Positive Engagement: a local government perspective

1
Positive Engagement a local government
perspective

• Andrew Cozens
• Strategic Adviser, Children Adults Health
  Services
• 19 September 2006

2
Summary

• Every Child Matters is a radical programme to
  integrate all services for all children 0-19, to
  fit around the child.
• What is the role of the Director of Childrens
  Services and the Childrens Services Authority?
• The central place of commissioning.
• Opportunities for the voluntary and community
  sectors.
• Why we need a new participative approach.
• A practical example developing childcare.

3
The statutory framework and expectations

• Director of childrens services
• Professional responsibility and accountability
  for the effectiveness, availability and value for
  money of the Local Authority childrens services.
• Leadership both within the Local Authority to
  secure and sustain the necessary changes to
  culture and practice, and beyond it so that
  services improve outcomes for all and are
  organised around children and young peoples
  needs.
• Building and sustaining effective partnerships
  with and between those local and out-of-area
  bodies, including the private, voluntary and
  community sectors, who also provide childrens
  services in order to focus resources (financial,
  human, physical or any other resources) jointly
  on improving outcomes for children and young
  people, particularly in safeguarding and
  promoting the welfare of children.

4
Improvement support dimensions are derived from
Patterns for improvement Audit Commission.
These improvement drivers were identified as
fundamental after the first round of learning
from CPA.
5
Legislative intent

• For children services authorities
• Continually assess local need, map provision,
  identify gaps and work with local partners to
  meet them.
• Commission services so as to ensure real
  diversity of provision.
• Relentlessly pursue quality, intervene decisively
  where standards are inadequate, push for
  improvement where services are only satisfactory
  and work with providers to spread success.

6
How are we doing on commissioning?

• CSCI State of Social Care national report
  (December 2005) said
• Evidence that there is no correlation between
  excellence (star and CPA) and the number of
  local providers failing to meet national minimum
  standards.
• Evidence that we understand what commissioning is
  but not how to align resources to a strategy with
  an implementation plan.
• We often fail to include self-funders interests
• We need to think about schools and colleges as
  providers and commissioners.
• For leaders, both political and managerial,
  commissioning is the hard nut to crack.

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Characteristics of the market

• Segmented
• Childcare, Education, Social Care, Health,
  Community and Voluntary.
• Overlaps and crosses council and other
  boundaries.
• Large service blocks in the public sector.
• Purchaser/provider overlaps in commissioners
  GPs, PCTs, childrens services authorities,
  schools.
• Significant government funded franchises.
• Existing and proposed service models prescribed
  by Government
• Extended schools childrens centres
  neighbourhood nurseries.
• Differences in national and local voluntary
  sector approaches.
• National and regional private providers.

8
Commissioning approaches

• Historical
• Central government national programmes directly
  funded and overseen
• LEA admissions quality delegation, direction
  and support for schools
• Schools some collaboration traded services, ad
  hoc
• LSP/Connexions national agenda/local flavour
• NHS reactive and lower priority
• Social services/joint placement purchasing
  reactive and provider driven
• Emerging Practice
• Childrens Trusts
• Commissioning for outcomes
• Aligned and pooled budgets
• School development partnerships
• Area profiles
• Delegated patch based commissioning
• Direct payments

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Developing a taxonomy of commissioning

• Strategic Planning (Why, whether and what)
• Market Mapping (Who now and in the future)
• Area Profiling (What where)
• Commissioning Strategy (Why, what and when)
• Commissioning Framework (When who, choice and
  control)
• Provider Identification and Development
• Tactical Procurement (To whom, when)
• Call OffQuality Monitoring and Review

10

• 1.2 million childcare places.
• Diverse market playgroups, childminders,
  maintained, private, voluntary and community
  settings.
• Increased sustainability and affordability.
• Better integration of services, building on
  lessons from Sure Start Local Programmes
• Extended activities, opportunities and support
  through schools

Choice and confidence for parents the best
start for children
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Key commitments for the future
Delivering sufficient childcare through the
market giving parents choice
Extending the free entitlement for 3 and 4 year
olds 15 hours x 38 weeks more flexible
Integrating services rolling out Childrens
Centres and extended schools
Ensuring quality and delivery clear
expectations, a highly skilled workforce and an
effective system for driving change and
improvement
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Action plan sets out key steps to securing
sufficiency and managing the market

• Analysing demand what do parents want?
• Mapping supply what is available and what
  capacity is there for change?
• Mapping supply to demand
• Facilitating the market to secure sufficient
  childcare
• Closing gaps and removing overlaps
• Enabling providers to expand / enter the market
• Increasing affordability
• AND
• Giving parents the information and advice they
  need to make choices

Local authorities managing the market
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Action plan highlights that local authority role
for childrens centres and extended schools must
be linked

• New duty on LAs and partners to deliver
  integrated services
• Involving private, voluntary and community
  providers in roll out of Childrens Centres
• Strategic umbrella Children and Young Peoples
  Plan (CYPP)
• Proposal in Education and Inspection Bill for
  schools to have regard to CYPP
• Guidance on governance in Sure Start Centres and
  extended schools

Integrating childcare with wider childrens
services
14
Positive Engagement a local government
perspective

• Andrew Cozens
• Strategic Adviser, Children Adults Health
  Services
• 19 September 2006