Decision details

The committee considered a report that sought approval for a proposal for Cheshire East Council to enter into a payment?by?results partnership with Reconnect Services Ltd.

The aim was to support up to 40 children currently in high?cost residential care to step down safely into family?based placements, including foster care or appropriately assessed family networks, in line with their care plans.

Reconnect’s 17?month programme provided:

·         Trauma?informed assessments.

·         Therapeutic support.

·         Carefully planned step?down transitions.

·         Close co?working with social care teams.

·         Stability planning.

·         Recruitment of specialist foster carers via their wider professional networks.

The partnership involved no upfront costs and Reconnect was only paid when verified savings were achieved, with programme fees (£970k) drawn from in?programme savings.  An additional £10,000 fee was payable per specialist foster carer approved, covering assessment activity.  Carers became Cheshire East foster carers and would be supported under normal fostering regulations.

Potential savings were significant due to the high-cost differential between residential and foster placements.  Officers noted that the approach aligned with the Corporate Parenting Strategy, Sufficiency Strategy and MTFS through risk?sharing and measurable outcomes.

The committee asked questions and made comments in respect of:

·         Alternative options and procurement processes and requirements.

·         Evidence of success and long?term sustainability.

·         Monitoring and governance arrangements; the importance of robust and regular monitoring.

·         The rationale for residential costs and wider market context.

·         The purpose of the £10,000 payment.

·         The current costs associated with foster carer recruitment.

·         Links with Families First and kinship care.

·         The number of placements covered by this cohort.

In response, officers reported that:

·         Reconnect’s model was new, with limited direct comparators. 

·         In terms of procurement processes, at the time the report was prepared it was understood there were no alternative providers offering this type of service through a payment?by?results model.  This indicated that a direct award could be considered.  However, as some time had passed during the report’s progression through governance processes, it was noted that this position would need to be rechecked and updated procurement advice sought to confirm whether this remained the case.  Initial information indicated no comparable competitors in the market.

·         The programme carried low financial risk as payment was dependent on results.

·         The success of the programme would be reviewed after 17 months.

·         Foster carers recruited via Reconnect would be subject to the same approval and oversight as all Cheshire East foster carers.

·         The costs associated with children’s residential care were driven by market forces; Regional Care Cooperatives were being developed to help address this.

·         This programme would supplement, rather than replace, existing fostering recruitment.  Reconnect’s role would be to identify and assess potential foster carers.

·         Figures pertaining to the current care population were outlined.

·         A written response would be provided on the current cost of foster carer recruitment, as other staffing and team activity costs would need to be separated out from this work.

·         This programme focused primarily on the recruitment of foster carers.  The intended outcome of having more children able to stay safely at home, in communities with families and without needing to enter formal care, was reflective of Families First. This programme offered a different approach for different children in that it provided a step down, as opposed to preventing the need for care in the first place.

During debate on the item, a friendly amendment was proposed and seconded in respect of recommendation 1, which sought the inclusion of additional wording as follows:

‘Approve the proposed partnership with Reconnect - Innovate (H&SC) Services Limited, on a Payment by Results basis.’

The amendment became part of the substantive motion.

RESOLVED (By Majority):

That the Children and Families Committee

1.    Approve the proposed partnership with Reconnect - Innovate (H&SC) Services Limited, on a Payment by Results basis.

2.    Endorse the proposed model and governance, including reports to the Cared for Children and Care Leavers Committee.