Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 79 (22 January 2019), the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration presented a report on the intention to extend the Council’s participation in the West London Alliance (WLA) Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV) programme to include the provision of semi-independent accommodation for care leavers.

The Cabinet Member advised that it had previously been agreed for the Council to join with eight other London Boroughs via the WLA to source placements in respect of independent fostering and children’s residential homes.  Extending that participation to include semi-independent accommodation for care leavers would reap the same benefits in terms of driving up quality standards and generating efficiencies through increased purchasing power. 

In response to a question from the Cabinet Member for Equalities and Diversity, the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration confirmed that every effort was made to accommodate care leavers within the Borough where that was in their best interests.  In those instances where it was in the person’s best interests to be housed outside of the Borough, participation in the WLA would enable the Council to source good quality accommodation elsewhere.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree to extend the Council’s participation in the WLA to include the provision of semi-independent accommodation for care leavers by entering into an Access Agreement with the West London Alliance (WLA) and Call-Off from the WLA Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle, in accordance with the Council’s Contract Rules and on the terms 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 Access Agreement and all other ancillary call-off agreements upon conclusion of the procurement process.