1. Commissioning Strategy May 2018
Birmingham Children’s Trust exists to make a positive difference for children, young people and families in the city.
“We give our best, so young people can achieve their best “

2. Welcome
Our vision is to build a Trust that provides excellent social work and family support for and with the city’s most vulnerable children, young people and families. We will do this using a relationship-based systemic model of practice which is founded on identifying and utilising the strengths of children and their families to achieve change.
The Trust’s priorities and objectives are set out within the Trust Business Plan and the BCT Commissioning Strategy forms one of the enabling activities.
Our first Commissioning Strategy sets out the key commissioning principles that we will be using as we start the Trust’s journey.
Andy Couldrick,
Chief Executive, Birmingham Children’s Trust
May 2018

3. Trust Vision We will do this: With compassion, and with care
Through positive relationships, building on strengths using a systemic model of practice
In collaboration, with young people, families and partners
By listening, involving and including
In ways that are efficient and deliver value for money
Our success will mean:
Healthy, happy, resilient children living in families
Families able to make positive changes
Children are able to attend, learn and achieve at school
Young people ready for, and contributing to, adult life
Children and young people safe from harm

4. Commissioning Vision
To develop an understanding of our needs both current and future that allows us to undertake strengths based commissioning which improves outcomes for children and young people and supports the systemic model of practice.
Our range of commissioned services enables practitioners to meet the needs of our children and improve outcomes. We see these as investments in children’s futures and as with any good investment we need to see the difference that our investment makes for children and young people’s life outcomes.
Ideally we want to make our investments with partners who are based within Birmingham sustaining local jobs and local businesses.
We aim to work with creative and flexible organisations to ensure a range of services that meet the constantly evolving needs of children and young people.
We will engage with the market to ensure that we build trust-based relationships.
We will seek to test innovation partnerships to support the creation of new solutions to our challenges.

5. Outcomes for Children
BCT is committed to improving outcomes for the children and families with whom we work. In 2018 we will be introducing an outcomes tool which will enable us to demonstrate how our investments make a difference to the lifelong outcomes for children and supports strengths based commissioning.
BCT outcomes for children, young people and families
Healthy, happy and resilient children living in families
Families are able to make positive changes to their behaviour
Children are able to attend, learn and achieve at school
Young people ready for adult life
Children and young people are safe from harm

6. Drivers for change - Improvement Boards
Placements, Choice and Sufficiency
Developing the Trust’s approach to placement commissioning, planning and decision-making to improve placement choice, family involvement and value for money.
Building on work already done, the Board will produce concrete plans for further improvement and innovative solutions to the challenges we face.
Workforce Development
Developing clear proposals and plans for a comprehensive approach to building and sustaining a lean, efficient and effective workforce for the Trust.
Building on work already done the Board will focus on recruitment and retention, learning and development and leadership and management as the three key pillars of our workforce development approach, supported by a new set of policies and processes which properly reflect the Trust’s moral purpose and maximise its impact, and the impact of every individual employee, on making a difference for vulnerable children and young people.
Young People at Risk
Developing the Trust’s approach, with our partners, to supporting and managing the risks faced by, and needs of, young people in our communities in relation to child (criminal and sexual) exploitation, gangs, ‘county lines’, gun and knife crime.
Quality and Performance
Developing a system and driving a culture that places quality at the heart of the social work and family support service and related support services, and enables managers to use quality approaches to create improvement effectively as a routine element of the management function.
Developing a quality system that sustains learning and delivers improved outcomes for children and families, and that connects senior managers and leaders to the task of driving, supporting and assuring quality, and addresses quality as a multi-agency as well as a Trust function.

7. Our Commissioning team…..
Led by Jeanette Young, Interim Director of Commissioning and Innovation and Narinder Saggu, Head of Commissioning.
Team of commissioners with a variety of backgrounds.
Responsible collectively for delivering the Trust commissioning vision to ensure that we meet the range of needs for Children in Care, Children in Child Protection and Children in Need or the edge of care and improving outcomes.
The Trust’s commissioning vision is different and therefore in 2018 / 19 we are committing to giving commissioners additional skills to enable strengths based commissioning and a trust based relationship with the marketplace.
Work has been undertaken to understand the range of our contracts, change points and to develop a process to support strengths based commissioning.

