Agenda item

1.            To move towards the establishment of a Family Support Service from 1 October 2017 which will deliver comprehensive and fully integrated child, young person, and family support across the Borough.

2.            To progress the establishment of a JVC, as set out in the Business Plan at Appendix 2, to deliver the Family Support Service and into which relevant staff will transfer from 1 October 2017. The appointment of the Joint Venture partner(s) will be subject to a Cabinet Contract Award Decision.

3.            To agree to the transfer of the following services (and relevant staff as covered by TUPE regulations) to the Family Support Service through the services contract as set out in paragraph 2.7: Children’s Centres, youth provision, the Family Services Early Help Service, universal and targeted substance misuse services for young people, and universal and targeted sexual health services for young people from 1October 2017; and Health Visiting, School Health, and Healthy Schools from no later than 1 October 2018.

4.            To undertake a procurement process for the award of service contracts to deliver a locality 0-18 universal and low level targeted Children’s Centre and youth provision service for a duration of 3 years (with provision for the JVC, once established, to review at an early opportunity) and for these contracts to include terms for their novation to the JVC.

5.            To approve the commissioning and procurement strategy as follows and delegate to the Director of Commissioning for Children’s Services, after consultation and agreement from the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, to:

-       Directly award a School Health Service contract to deliver the service from 1 April 2017 up until no later than 30 September 2018;

-       Directly award a Health Visiting Service contract to deliver the service from 1 October 2017 up until no later than 30 September 2018;

-       Directly award a Healthy Schools Service contract to deliver the service from 1 April 2018 up until no later than 30 September 2018.

6.            To undertake a competitive procurement process to establish an institutionalised public-private partnership (IPPP) to enable the appointment of partners to the JVC.

7.            To award a services contract to the Family Support Service to deliver the services in scope for a period of 5 years, with the option of a further 3-year extension, subject to a contract award paper being approved by Cabinet following the completion of the IPPP process.

8.            To agree to the possible transfer into the Family Support Service (subject to future business cases and Cabinet decisions) and include in all planned market engagement activity the following service areas: Youth Offending Service (diversion and out of court work), Childhood Obesity services, existing Adult Social Care assessment and provider services (potential scope to be developed further), relevant employment and education services, and Community Safety including Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls. Services included in paragraphs 2.3 and 2.8 will inform the scope of the initial Family Support Service contract.

9.            To commission the JVC, once established, to deliver a children and young person emotional resilience and wellbeing service component following completion of a service review on the current Primary Mental Health Service delivery arrangements.

10.          To appoint Trowers & Hamlins LLP as Legal Advisors to the Family Support Service Programme, under the Crown Commercial Services Legal Framework.

11.          To release the previously agreed Smarter Budgeting investment to enable the implementation of the Family Support Service.

12.          To note that Officers will undertake further work as the Business Plan is developed to identify the funding required to meet the additional transformation costs.

13.          To delegate to the Director of Commissioning for Children’s Services, after consultation and agreement from both the Cabinet Member for Children and Education and the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, approval of:

·         The Joint Venture Incorporation Documents, subject to the principles set out in the Business Plan at Appendix 2;

·         The establishment of a Shadow Board for the Family Support Service, pending the appointment of Joint Venture partners and full incorporation of the company;

·         Final terms of the Service Contract with the JVC;

·         Transfer of relevant staff and operational assets to the JVC;

·         The Invitation to Tender documents, including the award criteria for the selection of the JVC partner(s);

·         Conclusion of relevant agreements with an NHS provider, should market engagement indicate a clear benefit to the Council of working with an NHS provider to jointly procure a partner for the JVC;

·         Conclusion of a S75 Agreement with the LBHF Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), should the CCG wish to include any services within the Service Contract procurement;

·         Local Government Pension Scheme Agreements;

·         Working Capital Agreement;

·         Appointment of Council nominees to the Family Support Service Board of Directors;

·         Family Support Service staffing structures and key appointments (as required prior to the establishment of the Joint Venture Board).

14.         To delegate to the Director of Commissioning for Children’s Services, after consultation and agreement from the Cabinet Member for Children and Education, the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, and the Cabinet Member for Finance, the establishment of a wholly owned limited company and the award of a service contract and transfer of services, if required as part of a phased approach (as set out in paragraph 4.23). Relevant shareholding will transfer to the Joint Venture partners following the Contract Award Decision.

15.          To delegate to the Director for Building and Property Management, after consultation with the applicable Cabinet Member, the granting of leases to the Family Support Service or its delivery partners for relevant Council premises.