Challenges and opportunities facing the independent sector

Challenges  Early intervention  Thresholds, Assessments, and care plans  Commissioning  Continued growth?

Opportunities  Right-sourcing  Partnerships

Early intervention  Emphasis of social work practice – keeping children in their families where it is safe and in the child’s best interests  Impact: Key reports – ‘Couldn’t care Less’ (CSJ) & ‘In Loco Parentis’ recommend early intervention and investment in preventative services  Investment: ‘Backing the future’ report (NEF) highlights that For every £1 invested in targeted services, designed to catch problems early and prevent problems from reoccurring, society benefits by between £7.60 and £9.20  Down-side: Should intervention prove ineffective problems are more complex to address

Thresholds, assessments and care planning  Thresholds - impact of cost saving & budgets and social work decisions  Quality of assessments  Quality of information  Emergency placements  Outcomes and care planning

Commissioning Key issue: Level playing field  Spot Purchase (with discount)  Cost and volume (discount)  Preferred Providers (single or consortium)  Single provider  Outsource part or whole of service Quality improvement? Cost Effectiveness?

Effective Commissioning Relationships Key Issues  Structure & process  Support systems  Cultural differences  Threats & myths  Trust & transparency  Monitoring & reporting on outcomes & service delivery

Continued growth?  Impact of Spending Review  Commissioning IFA’s as a last resort  Outcomes for children – placement choice  14% rise in IFA placements 11,200 in 2009 to 12,800 in 2010, 1,600 out of 3,300  Shortage of carers – ‘Bursting at the Seams’ report (Fostering Network)  Provision of appropriate placements – capacity and meeting needs

Right-sourcing  Insourcing & outsourcing  Delivering on – Confidence & trust – Carers and placements – Staffing and infrastructure – Sustainability – price – Value for money – quality

Partnerships  Is outsourcing a threat or an opportunity?  IFA acting as the local authority  Different delivery models – joint ventures – Private/3 rd sector/LA

Summary  Intervene early but delivery has to be right  Thresholds need to be appropriate and need good quality information  Establish desired outcomes at the outset and enshrine in the care plan  Commissioners need to decide what they want, form good relationships and monitor performance and delivery of services and outcomes  Opportunities will remain to develop services  Right source  Our sector to develop partnerships??