IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHILDREN’S SERVICES COMMISSIONING STRATEGY

Children Looked After - Tracking, Analysis and Market Management

1. Context

Improving procurement systems for services for looked after children has been identified as one of the major priorities of the commissioning strategy.

This will involve:

• Ensuring a good range of services are in place to prevent children from becoming looked after and to assist with returning children home if this is appropriate.
• Ensuring a good range of cost effective placement options are available to ensure choice, greater stability and improved outcomes.
• Ensuring placements meet the objectives outlined in care plans including ensuring timescales are met wherever possible.

2.    Establishing the CLA – Tracking, Analysis and Market Management Group

In order to achieve this more detailed knowledge of the looked after population is needed. The CLA – Tracking, Analysis and Market Management is being established to gather this knowledge. The group is initially being established for 6 months. The work of the group will then be evaluated.

3.    Responsibilities

• To gather detailed information on all looked after children including weekly cost of placements, permanency plans and key dates for implementing plans.
• To model future spend based on these plans.
• To monitor progress with implementing plans.
• To analyse information and use this to: Predict future demand for services, Plan future CLA budgets, Inform recommendations on the range, type and volume of future services. Ensuring there are links with other work taking place on service developments, Make plans for shifting resources into earlier intervention

3.    Frequency of Meetings

The group will meet for 3 hours each month from March 2005 to August 2005. The work of the group will be evaluated in August 2005.

4.    Facilitation

Click here to download CLA Tracking, Analysis and Market Management Group