Issue details

This report focuses on reviewing how we fund and procure supported accommodation services for young people.  It is proposed that the retained £1.35M of Supporting People funding is pooled with current budgetary provision for supported accommodation for care leavers in order to provide a more cost effective approach to supporting young people. 

This will be achieved by extending Supporting People contracts until September 2018 and reviewing processes in relation to assessment, prioritisation and control of access to Supporting People services, with a view to ensuring that young people to whom the County Council owes a statutory responsibility are able to access services. 

Activity will be monitored by the Access to Resource Team and the findings will inform future commissioning intentions.  In order to fulfil our responsibilities as a corporate parent and to avoid the "cliff edge" faced by care leavers at 18, it is proposed that services can be accessed by young people aged 16 to 21 years old.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision, and the provisions of Standing Order No. 25 have been complied with.