WSCC AA - Residential Services for Children with Complex Needs - Market Engagement

Please be advised;

'There is a follow up session to a market engagement that took place on the 5th April 2022 (The slide pack for this earlier event are available via the portal when you are registered). This event is open to all providers there is no requirement to have attended previous market engagement events.

The new market engagement event is scheduled for Wednesday 10-11.30 a.m. on 4th May 2022. - More details in regard to this event will follow in the next few days.

About the Project:

West Sussex County Council, Kent County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council are planning to tender for 65 residential placements later in the year. The three local authorities want to develop a new model for strategic collaboration with providers of residential care to improve outcomes for the children and young people. We wish to achieve this by working in partnership with providers to cultivate a fresh approach that fully employs their knowledge, expertise and creativity.

The children and young people we are seeking placements for are:

o Aged 8- 17 (though more typically 10-16)

o May have often experienced exploitation - criminal and or sexual

o Have had long histories of neglect and exposure to domestic abuse and other forms of childhood trauma

o Have a limited capacity to make secure and healthy attachments with care givers due to blocked trust

o Have mental health needs which have not always been fully assessed or understood

o Will sometimes need to be placed in an emergency/immediate situation

We have already undertaken some initial market research and from this we know that to be successful we will need to offer long contracts (10 years plus), develop a realistic approach to matching children to places and have pragmatic timescales for mobilisation and the required placements becoming available.

To realise our ambition for a real partnership we want to explore with interested Service Providers a range of issues including - how 'soft blocks' can work in a way that is fair to both the provider and local authority partners?