VEAT SC18 004 Direct Payment Support and Mgt Services (Childrens Care)

Concepts

• administration services
• maidstone
• social care
• service users
• direct payments
• health direct payments
• service user third parties
• payments
• direct payment
• childrens care

Location

Maidstone

Description

Contract for delivery of Direct Payment Support and Management Service (Children Care)

Total Quantity or Scope

The Provider is required to provide a range of services that support the Council's business objective of empowering Service Users to be in control of the support that they receive. This includes: • Following referral, the setting up and maintenance of direct payments for the purchase of social care and education services, in partnership with the Council. • Working in partnership with Clinical Commissioning Groups to support a joined-up approach to social care, education, and health direct payments. • Supporting the Kent Card process in partnership with the Council, including the monitoring of financial statements online (See flow chart Appendix B). • Transfer of the direct payment support for service users to the Council’s Adult Direct Payment Support Service where appropriate as decided by the Council’s Care Manager. • Entry of data on the Council’s MOSAIC/LPS database following training provided by the Council. • Working in partnership with service user third parties and nominated persons. • Supporting Service Users to manage a direct payment and pay for services. • Monitoring the use of direct payments, ensuring that monies are appropriately spent. • Identifying unspent and unused or misused direct payments. • Recommending the amount of unspent and unused or misused money to be reclaimed by the Council. • Where appropriate, supporting Service Users to be a good employer and if required support at industrial tribunal hearings. • Helping to keep service users safe by ensuring that all personal assistants have a current DBS check at the enhanced level. • Setting up and maintaining a website, or access to web pages, that describes the service. • Managing the transition of direct payments when Service Users go from childhood into adulthood. • Maintain systems to ensure that all over payments and/or any potentially fraudulent use of Direct Payments are followed up by both the Provider and the Council and ensure that if there is an over payment all due checks are made with the Council that it is being dealt with. • Ensuring that all Direct Payment agreements have a written and fully completed agreement prior to commencement of the service and when any changes are made.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 85321000 - Administrative social services

Indicators

Legal Justification

The current contract with We are Beams was for an initial 3 year term with 2 x 12 month extensions options. All extensions were used and it was proposed to vary clause 2.2 of the contract to vary the end date, thereby extending for a further 12 months from 1 Apr 2024 to 31 March 2025 for the following reasons: To explore the viability of aligning the aspects of the Disabled Support Service for Disabled Children and Young People with the Adults Direct Payment Service. Consultation with Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) has also been ongoing to ensure we consider their position and plans for the Adult DP service. As part of Making a Difference every day programme, ASCH is redesigning their self directed support offer, and the opportunity to align the two DP services to create an integrated service for both ASCH and CYPE was suggested. The development of the Whole Council approach to delivering DP services was supported in principle due to the potential advantages such as cost efficiencies and a smooth transition between CYPE and ASCH . Some of the service elements being scoped by ASCH align with the Direct Payment Support Services for Children and Young People. A potential joint commissioning exercise has emerged, which could offer KCC better value for money and create greater cohesion across services. There is currently insufficient information available about ASCH's future trajectory and therefore CYPE cannot make an informed recommendation about whether this option is viable. More time is required to sufficiently scope and engage the market to ascertain if aiming for an integrated service for Kent is feasible. Legal advice has concluded that the Council has reasonable grounds to rely on Regulation 72(1)b PCR 2015 to justify the extension beyond the optional extension periods already expressed provided in the contracts. This is on the basis that a change of providers cannot be made for economic or technical reasons. There are economic reasons why a change of provider cannot yet be made. There is an opportunity to create economies of scale when conducting the market engagement, competitive procurement and managing the contract should both CYPE and Adults Direct Payment Services be combined into one procurement. This should create significant cost savings and value for money efficiencies. There would also be the opportunity to create efficiencies across both services by ensuring working practices are effective and reduce the duplication of management costs. There are also technical reasons why a change of provider cannot be made sooner. The Council has a duty to offer a Direct Payment Support Service under the Care Act 2014, section 1 17 (2c) of the Mental Health Act 1983, the Care and Support (DP) Regulations 2014 and the Children's and Families Act 2014. The potential to combine both services offers the potential for a 'whole Council' approach to the way Direct Payments are delivered to ensure cohesion and equity across Children's and Adults services (for example in terms of levels of support that is offered and the consistency in costs) The Councils Adults Social Care team has ambitious plans to increase the Direct Payments activity across Adults Social Care significantly . This could create volatility within the Children's sector as both services seek resources from the same pool of carers at a time when there are already resource challenges being faced. It is important that both services work together to resolve these issues to ensure continuity of service and avoid any destabilizing effects. The Council requires more time to test the market. CYPE DMT and CYPE Cabinet Committee approvals are in place for the proposed additional 12 month extension. Negotiations with the provider for contract costs from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 have concluded and the capacity of the cases with be reduced providing £43k savings.