1. Improving commissioning through the introduction of an Access to Resources Team and the adoption of a more level playing field approach Annette McNeil Start Well Commissioning Manager

2. About Lancashire 4th largest Local Authority area in UK
Mix of affluent and deprived areas
1864 Children in Care
66% in fostering placements (74% nationally)
16% placed with parents (5% nationally)
9% in children’s homes/ semi independent (11% nationally)

3. Lancashire’s Challenges
Financial
Sufficiency of placements, particularly for our most complex CLA
Effective utilisation of our internal provision
Clarity of fees to ensure that the Authority can seek partner funding contributions where appropriate

4. Placement Finding Challenges
Very limited placement finding resource
Poor quality referrals
Social Workers bypassing system and sourcing themselves
Delays in Social Workers following up offers
Fragmented intelligence on demand and gaps in provision
High number of emergency agency placement searches
CYP with plan for fostering ending up in residential
Very complex CYP forced to be placed in mainstream internal provision

5. Vision for ART
Take ownership of the 'business side' of children's social care:
b) Ensure effective management of the market:
c) Support a more effective strategic overview of demand and meet its sufficiency duty:
Acting as a broker between professionals and the market to find the right choice(s) of placement and / or ‘wrap around’ support services for vulnerable CYP.
Finding creative solutions to difficult presentations of need.
Obtaining the best quality and value for money for looked after children locally – to get the best possible match for their needs and to ensure that the best use is made of the Local Authority's resources.
Shaping the market to better meet need
Ensuring effective contract monitoring and reporting arrangements are in place to ensure best outcomes and best value for money are being achieved
Reviewing fees and negotiating terms and conditions
Resolving disputes and holding providers to account
Providing quality data/ analysis on the current and likely needs of our CLA
Identifying trends in demand and gaps in provision
Ensuring effective commissioning arrangements are in place to ensure that the right range of placements are available at the right price to meet need

6. The Journey to ART Far from straightforward!
All roads kept leading back to improved placement finding and reducing fragmentation
Buy in from in-house and Children’s Social Care
Pilot agreed - bringing together of existing resources
Prioritised placement finding and demand analysis to evidence what could be done
Move towards level playing field approach

7. More Level Playing Field
Co-location of in-house and agency placement finding
Referral comes in to in-house placement finding
If high likelihood of good in-house match, ART made aware but agency search not commenced immediately
Dual search undertaken for majority of referrals, allowing more time for agency searches and wider search for the most suitable placement available

8. Findings from ART Pilot
Average of 28 new referrals and 45 placement searches a week
One in 5 searches classed as ‘Hard to Find’
Emergency agency placement requests fell sharply (55% to 35%)
6 more suitable agency fostering placements sourced via level playing field approach

9. Findings from ART Pilot
Directly attributable for preventing 3 residential placements and sourcing 2 step down placements
2 alternative complex residential placements sourced for CYP placed in house
No forced in-house complex residential placements required
Savings to date = circa £14k per week

10. Findings from ART Pilot
Much improved intelligence on demand and gaps in provision
Greater clarity, checking and negotiation of fees
Reduction in social work time spent sourcing placements
Improved timeliness of data entry, reducing number of delayed payments to providers
Positive feedback from Children’s Social Care
Positive feedback from providers on improved communication and quality of referrals
Very effective links developed with in-house fostering and residential service

11. Future Developments – Next Steps
Business case to further build team based on evidence from pilot
ART handling all referrals from outset
Stronger involvement from health and education in initial placement finding
Greater use of in-house beds for right CYP
Greater engagement with market re. complex residential and fostering placements

12. Any Questions?