Commission of Supported Accommodation
Case reference FOI2023/01993
Published 22 December 2023
Request
FOI request for Commissioners for Children, Families and Young Peoples Services or Procurement/Contract Management colleagues Please can you support us with some benchmarking in our new service design by responding to the following questions?:
1. How do you currently commission 16+ Supported Accommodation?
2. What is it you commission and how is it accessed? I.e. o Supported Housing options with support workers and 24/7 staffing/ security (e.g. Foyers) o Supported Lodgings o Self-contained solo accommodation o Spot purchase placement options for young people age 16/17 o Spot purchase placement options for young people age 18+ o Dedicated emergency beds o Floating Support
3. Do you have any dedicated accommodation and housing support for Care Leavers up to 25 years -If yes , please provide details
4. Please let us know how you commission accommodation and housing support for Separated Children seeking Asylum
5. Do you commission different levels/ tiers of support depending on the young person's level of need/ circumstances ? if yes, please provide details
6. How are you ensuring that providers are able to meet the requirements of new Ofsted 'The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023'
7. Does this take account of unaccompanied asylum seeking children? If so, please can you give some detail about what is delivered?
8. What barriers do you face in commissioning this service/s?
9. What is working well in these services?
10. How much is your hourly rate for the support worker in this provision?
Response
1. How do you currently commission 16+ Supported Accommodation?
A: Herefordshire Council predominantly commissions via competitive tendering opportunities and by utilising local and regional framework arrangements.
2. What is it you commission and how is it accessed? I.e.
o Supported Housing options with support workers and 24/7 staffing/ security (e.g. Foyers)
o Supported Lodgings
o Self-contained solo accommodation
o Spot purchase placement options for young people age 16/17
o Spot purchase placement options for young people age 18+
o Dedicated emergency beds
o Floating Support
A: Herefordshire Council has a mixed economy of provision that includes block contracts and a local framework. These contracts deliver supported accommodation staffed 24/7 which includes self-contained solo accommodation and shared accommodation options. Dispersed supported accommodation with associated outreach support, spot purchase placement options for young people age 16/17 and young people age 18+. We also have some designated emergency and assessment accommodation and floating support/mediation services.
3. Do you have any dedicated accommodation and housing support for Care Leavers up to 25 years -If yes , please provide details
A: Yes, Herefordshire council commissions dedicated supported accommodation for care experienced young people aged 16-25 years. This provides 24/7 accommodation and support in one and two bedroomed properties along with associated communal spaces.
4. Please let us know how you commission accommodation and housing support for Separated Children seeking Asylum
A: Herefordshire does not commission separate accommodation for UASC, instead the current models of accommodation are utilised. Herefordshire council is currently developing some additional shared living group homes for UASC which can accommodated 3-4 UASC at any one time.
5. Do you commission different levels/ tiers of support depending on the young person's level of need/ circumstances ? if yes, please provide details
A: No, all contracts are designed to operate flexibly.
6. How are you ensuring that providers are able to meet the requirements of new Ofsted 'The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023'
A: Herefordshire Council has provided extensive support and signposting to support providers with registration and our dedicated internal quality and review team are working with all providers to ensure the standards of support and quality of accommodation are sufficiently robust.
7. Does this take account of unaccompanied asylum seeking children? If so, please can you give some detail about what is delivered?
A: Yes point 6 above does take into account UASC we expect all providers to have in place designed support which takes into account religious and cultural needs. The council commissions ESOL provision and links providers to community based partners to ensure connected joined up offers are in place. The council also has an in house migration and resettlement team which supports this area of work.
8. What barriers do you face in commissioning this service/s?
A: The main barriers are availability of local properties if providers are required to deliver these themselves along with a limited experienced provider market operating locally.
9. What is working well in these services?
A: The services deliver good outcomes for young people preparing them for independence and move on.
10. How much is your hourly rate for the support worker in this provision?
A: Herefordshire council does not pay an hourly rate in block contracts. An hourly rate is used for the locally commissioned framework this is currently set at £16-£30 per hour.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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