year. 

Cabinet Members spoke in support of the proposals and were particularly pleased that young people in care had been engaged in the procurement development process and would continue to be involved through the assessment of contractors’ performance.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree that the Council participates in the North East London Commissioning Partnership for the joint procurement, led by the London Borough of Havering, for the block provision of up to 35 residential placements for Looked After Children across the region, in accordance with the Council’s Contract Rules and the strategy detailed in the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Director of People and Resilience, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration, the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Law and Governance, to award and enter into the agreement and all other ancillary agreements upon conclusion of the procurement process.