8. Strengths based Commissioning Model
Objectives
Delivery tools
Principle
Strengths based Commissioning
Improving outcomes
Commissioning services with outcomes focused contracts. Creating tools that demonstrate improved outcomes
Supports systemic practice model
Work with the market to ensure that they understand the practice model. Identifying service providers whose operational model aligns to BCT’s.
Offers best value for money
By undertaking the 360 Options Tool and completing marketplace procurement

9. 2018 BCT Current contracts BCT Commissioners
Residential Children’s Homes – Block contracts, Regional flexible contracting
Think Family – Intensive Family Support and MST
Range of contracts to support Youth Offending Services
CSE contracts
Supported accommodation – Regional framework
Fostering – IFA Regional Framework
Adoption – framework for adoption support fund and birth parent support
Short Breaks for Disabled Children
Young Carers
Step down Project

11. Business case and delivery
Process to support strengths based commissioning
Contract ending,
Service gap identified
Or innovation opportunity identified
Trigger
Commissioners work with Operations and service users to understand the needs.
If current contract in place providers are engaged to support Needs Analysis
Understanding needs
360 tool
Finance to support the financial modelling
operations to understand how options improve outcomes and practice model
Work with the potential market to ensure viability
Options for delivery
Life time value of the contract drives the type of business case, the procurement route and the approval process.
BCT Commissioning Board
Procurement and delivery enabled.
Business case and delivery

12. Key question for all options
360 tool to ensure options appraisals
Key question for all options
How does each option improve outcomes, support the systemic practice model and ensure best value for money?
Could we provide this service in-house?
Do we have access to a BCC contract / framework that could provide this service?
Is the service model so unique that we should commission it?
Does a regional contract exist that could deliver the needs?

13. 2018 Focus on ensuring sufficiency
Placements for Children in Care represents one of the largest amounts of spend for the Trust. Below is an analysis of our range of placements on May 7th During 2018 we will be working with the market and BCT operations to ensure a vibrant range of options to deliver sufficiency.

14. Focus on ensuring sufficiency - Residential
Whilst only 7% of placements are residential, BCT wants to ensure that we make placements with providers who understand our values and with whom we can develop strengths based relationships that enable life changing outcomes for children and young people. The new regional contract will enable a reduction in spot purchasing of residential placements during 2018 / 19.

15. Focus on ensuring sufficiency - Fostering
The vast majority of our placements are Fostering either with our own service or the IFA contract. During the next 18 months, it is our intention to increase the % of placements within our own service and to ideally reduce further the % of young people using residential placements. BCT is committed to all children and young people having a positive family- based living experience prior to leaving our care.

16. Ofsted – national picture
Local authorities that focus on creating the conditions for social work to thrive are in the best position to improve the quality of their practice and focus on outcomes for children.
Management oversight and challenge at all levels help to keep this on track
An environment where social work can flourish means:
reasonable caseloads.
technology that makes important tasks easier rather than more burdensome.
commissioners who have enough understanding of the business of social work to make good decisions.
supportive but challenging line management that proactively manages the whole system.

17. Ofsted – national picture influencing BCT
BCT Commissioners who have good understanding of the business of social work
BCT practitioners are partners in Commissioning decisions
BCT Commissioning Board bringing together Commissioners & Practitioners to make informed good decisions

18. Enablers for strengths based Commissioning
1. We will understand needs
We will create a yearly market statement / update on sufficiency strategy including need trends.
We will share our understanding of the needs of the families and children with whom we work.
2. Strong market knowledge
We will work with all aspects of the marketplace to understand the number, size and capabilities.
We will create an understanding of our spend between in-house providers, private providers and third sector providers.
We will work with the professional bodies representing Children Homes, Fostering, Supported Accommodation and the Voluntary Sector.
3. We will be developing opportunity
We will issue advance market engagement notices to test potential new ideas.
We will ensure that we engage with flexible contracting arrangements that encourage new providers to enter the Birmingham marketplace.
We will listen to new ideas from the marketplace on how we can improve commissioning and procurement.
4. Specification writing
We will ensure clear specifications created using co-production tools and meaningful consultation with stakeholders.
We will create Service Specs that are focused on outcomes and support the systemic practice model.
If appropriate, we will consider opportunities for sub-contracting and consortia bids.
5. Contract and payment terms
We will have contract terms and conditions proportionate to the scale and complexity of the contract.
We will improve contract dispute resolution and price uplift processes.
We will have payment terms that are clear and easy to understand and payments made with agreed timeframes.
6. A strong procurement strategy
We will have a proactive procurement process that encourages the involvement of all stakeholders.
We will create flexible contracting arrangements that work for all.
We will revise our processes to allow smaller VCS organisations to be able to bid.

19. Summary of our 6 goals for the next 12 months…..
Deliver the Birmingham Children’s Trust Commissioning vision.
Establish the BCT Commissioning Board.
Invest in training the team in strengths based commissioning and the 360 tool for options appraisals.
Ensuring sufficiency via the work of the Improvement Board for Placements, Choice and Sufficiency and with the marketplace.
Deliver the new model for the Regional Residential Contract by December 2018.
And prepare for 2019 work packages which will include new models and contracts for After Adoption Assessments, CSE contracts, Youth Offending contracts, Short breaks and Social Work Master Vendor Contracts.

20. Interim Director of Commissioning and Innovation
Jeanette Young
Interim Director of Commissioning and Innovation
Narinder Saggu
Head of Commissioning