Issue details

To consider te report of the Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care seeking approval to establish an Edge of Care Service in house identified as a key transformation driver in reducing the numbers of children coming into care in the city and reducing the significant cost pressure to the Council. The new service will aim to reduce the need for children and young people to be looked after, by either working with families to keep children safely at home or by keeping care placements short and reuniting children and young people with their families as soon as possible.
This proposal supersedes a previous proposal to commission an Edge of Care service from an external provider using a Social Impact Bond (SIB) model which was developed as part of the Big Lottery’s Commissioning for Better Outcomes Programme. A procurement for this service failed to yield a bid capable of delivering the service to the quality required and so officers have reviewed the options available to the Council for establishing this service.
Further to detailed work up and appraisal of the options, developing this service in house is believed to be the optimum and most cost effective way of achieving the outcomes required. Full details of this proposal and option appraisal will be included in the Cabinet report.