Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care and Disabilities introduced a report on the proposal for the Council to join the London Borough of Newham’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), which would allow access to a pool of pre-approved providers of children’s residential care homes and independent foster care agencies.

The Cabinet Member advised that a key aim of the Council’s approach to children and young people who were not able to stay safely within their family environment was to provide, wherever possible, suitably matched high-quality homes within family settings, such as foster care, and as near as possible to the child’s family home, to support the maintaining of links with their family and local community wherever appropriate.  The Cabinet Member referred to the excellent in-house foster care arrangements already in place across the Borough and confirmed that participation in the DPS would supplement that existing provision by giving access to a range of additional high-quality and flexible provision.  The new arrangement was also expected to reduce current costs through lower membership/participation fees compared to existing arrangements and by lessening the need to independently spot-purchase services.

It was noted that the initial intention was to join the DPS on 1 April 2024 for an initial 23-month period up to 8 March 2026.  The initial period would allow the Council to evaluate whether the DPS met the needs of its children and young people and, if so, the Council would have the option to extend its participation for a further four years until March 2030.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the entering into of an Access Agreement with the London Borough of Newham and call-off from Newham’s Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPS) in respect of the provision of Children’s Residential Care Homes and Independent Foster Care Agency Services, in accordance with the Council’s Contract Rules and the strategy detailed in the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care and Disabilities, the Strategic Director, Resources and the Head of Legal, to award and enter into the Access Agreement and all other necessary or ancillary agreements to fully implement and effect the proposals.