STAGES OF COMMISSIONING

INVOLVING CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE IN

COMMISSIONING (TOOLKIT)

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