STAGES OF COMMISSIONING I NVOLVING CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE IN COMMISSIONING (T OOLKIT )

INTRODUCTION Introductions House rules and expectations The stages of commissioning Developing commissionable services Conclusion Commissioning exercise – Group work

COMMISSIONING Joint planning and commissioning is a tool for children's trusts –to build services around the needs of children and young people –and to deliver their outcomes most efficiently and effectively. Joint Planning and Commissioning Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services DfES March 2006

THE STAGES OF COMMISSIONING

OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE Consider the current pattern and recent trends of outcomes for Children & Young People in their area, against national and relevant local comparators Collating data (Outcomes) from youth orientated organisations (YOT, Connexions, Schools, Vol Orgs etc)

OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE Break down data by ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, geographical location and access etc. Assess current and future needs and consider how best to improve outcomes for Children & Young People CYPP Plan - Needs assessment, local priorities, LAA etc

TARGETED GROUPS OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE Look within the overall picture at outcomes for particular groups of children, young people:- teenage parents, disabled, special educational needs, looked after children, substance abusers, excluded/at risk of being excluded from school, NEET groups), as they may require a differentiated approach to service provision or additional support

NEEDS ASSESSMENT/DATA Where do we collate this data from? Children & Young People Families, carers and local communities Front-line staff, partnerships, County Council /Borough & District Councils Any consultation’s /survey’s

IDENTIFY RESOURCES Agree on the nature and scale of the local challenge, identify the resources available, and set priorities for action Possibilities of joint commissioning to meet same needs and targets (Reduces the risk of duplication and larger resources will attract more bidders)

SETTING PRIORITIES All services should be identified against the outcomes they contribute to. ( For Example in NCC, Every Child Matters Agenda, 5 outcomes: Be Safe; Be Healthy; Enjoy & Achieve; Making a Positive Contribution; Economic Well-being) Agreement by senior officers, members and political leaders

PLAN SERVICES TO FOCUS ON PREVENTION Map current services against needs and the outcomes you are trying to achieve, showing: Correlations, overlaps and gaps Which services should be commissioned, commissioned differently or de-commissioned

PLAN SERVICES TO FOCUS ON PREVENTION To use national and local research to support decision making Increase provider diversity - including a range of private, voluntary, community and social enterprises models Multi-agency working can be an effective way of delivering preventative and early intervention services

COMMISSION EFFECTIVELY Bring together the needs assessments, user participation, priorities, service mapping, resource identification, prevention and early intervention Involve corporate procurement teams, legal, finance and other support functions Commissioners must ensure that approaches are compatible with EU and UK law, regulations and guidance

COMMISSION EFFECTIVELY Adopt robust procurement approaches to ensure efficient and effective services: These include: partnership building with providers, PQQ, competitive tendering, Assessment panels (professional and Children & Young People), contracts based on outcomes, robust monitoring

POOLED BUDGETS Develop and extend joint commissioning from pooled budgets and pooled resources. (Different agencies such as PCT, Children's Trust, District/Borough Councils, YOT etc)

WORKFORCE & MARKET DEVELOPMENT Training for commissioners on commissioning, procurement and contract writing etc Using accreditation to reflect competency Build in incentives into contracts – making them longer term.... Include buildings etc Consideration needs to be given to how one can include new providers – to strengthen the market Avoid conflicts of interest in close and transparent partnership working

MONITORING & REVIEW Regular monitoring visits with providers to assess safeguarding for Children & Young people and goals/priorities agreed Regular quality assurance visits to collate young peoples views and assess practice Submission of data to show outcomes for Children & Young People Effective partnership working and referral is in place

CONCLUSION To ensure one is developing commissionable services, one needs to demonstrate an understanding of: Local circumstances The needs of Children, Young People and their families, especially those who are most vulnerable Local ways of working Local implementation of National Policy

CONCLUSION Evidence of good governance. Accountable to commissioners and more importantly, Children & Young People Alignment to local priorities Clear accountability and responsibility A clear decision making process Managing risk Managing performance Transparency in process Leadership

TO CONCLUDE.. Children only get one chance to grow up. We need to set our sights high to ensure that we listen to their dreams and aspirations and support them in achieving their goals. If we are to deliver better outcomes for children and young people we need to develop new ways of working to ensure child care services are more integrated, holistic and seamless. Better Results for Children and Families, ADSS 2001

COMMISSIONING EXERCISE Please divide into groups of 3 or 4 With the blank flowchart provided, insert the cards in order in which you feel represents the commissioning cycle

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Created by Helen Devine NCC BA; MCIPS Northamptonshire County Council Youth & Commissioning Service