BBCL Foster Care Market Consultation. Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Cumbria Lancashire Supported by DfE Fostering Better Outcomes Seed Funding
Consultation Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cumbria and Lancashire Council’s, together referred to as BBCL, are inviting you to respond through this consultation process on a set of draft commissioning intentions. These are draft intentions because: • We know that taking account of providers’ responses will strengthen the intention, and increase the potential, to improve outcomes for children. • As important as providers’ views are, the views of children and their families will be elicited to further refine these intentions. • This is an ambitious set of proposals. In order to progress them we need to access additional support – which we hope to do via the second phase DFE Fostering Better Outcomes funding. The Consultation Document includes a set of questions that can guide your response – Please submit this completed document by email to back cypcommissioningadmin@lancashire.gov.uk by 11am on Friday the 24 th of July.
Introduction BBCL have been working together with 5 local IFA’s (Barnardo’s, Child Action North West, Foster Care Associates, National Fostering Group and SWIIS) to develop proposals for improving the sufficiency of foster care. This work has been supported by Outcomes UK and DfE seed-funding. The programme of work included: • Developing a clearer view of sufficiency within the partner authorities and the BBCL region, across both the internal and IFA services. • An interrogation of demand and supply at authority and district levels. • An analysis of the processes associated with the placement of children and how these impact on foster care sufficiency. Leading to feasibility pilots focussing on ‘Hard to Place’ and ‘Emergency / Short Notice Referrals’. • A ‘Promising Practice’ review covering both local and national practice related to sufficiency and the themes developed from the above. • A Council Foster Service workstream exploring the themes outlined above and potential collaborative activity. • The above informed the commissioning intentions that we are sharing with you for comment.
Fostering Sufficiency Headlines A) Mix of in-house and IFA non-connected foster placements for each authority: The proportions of internal and IFA foster places is different across BBCL. As evidenced nationally IFA placements tend to be used for older children and/ or those with more complex needs.
Fostering Sufficiency Headlines B) IFA placements in each local authority by originating local authority: Having foster care placements within an Authority does not lead to ‘local placements’ – for example Lancashire place 156 children in foster care outside of BBCL whilst Authorities from outside of BBCL place 378 children in Lancashire.
Fostering Sufficiency Headlines Estimating the number of potential foster carers within an area is difficult. Interviews with both IFAs and L A services identified the benefits of; • a broader range of foster carer roles, • some carers in specific projects stated that they considered applying as mainstream carers but chose not to, • clarity about demand – authorities were not always aware of areas that were underserved or why these areas might be underserved, • investment in the relationship between providers and authorities, Colleagues mentioned infrastructure constraints, commercial/ resource considerations and historic practise as shaping recruitment .
Fostering Sufficiency Headlines Findings: • There is the potential to make more use of existing ‘local placements’. • There are ‘underserved’ areas. • Capability of foster placements has not been not fully explored – resulting in elevated residential placements. ➢ and there are few levers for change in the current commissioning arrangements. • There is a willingness in the market to help shape, and respond to different commissioning approaches. • The common issues and challenges, despite the differing fostering sufficiency pictures of the authorities, illustrate the benefit of co-operation and collaboration across BBCL.
Commissioning Intentions • Draft commissioning intentions*: o BBCL continue to apply and refine the approaches developed for the two study pilots: o exchange days between BBCL and IFAs for planned foster placement referrals; o emergency short term fostering referrals decision-tree and process. o Enhanced Foster Care Placements. o Specialist placements for Children with Disabilities. ‘Same day’ and ‘Short Notice’ placements. o o Consideration of the development of a Sub-Regional Placement Provider Arrangement. Additional detail is in the Consultation Documentation including a set of questions that might guide your response. Please submit this completed document by email to back cypcommissioningadmin@lancashire.gov.uk by 11am on Friday the 24 th of July. *This ambitious set of draft intentions will be shaped by the response of providers and of children, young people & their families. Progress is dependent upon access to additional support – which we hope to gain via the second phase of DFE Fostering Better Outcomes funding*.
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