Care leavers (aged 18 – 21) in supported accommodation
Case reference FOI2024/00158
Published 8 February 2024
Request
I am writing to make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act for access to the following information:
Please Note: The following questions are about care leavers (Aged 18 - 21) placed in supported accommodation who are receiving floating support; these young people come under the Leaving Care Act 2000.
1) Who are the currently supported accommodation providers you use for 18+ floating support & accommodation?
2) What provider out of your current list of supported accommodation providers has the majority of your care leavers?
3) What is the minimum support hours L.A requirement for 18-21 care leavers in supported accommodation?
For example, a min of 2 hours.
4) What is the current minimum cost L.A. pays for 18+ floating accommodations?
(Accommodation Only) For example, £500 P/W per placement depending on support needs.
5) How many service users were placed with your L.A between the years 2022 - 2023?
6) What are the practical postcodes your L.A placements team require for 18+ service users?
7) What are the current issues your L. A's placement team face when it comes to placing 18+ service users in supported accommodation?
8) What is the placements teams' budget per week for 18+ placements?
For example, £620 P/W per placement including 3 support hours.
9) What is the procedure for your L.A if a provider wishes to join both on-tender & off-tender providers list?
10) What are the main KPI's (key performance indicators) your L.A placements team use to separate a good semi-independent service to a bad one, specifically for 18+ service users?
11) What are the main factors your L.A Placements team use to ascertain whether a placement / provider is a good match for 18+ service users?
12) What is the L.A's budget for support hours, specifically per hour, for 18+ service users?
For example £21.50 per additional support hour.
13) What type of accommodation is needed but in short supply for your L.A placements team? I.e. studios, shared, 2 bed flats, etc.
14) What is the L.A placements team budget per week for the following accommodation:
a) Studio,
b) 1 bed Flat,
c) 2 bed flat,
d) Shared Accommodation.
15) When does the L.A plan to publish their next tender for 18+ placements?
16) What is L.A's standard procedure before placing an 18+ service user with a provider for the first time?
17) Who are the current providers you use for 18+ unstaffed accommodation?
Response
I am writing to make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act for access to the following information:
Please Note: The following questions are about care leavers (Aged 18 - 21) placed in supported accommodation who are receiving floating support; these young people come under the Leaving Care Act 2000.
1) Who are the currently supported accommodation providers you use for 18+ floating support & accommodation?
A) Herefordshire Council has a number of local and regional providers that are used to deliver floating support and accommodation for people aged 18+. These providers deliver under block and framework contract arrangements.
A list of current contracts held with Herefordshire Council is publically available on the Herefordshire Council website and can be viewed via the following link: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/contractsregister
To find the providers you are interested in we suggest filtering the contracts by Directorate (Children and Young People) and then Division (Children's Commissioning).
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
2) What provider out of your current list of supported accommodation providers has the majority of your care leavers?
A) As Herefordshire Council utilises a range of providers, the provider who supports the majority of care leavers at any one time can vary. At the time of composing this response the supported accommodation provider with the largest amount of care leavers residing with them is Connexus.
3) What is the minimum support hours L.A requirement for 18-21 care leavers in supported accommodation?
For example, a min of 2 hours.
A) Herefordshire Council does not set a minimum level of support; we require providers to be flexible and provide varying levels of support which can taper up and down over time depending on the needs of the young person supported.
4) What is the current minimum cost L.A. pays for 18+ floating accommodations?
(Accommodation Only) For example, £500 P/W per placement depending on support needs.
A) £450 per week.
5) How many service users were placed with your L.A between the years 2022 - 2023?
A) We have been unable to identify the information you have requested from the details provided. To help us meet your request, please could you provide some further clarification as to what you are requesting. For example, do you mean how many young people were placed with our local authority by other local authorities? Or, if not, can you clarify what you are asking for?
Please note a response to this question is suspended pending this clarification.
6) What are the practical postcodes your L.A placements team require for 18+ service users?
A) Herefordshire Council aims, where possible and when in the young person's best interests, to accommodate young people as close to Hereford as possible.
7) What are the current issues your L. A's placement team face when it comes to placing 18+ service users in supported accommodation?
A) Providers with experience of delivering supported accommodation locally are limited. The impact of recent Ofsted reforms in this area is as yet not fully known and we may see some regional providers leave the market. Commissioners are scoping opportunities to deliver additional local accommodation however there are known barriers regarding availability of local properties if providers are required to deliver these themselves.
8) What is the placements teams' budget per week for 18+ placements?
For example, £620 P/W per placement including 3 support hours.
A) Herefordshire Council does not have a budget per week for 18+ placements.
9) What is the procedure for your L.A if a provider wishes to join both on-tender & off-tender providers list?
A) Herefordshire Council advertises all tender opportunities via an electronic procurement portal https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/. Further information can be found on the Herefordshire Council website via the following link: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/business-1/business-council.
Please note, Herefordshire Council does not hold a list of off-tender providers.
10) What are the main KPI's (key performance indicators) your L.A placements team use to separate a good semi-independent service to a bad one, specifically for 18+ service users?
A)
• West Midlands Framework group - ask other local authorities for feedback.
• Willingness to create a bespoke package of support based on young person's needs which can be reviewed and reduced.
• If we have used provider, seek feedback from social worker/personal advisor.
• Placements Portal feedback.
• Quality assurance checks from due diligence.
11) What are the main factors your L.A Placements team use to ascertain whether a placement / provider is a good match for 18+ service users?
A)
• Same as Q.10 above.
• Location - preference of young person, close to transport links etc.
• Staff training and specialisms - e.g. Mental Health, CSE, County Lines, Exploitation, etc.
12) What is the L.A's budget for support hours, specifically per hour, for 18+ service users?
For example £21.50 per additional support hour.
A) Local support on the framework is capped at £30 per hour but we do not have a specific budget.
13) What type of accommodation is needed but in short supply for your L.A placements team? I.e. studios, shared, 2 bed flats, etc.
A) Levels of available accommodation are routinely reviewed by teams across Herefordshire Council to ensure access to adequate provision is available; tender opportunities would outline the number and types of accommodation required at that time.
14) What is the L.A placements team budget per week for the following accommodation:
a) Studio,
b) 1 bed Flat,
c) 2 bed flat,
d) Shared Accommodation.
A) Herefordshire Council does not have a budget for this. We will consider all costing breakdowns based on what we are requesting to commission and will negotiate costings if we feel the costing is not justified in costing breakdown.
15) When does the L.A plan to publish their next tender for 18+ placements?
A) Herefordshire Council will publish all tender opportunities as available via an electronic procurement portal https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/. Further information can be found on the Herefordshire Council website via the following link: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/business-1/business-council.
16) What is L.A's standard procedure before placing an 18+ service user with a provider for the first time?
A)
• Request Ofsted U.R.N
• Collect due diligence
• Reach out to West Midlands Framework group and request for feedback in emails
• Social worker take young person to visit
• Placement meeting with provider and Home Finding Team
17) Who are the current providers you use for 18+ unstaffed accommodation?
A) Imani Properties and Brightsky.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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